As I sat down to write my blog today, I asked myself what one piece of advice, what one small thing could I tell you that I think would make the biggest impact in your day today? It came to me right away and it’s probably a lot simpler than you would think:  Smile!

As a child, did a parent or a teacher ever tell you that you needed to change your attitude?  I’m sure it has happened to each of us at one point or another, especially when we were teenagers. In fact, I said it to my own kids a time or two as they were growing up.  But what you may not have realized is that changing your attitude is some of the best advice you could ever receive.  And now we’ve got the scientific research of Harvard to prove it!

Conventional thinking teaches us that if we work hard then we will be more successful and if we are more successful, then we will be happy.  If we can just earn a little extra money or lose some weight happiness will certainly follow, right?  Wrong.  Recent discoveries have shown us that the opposite is actually true.  In fact, happiness leads to success… not the other way around.  In his book “The Happiness Advantage” Shawn Achor shares what a decade of Harvard research has proven:  When we are positive, our brains become more engaged, creative, motivated, energetic, resilient and productive at work.  Happiness breeds success… not the other way around.

So how do we get happy?  Well it won’t happen overnight, but it’s easy to start!  It sounds elementary, but putting a smile on your face is the best (not to mention simplest) way to bring a little happiness to your day – and to those around you.  I don’t care who you are, or what your current situation is, everyone can think of at least one thing to be thankful for… one thing to bring a smile to their face.  So take a second out of your busy day, think about that one thing that makes you smile, and well… smile!  And then take that one step further and smile at a stranger as you walk by… then see what happens next.  It’s the best kind of contagious there is!

I assure you that a smile on your face and a positive attitude will do more for your success than anything else you could do today.

Until next time,

Greg

Reaching your warm market online through social media is now more important than ever, as many of your friends, family and business contacts are already using social media every day. In 2013, we at ACN are committed to providing ACN’s Independent Business Owners with social media tips that you can leverage in the field to be sure that you are the next ACN success story.

Happy New Year Everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with your family and friends and enjoyed all the magic that the season brings.  The holidays are an incredible time in which we can renew and refocus ourselves, a time in which we start planning how the year ahead will be better than the year we are leaving behind.  So with that said, let’s get down to business – the business of changing your life!

This time of year in ACN, there are typically two types of people:  Those who focus on all they didn’t accomplish last year – their goals left unmet – and then there are those who come off the block strong – with their sites set on the future and on what they will do in the coming year.  Which category do you fall into?  If it isn’t the latter, then you need to change your thinking.  In fact, you can make the decision to truly wipe the slate clean and start fresh, because no matter what you did or didn’t do in 2012, 2013 is a new year and it can be a new you.

We all like to make New Year’s resolutions, but I challenge you to make resolutions this year that truly mean something – so that you can turn those resolutions in your business into a revolution in your life!  Let’s get started…

First, start thinking about what goals you would like to accomplish in your business this year.  Many common themes probably come to mind.  Perhaps you resolve to reach that next earned position or hit a customer milestone, and while these are good resolutions, studies show that part of successful goal setting involves defining goals that are specific, measurable, action oriented, realistic and time conscious.  For example, instead of saying, “I’m going to hit RVP this year,” you might say, “I resolve to reach the RVP position by June 2013.  I will accomplish this goal by spending at least five hours a day committed to my ACN business and hosting at least 3 PBRs a week.  I also make a personal commitment to exemplify the vision and leadership of ACN in everything I do.”  Now this is resolution that can lead to a real revolution in your life!

Second, go grab your pen and paper, your iPad or whatever you prefer to take notes on and write down your goals.  It’s not enough for them to be in your head.  You need to put a pen to paper, per say, because by writing down your goals, you are taking the first step toward holding yourself accountable for meeting those resolutions.  Next, once your goals are set, identify someone you can share them with, an accountability partner who will help ensure you stay on the right path to accomplishing your goals.  Lastly, while your goals should certainly be attainable, they really should make you sweat.  After all, if reaching our goals isn’t a stretch for us, then we are certainly selling ourselves short.

So regardless of what you did or didn’t do last year, today is a new day!!  Look in the mirror and tell yourself, “This is the year I start living what I’ve been believing and perceiving.   This is the year I change my life.” As we embark on ACN’s 20^th anniversary, I have no doubt 2013 will be a breakthrough year for all of us at ACN, and it can be a breakthrough year for you too.  Set some aggressive goals, grab hold of those goals and don’t let go, and prepare to break a sweat – and I know I will see you at the top.

Until next time,

Greg