1) Memorize your Mission Statement. This is your organization’s purpose, the reason for your existence.  This statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a sense of direction, and guide decision-making. Know it by heart and have your employees memorize it too.

2) Embrace change and be flexible. Successful entrepreneurs understand that change is inevitable, so build change into your business plan and into your outlook.

3) Be Positive. Your attitude affects your ability to respond to opportunities and challenges. Even when times are hard, look for ways to make the best of it.

4) Treat your employees well. Your employees are your company, especially in a small business. Your employees are behind the scene but they are the front line of your company. Hire well and pay fairly; give employees respect and authority.

5) Develop and maintain good credit. Your ability to borrow money for your business depends on your personal credit. Establish procedures to pay your bills on time every month.

6) Get things in writing. I’ve made handshake deals, but I’ve also seen clients change their minds and people I’ve trusted turn 180 degrees when unexpected things occur.  A clear written document is critical with any important business deal.

7) Establish personal savings and a retirement account. Like most entrepreneurs, I’ve given virtually every dollar earned back into my business. But unexpected things happen so you need to be prepared for the future as well.

8 ) Develop a business plan. Now here is the secret, you need to develop or reassess your business plan every year. This will help realign your vision on where you want to be so you know where you are going.

These past 14 years, it hasn’t always been an easy ride, but at least I’ve always been in the driver’s seat. Being an entrepreneur has been great, and I’m looking forward to so much more to come!

Until next time, enjoy the ride in the driver’s seat and continue to discover your full potential and live the life of your dreams!
Love & Light
Debi

Certainly it is all of these and more. However, perhaps even more important than anything mentioned above, what makes this holiday so loved and appreciated, anticipated and planned for, sacred and significant to us all is the simple fact that July 4th serves as a day to remember, appreciate, and surround ourselves with what and who is most important in life – family!

We all know that the ‘parades’ and ‘fireworks’ of life are only moments of effortless entertaining pleasure; but the joy, happiness, and success of a family is far more rewarding and yet is only achieved through sacrifice, hard work, persistence, getting up after temporary defeats, and most importantly, because of unselfishness – the very same qualities that our country was founded upon!

Until next time, celebrate this memorable day, whether it be honoring our Flag, visiting historical monuments, watching a parade, or enjoying family festivities remember to express gratitude and appreciation not only for those who serve our country but for all the friends and family that serve you, and continue to discover your full potential and live the life of your dreams!

Love & Light,

Debi

The Four Agreements are:

1) Be Impeccable with Your Word: Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using words to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love. Use the power of your words to edify and to praise others. Speak of only good things for yourself and others. Talk of happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.

2) Don’t’ take anything Personally: Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering. Each person has the right to their own opinion. Don’t allow yourself to be effected by the opinion or actions of others. You have no control over what other people do but you do have control over how you react or respond to it. Find the positive intention in each situation or person. Allow people the space necessary to be themselves. Have patience and YOU will persevere.

3) Don’t make Assumptions: Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness, and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life. Nothing is right or wrong. It is only our interpretation. Be willing to see the lesson behind each experience and to change from the inside out. The best antidote to avoid making assumptions is to give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to make assumptions or criticize others.

4) Always do Your Best: Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret. If you always do your best you will not judge yourself or suffer from guilt, blame and self-punishment. Think only of the best, work only for the best and expect only the best. As you do, your best will shine through and you will positively affect many people.

These Four Agreements are very simple, but very profound. To embrace and live each of the Four Agreements is to find yourself experiencing personal freedom–possibly as never before. I invite you to take a look at each one of the agreements and honestly ask yourself where you are in relation to the application of them. Then proceed to make the necessary changes to move to the next level by incorporating and demonstrating each agreement into your life.

Until next time, embrace each of the 4 Agreements to experience personal freedom and continue to discover your full potential and live the life of your dreams!
Love & Light
Debi

In fact, you can give the world no greater gift than to focus on gratitude and let your relationships blossom through your genuine appreciate.  Expressing true gratitude is not superficial. It involves a genuine heart to heart connection.  In other words, gratitude is sincere appreciation that is delivered with real meaning.

Just think of all the things each day that you are grateful for. Things like spending time with family, the smell of coffee to get you going in the morning, a warm shower, sunshine on your face, a home cooked meal, the ability to breathe, walk and talk, or an unsolicited appreciation of your efforts. Once you start noticing the beauty of life around you, gratitude expands and creates more of what you focus on.

