Tonya Grimes

I wanted to share this great lesson from Tonya Grimes:

I found myself 3/4 of the way up and I just didn't know how I was going to position myself to make it the rest of the way. You see, I'm scared to death of heights. My kids challenged me to a climb the side of a quarry hole (a VERY big one). I accepted the challenge because I knew it would be nothing but good for me to push myself through some of this fear. I was focused for 3/4 of the way up when all of a sudden, I ran out of rocks to grab....and I did the worst thing ever...I looked down. So there I was, positioned on the side of a dirt mountain, knowing that I had crossed the point of no return. I couldn't go back down (way too long and risky) and I didn't know how to move forward.

Just then my 13 year old encourager (Josh) came to the rescue. He came right up beside me and said, "Mom, you can do this. Besides, the moon is going to come up soon and you just need to move faster before it gets dark!" (It was 2:00 in the afternoon!) I said, "Josh, I'm just so close but I don't have anything left to grab a hold of." He replied, "You don't need to grab anything...just dig your feet in and take little steps. Once you start to move, don't stop...just keep digging your toes into the dirt and don't look down."

Well I did just as my little mountain climbing teacher instructed me to do and what a sense of accomplishment when I put my feet on firm ground at the top...and what a view!

So many business applications ran through my mind as I experienced this challenging event. I'm going to list them, trusting there will be golden nugget that will help to make your life and business enriched!

1. Put yourself into challenging situations that will cause you to grow. Make yourself do some cold calling, not because it's the most effective way to build a business, but it will help to sharpen your wording and phone skills. No growth EVER takes place unless there is some kind of adversity or stumbling block to overcome (and this goes for business and spiritual growth)! So, the next time something yucky happens just think: I'M GROWING! I love this saying: If your gut is churning, you're learning!

2. Never look back. Once you make a commitment to run your business and work it hard, don't look back and never get discouraged. Don't allow negative people to talk you out of your decision. Don't let YOURSELF talk you out of working hard. It's worth it to keep pressing on...so don't hand yourself over to wimpy excuses!

3. Get someone to come alongside of you. Grab a mentor, sister consultant, upline, or anyone who has your best business interest at heart. That means choosing someone who will encourage you (Mom you can do it) and also add some tough love (Mom...the moon is coming up...do this before it gets dark). Pace with someone who is willing to dig their toes into the dirt with you to help you reach the top (and what a view it will be....think big commission checks and a sense of accomplishment!).

4. Many times consultants will get discouraged 3/4 of the way through their business and they'll give up; walk away; quit. I always felt sad for these people because if they could have pushed themselves the other 1/4, it just may have been the turning point in their business. In the last 1/4 they may have recruited the person who ended up shooting to the top, making the upline a lot of money; or they may have found a recruit who became the top salesperson, selling well over $100,000 by herself each year; perhaps this person would have set themselves on track to eventually make $15,000 per month or more. But, they never experienced what could have been because they quit 3/4 of the way up the mountain. Don't let this happen to you....press on. In this economy, it's the smartest decision you could ever make!

5. Dig those heels in and just plow through the work it takes to build big. It's work and there's no two ways about it....but I have always said, "You have to work hard at something during this lifetime, it might as well be at a business that allows you to invest yourself into people's lives, give them a great product/service, and leave your fingerprint on those you touch. What a mission we're on!