Another lesson I learned from my time as a Mary Kay consultant.
A new Mary Kay consultant was sitting next to a more experienced director next to a fireplace.
Keep your fire alive. Photo by Becky McCray The new consultant asked, “Why should I waste one night each week going to success meetings? I could be using that night to hold a class and make more sales!”
The experienced director said nothing. She picked up the fireplace tongs and carefully pulled out a glowing red-hot coal from the grate. She set it on the bricks in front of the fireplace. Separated from the heat of the fire, the glow faded, and the ember quickly cooled.
“Ah, I see,” the new consultant said.
Of course, this lesson could apply in any business, but I think it’s particularly telling for people who work independently. Let’s look at what happens at a typical Mary Kay unit weekly success meeting:
- Results are tabulated and rewards are given, with public recognition.
- Goals are set for short term and long term.
- New information is shared about business management and about product.
- People get together and socialize.
- Fun is encouraged.
Few independent business people have such a powerful weekly session. Your challenge is to find ways to get all of those benefits on a regular basis. Look for meetings and events locally that provide some of the elements. You could put together a group that meets online to provide most of the rest. But watch out for the people with the wrong attitude. Spending time with negative thinkers is like throwing your glowing ember into a pail of cold water.
How are you keeping your ember alive? How do you recharge your fire weekly?
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Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.
I love this reminder Becky. Our small town has developed an amazing networking and mastermind resource for our local business owners. It’s supported by the Chamber and other local groups, but is organized completely by volunteers and is free to anyone in the community. We often have 50 or more attendees at a meeting and are proud to have a long list of people who can give examples of the sales they made because of the group or how the energy and support of the group helped them work through a difficult slump.
We think we are Superman (or Wonder Woman) but we can’t do it all alone.
Thanks,
Angela Phebus
http://www.LocalVoicePublishing.com
Great story, Becky. A good reminder to stay connected to keep the energy flowing. However, there’s also value in pulling out your chunk of coal and letting it glow for a while (without going completely out) to have time to remember and refocus on why you are in the fire in the first place.
Great reminders! Worth of a tweetblast :)
Angela, you have a great group going!
Glenda, just don’t stay out too long!
Neenz, thank you! You’re a great stoker of fires, I think.
Becky, nope, not too long! Having taken a brief cooling down period has resulted in a creative solution to an energy block. Nearly ready to jump back into the roaring fire.