You can use the same approach to develop renewed appreciation for the people in your life. I know firsthand because yesterday started out being a very sad day. It was my first Fathers Day without my Dad. I tried so hard to muster up the energy to be positive and optimistic. But for some reason I kept slipping back into a somber depressed state until a friend of mine called to check in on me. (He knew of my situation) He begin telling me that instead of being sad over the loss of my Father I should use today as a day of celebration for his life and express gratitude for who he was and what we had together. And so I did! Gratitude is a great place to be in! And two days later, the day of my Dad’s Birthday, I jumped right back into that same place of gratitude again.  Now, nothing but love and appreciation flows through me whenever I think of my Father.

Why not take a few moments today to consider all the relationships you are grateful for? Reflect on the qualities you appreciate in each of your relatives and friends – the smile on a child’s face, the hug of a loved one, the spontaneous playfulness of a friend, or the unconditional love of a pet.

Do you appreciate these things? Then show your gratitude and appreciate the abundance of greatness in your life. Better yet, write a note of gratitude to the people who have touched your life. Express what you love about them and how it makes you feel. You will add meaning to their lives while strengthening your relationships.

Until next time, express gratitude and appreciation in all aspects of your life and continue to discover your full potential and live the life of your dreams!
Love & Light
Debi

It’s easy to tell people what they want to hear. It’s easy to make up excuses or say something that’s untrue just to get yourself out of a jam. The problem with doing this is after awhile your credibility will be tarnished and no one will believe you. And once you’ve lost your credibility, nothing you say will matter very much at all. Do not allow yourself to get caught up in that trap.

Although the truth can hurt, it’s well worth the pain. My Grandma use to always tell me as a child growing up that “If you tell the truth you will never get in trouble.” When you’re strong enough and confident enough to speak the truth, you gain respect and influence. Being honest and straightforward will also open doors for you. You will become known as someone who tells the truth. Think about what a statement this will make about you and your life.

Instead of covering up your weaknesses with lies, show your strength with truth. Instead of being arrogant enough to think you can get away with a lie, be confident enough to know that you CAN tell the truth.

It’s important to say what you mean, and do what you say. Talk the Talk and Walk the Walk! Be honest with yourself and with others. Let your words and actions speak to the genuine and valuable person that you are.

Until next time, allow the power of the truth to set you free and continue to discover your full potential and live the life of your dreams!
Love & Light
Debi

On a walk to the mail box I saw another neighbor who babysits my dog. Carolyn and I caught up on the weather, yard work, life, family, work, my dog, and then Janet came up in our conversation. During the course of our conversation Carolyn told me that Janet lost her eye sight and moved in with family in another state. The news left me with an empty, sad feeling. I wished I had called sooner. I wished I had stopped by to see Janet sooner. My call or visit would not have saved her eye sight, but maybe I could have made her laugh or just given her a good reassuring feeling. The contact would have given me a good memory, and the feeling of having done a good deed.

In my younger years I had a former employer who told me “Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.” I know someone famous probably said that but I heard it from her first in regards to an idea I had about being more productive at work. She said don’t talk about doing it. Whatever it may be, do it with great feeling and “Do it now!” So whether it’s work, family, a thought, an idea, a chore, an errand, a call, a visit, whatever it may be do it now or it might be too late.

You can never turn back the hands of time. Responding to life in the present will prevent regrets down the road of life. It means living your life with the feeling that each second is complete – no unfinished business. Peace of mind is never having to say, “I wish I had.”

How do you feel about your life? Have you done all that you needed to? Do you have some unfinished business? Well, what are you waiting for? Do it now! Live as if every breath is your last. It might be.

Until next time, Do It Now and continue to discover your full potential and live the life of your dreams!
Love & Light
Debi

When I look back over my life, there always seemed to be an impossible circumstance or insurmountable obstacle to keep me from realizing my dreams. But a positive attitude and a belief in myself helped me realize that virtually everything was within my reach.

It was once considered impossible for a person to run a mile in less than four minutes. But then, along came Roger Bannister in 1954, breaking the four-minute barrier and placing what seemed to be an impossible task within his reach.

It was once considered impossible for people to fly through the air or to travel into outer space. And once again, the impossible happened when in 1969 Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface of the moon after completing the journey of a quarter million miles through outer space. His dream of walking on the moon was placed within his reach because he and others stayed committed to making it happen.

What you may think is impossible can become possible if you commit yourself to making it happen. You can find the way through effort, persistence, and unwillingness to give up until you reach your goal. Ask yourself whether the things you think seem impossible are really impossible. Or have you made them seem impossible by not committing the hard work necessary to make them happen?

