Living A Diamond Life

In 1923 Babe Ruth held three records. He held the record for highest batting average in a season and for the highest number of home runs in a season. But the third record he held? In 1923, Babe Ruth held the record for the highest number of strike outs in a season. That is interesting.

When you step up to the plate with the intent to hit a home run, you greatly increase your chances of striking out.

My intent today is not to teach you how to strike out, but I do want you to know that you can't be afraid to strike out. That's part of the game in running a business. As a small business owner, you will strike out at times. People will tell you no. You will fail occasionally. The difference between those who succeed at a Scentsy business and those who don't is that those who succeed aren't afraid to step back up to the plate and try again after striking out.

I want you to imagine a baseball diamond.

If you've got a piece of paper close, go ahead and draw a diamond.

The idea of living a Diamond Life doesn't just apply to your business. It can apply to any part of your life: your job, your family, your hobbies, etc. The reason? It centers around relationships.

So, on your baseball diamond, I want you to draw home plate and write the word, Purpose next to it.
This is where it all starts.

Home Plate: Purpose

Home plate is your purpose. If you don't have a purpose, there is no point in even stepping up to the plate.

So do you know yours? Your purpose?

Write it down.

Purpose is where it all begins. It's why we work. Originally, my purpose in starting a Scentsy business was to be able to be a stay at home mom. Then it became to pay off $10,000 in credit card debt. Now my purpose is to be completely financial free so we can serve God however He calls us to.

So what is your purpose? Traveling, paying for college, getting debt free? What is it? Dream big. With Scentsy we have a big opportunity, so why not dream big? You are only going to go as far as your purpose.

So, let's step up to the plate with intention and hit the ball.

Once you hit the ball, where do you go?

First base. Draw first base on your baseball diamond. And next to first base, write the words: Win Within. 

First Base: Win Within 

What does it mean to win within?

It's taking care of yourself....mind, soul, spirit, all of those important things, before you attempt to take care of others.

Winning within is about character and internal restoration.

So, how do you win within?

When it comes to Scentsy, this is where your goals come into play. You need goals. Do you have any? Have you written them down?

You need a long term goal with an end date and short term goals (monthly, weekly, or even daily) that are going to help you reach your long term goal. I would bet that a very large percentage of you do not have your goals written down, and I get it. Writing down your goals is an acknowledgement that you want it, but it also means that there is a chance that you might fail. As a perfectionist, I often have a hard time committing to a goal by writing it down, because I don't want to fail.

But, remember what we talked about earlier? We can't be afraid to strike out. So, write out your goals, and hold yourself accountable.  We're not going to be afraid of striking out, but if we do, we'll get back up to the plate and try again.

Write your long term goal first. Then your short term goals. Be bold. No fear. Then hold yourself accountable or find an accountability partner. Some ideas for an accountability partner would be your spouse, your sponsor, another Scentsy sister.

Here's why winning within is so extremely important: You absolutely cannot lead someone else if you don't know where you're going or why. Winning within is focusing on the swing and keeping your eye on the ball. It's doing the things that matter most consistently to grow your business.

So, now let's move to second base. Next to second base, write the words: Win with Others.

Second Base: Win with Others

I don't know if you consider yourself a leader at this point in the game or not, but I'm hoping by the end of this, you know that you're a leader.

The minute you have a customer, a hostess, your first team member, you become a leader. To be a leader, everything you do has to be centered around other people. Second base is about serving people, caring for people. It's about ceasing to be self-absorbed.

It's interesting that Jesus's greatest command was to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your soul." His second request? "Love your neighbor as yourself."

The problem with that command is that we are naturally self-absorbed. We think of ourselves first in most situations. Second base is about teaching ourselves to put the needs of others before our own needs.

When I look at the really successful consultants in our organization, they all have one thing in common and that is a true desire to support others, to care for others, to help others really succeed and grow. This is where leadership really begins. Recruiting, selling, leading (all of the things that are important to your business) happen in a real, business building way when it stops being about you and it starts being about other people.

So, here's what that process looks like for you. Recruits are essential to your business, but if you don't know why your recruits stepped up to the plate in the first place, you won't be able to help them for very long.

You have to help the people in your life by walking them through and helping them understand their purpose. Then you go to first base with them. Help them set goals. Give them personal tasks to complete.

Remember, when it comes to leadership, no one wants to hear a vision in which you are standing and they are bowing. You are running the bases with them. You are the example.

So let's review:

Home Plate: Purpose

First Base: Win Within

Second Base: Win with Others

I guess you can guess where we're going next....Yep. Third base.

Draw third base on your diamond and write the words, Win Over Obstacles next to it.

Third Base: Win Over Obstacles

This is where the game is won or lost. Third base is about success, but it's not the end. You do not score on third base.

This is where consultants succeed or fail. You will run into obstacles. No doubt about it. I call them walls, and you'll probably hit lots of them. If you're on the road to success, you have to know that you're going to run into obstacles.

What's interesting is that our society wants us to run to third base first. We are a performance driven society that finds value in what we do and the results we generate. It's like college graduates that expect to come out of college making $70,000/year, buy a new house, a new car, and have the lifestyle that their parents worked decades to get.

You may have thought when you signed up to sell Scentsy that you would immediately start making hundreds or even thousands of dollars right from the beginning. That's just not how it works. You have to start at home plate. You have to step up to bat with intention and purpose. And you have to work your way around the bases. You can't just jump to third base.

So, how are you going to overcome obstacles when they present themselves? You have to have tools. Find an accountability partner to keep you motivated. Make it a priority to attend events to learn from others who have made Scentsy work. Go to the training center. Get refreshed with new ideas. There is always something else you can learn.

So there you have it. You've made it around the bases, and now you're headed back to home plate.

Here's the thing: If we fix our hearts on finishing well, our lives and our businesses will bring us right back to the place of purpose where we started.

The idea is to start on purpose and end on purpose. We often get so involved in the task or the strike out that we forget the why. We can't forget the why.

And when you get back home, you go to the bench, you rest, and then you step up to the plate with intention and purpose and do it all over again.

And you do it over and over and over again.

Relationships and consistency in those small things that matter will get you around the bases and score you runs.

A diamond life.

It's not just about you. It's about knowing why you do what you do and then taking yourself out of the picture and focusing on others.

.....day 261 of a year of writing.....

Idea for The Diamond Life found at http://betterthanblank.org/leadership-the-diamond-life-by-kevin-myers/