As long as you consider something impossible, it will be impossible. The only way to change it is to see the possibility in your mind, by making a decision to commit to the necessary work to place it within your reach. Your persistence and belief that it can happen will allow you to knock down the walls and remove the obstacles. And before you know it, what you once thought was out of your reach will become one of your greatest achievements.

Stretch yourself! You can make it!

Until next time, stretch yourself to make the impossible possible and continue to discover your full potential and live the life of your dreams!
Love & Light
Debi

It is time for you to make new empowering beliefs and speak the truth of who you are. You have to claim this truth. Discontinue using language that degrades or disconnects you from your power.

I invite you to embrace your greatness, your full potential. Make a new empowering belief to speak highly of yourself and others; to speak of your potential and how you are going to exploit it; to speak of your talents and gifts and how you are going to share them with others; to remember that you have infinite potential.

I invite you to review your life and make the commitment to make new empowering beliefs with yourself in all areas where you are not congruent or you are not in alignment with your true essence. This is the magic of real self-love.

Until next time, allow your true essence to enjoy the magic of real self love and continue to discover your full potential and live the life of your dreams!
Love & Light
Debi

One of the most common complaints of the middle-aged and pre-retirement folks is: “I wish I had started saving my money when I was younger.”  There is a very good reason for that. It’s called compound interest. No matter how much you save later, you will never make up for the compounded interest that you will lose if you don’t start saving on a regular basis now. If you are not “young” please don’t be discourage just start saving now!

So, why is saving so important?

1. Emergencies happen.
   They come in all shapes, sizes and prices. Maybe your car will break down. Maybe your roof will spring a leak. Maybe your plumbing will spring a leak. Maybe you’ll encounter an unexpected medical emergency. Maybe you’ll be the victim of a job layoff. Life happens and emergencies are a part of everyone’s life. The difference is how we deal with an emergency. If you are prepared and have an emergency savings fund, then you simply pay for the cost of the emergency and get on with your life. If you aren’t prepared then you go into debt (or more likely you go further into debt) and wonder why you can’t get out. Or as one family member puts it “I can’t keep my head above water.”
2. Someday you’ll want to retire.
   The funny thing about retirement is, when you stop working, you stop getting paid. Maybe Social Security will still be there for you, (I’m not betting on it for me) and maybe it won’t. It was there for my Grandmother, sort of, although I don’t know how she is expected to live on $480 a month. Your best bet is to save for retirement. If your company offers a 401K plan you should take advantage of it – especially if they offer to match your funds. If they don’t, then open up a retirement fund on your own. Not only will you get a tax benefit for your contributions, but you’ll be investing in your future. Contact a reputable Financial Advisor for more detailed information.
3. The miracle of modern science.
   The average life expectancy is much higher than it was when social security was first instituted. With advances in medical science, public education, and now mandated health care, you can continue to expect our life span to increase. A longer life means more money will be needed for your survival-and hopefully you’ll be able to save enough to do more than just survive!
4. Children are our future.
   If you have children, I’m sure you’ve at least thought about a college education for them. The costs of education are rising at a frightening rate every year, not only for private schools but for public schools as well. Now a college education will cost you your annual salary or more for each year. I highly recommend scholarships and part-time jobs to help pay for education costs. As you can see here is another reason to put money aside. If you have children you should plan on saving money for an education fund.

Saving is a lot easier than you think – especially once you get past that initial step of just getting started. So, now that you have the Tax Refund coming your way this could be your first step to start saving. If you don’t save, I can guarantee that you will never get out of debt and build wealth. The earlier you start, the better!

Until next time, work on saving for the future and continue to discover your full potential and live the life of your dreams!
Love & Light
Debi

The toughest questions are not necessarily those questions put to us by other people, but rather the questions we put to ourselves. These are questions such as: What do I really want out of life? or Do I think I have what it takes in order to get it? Or maybe you are in a relationship you might not want to be in, or working at job that you dislike, or afraid to stand up to someone who disrespects you but you avoid asking the brave question because the answer might be too hard for you to handle. That’s when you realize that self doubt, partial answers and half-truths just won’t do.

It takes a courageous person to be truthful during those defining moments. It requires an attitude that is fearless and willing to handle the answer given, regardless of what it might be. To live your life to the fullest, you must be able to ask and answer the tough questions – not only to yourself, but also to others around you.

Life is about being able to ask the tough questions and give the right answers. When was the last time you asked yourself a brave question? More importantly, when was the last time you responded with a brave answer? Think about it!

Until next time, be brave not only with your questions but also with your answers and continue to discover your full potential and live the life of your dreams!
Love & Light
Debi