How Big is Your Dream?

How Big is Your Dream?

I’m building a Dream Team—Interested?

Last week I attended the SendOutCards conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. This came on the heels of attending the National Network of Estate Planning Attorneys Collegium in San Antonio, Texas and the General Practice Solo and Small Firm Section Executive Council meeting for the Florida Bar in Tampa, Florida. Needless to say, I’ll be happy to be home. Nonetheless, the week was inspiring in so many ways.

SendOutCards has to be one of the finest multi-level marketing organizations in existence today. I have never met so many genuinely nice, positive and motivated people. Everyone has a smile and a ‘how can I help you” attitude. For me, there could be nothing better as I strive to live in a world of gratitude and abundance.

Kody Bateman (a/k/a Kody B when he’s rapping) is the founder and CEO of SendOutCards. He has set the bar high but has dedicated his life to creating a company whose mission and purpose are to create personal connections and help people act on their promptings. The theme of this year’s conference was United We Send. An unbelievable 2,500 people were in attendance for three days of non-stop, heart-pounding action. Guest speakers included Stedman Graham (probably best known as “Oprah’s man”), Les Brown (a fantastic motivational speaker) and T. Harv Ecker (author of The Millionaire Mind). There was something for everyone.

My Card Divas partner, Teresa Morgan and I qualified for the VIP Challenge last quarter so we received some extra special treatment. There were special tee-shirts, an exquisite dinner at La Caille, reserved seating and a chance to walk across the big stage and high-five both Kody Bateman and Les Brown. A major part of the convention was to recognize the achievements of individuals who are the stars and rising stars of the SendOutCards organization. We were proud to be included.

One highlight of the trip was the opportunity to visit the SendOutCards headquarters and see where and how the cards are printed, stamped, stuffed, mailed and paired up with gifts. What an amazing group of people to make all that happen. All card and gift orders are accumulated until midnight. Then the presses begin to roll. Each card is individually reviewed for accuracy. Everything is sent out that day for immediate delivery. It was awesome!

Conventions are also opportunities to make big company announcements and this was no exception. Kody announced a new target market for SendOutCards—women and the home party market. Women account for 80% of all cards and gifts that are purchased. Until now, it appeared that SendOutCards was primarily focused on small business owners and professionals and that hasn’t changed. Today, through a new product offering, SendOutCards has removed all barriers to potential users and distributors and has announced the SOC Box. The SOC Box is an affordable opportunity to join the SendOutCards movement. For $49, the SOC Box grants the user a limited SendOutCards license and includes ten (10) free greeting cards (including the fabulous Picture Plus option) with postage. In addition, for a small additional fee ($25), SOC Box purchasers can become Retail Affiliates and earn an income stream by introducing others to the SOC Box. With the holidays right around the corner and card sending season upon us, SOC Box is the answer.

SendOutCards will also, once again, be featured in the October/November 2009 edition of Success From Home magazine. This issue will highlight the SOC Box and will invite the masses to join the crusade at SendOutCards. Also featured in the magazine are SendOutCards super stars and their success stories. Super model Kathy Ireland is also featured and tells readers how much she loves SendOutCards.

Stedman Graham had some words of wisdom to share with the convention attendees. He says:
We are all created equal—we all get 24 hours in a day. What do you do with yours?
You have to change your thoughts, to change your talk, to change your walk.
You are not your circumstances, you are your possibilities.
You are your environment, the people you surround yourself with, what you read and what you watch on TV. Choose wisely.

He reminded me of something I heard Charlie “Tremendous” Jones say once, “Five years from now you’ll be the same person you are today except for the books you read and the people you meet.” I took that to heart and I read something positive everyday and try to meet as many interesting people as possible. SendOutCards radiates that same philosophy.

Les Brown taught us that education and circumstances don’t have to define the man (or woman). What you believe, you can achieve. You can have anything you focus on. I believe that with all my heart. Even Matthew 7:7 tells us, “Ask and you shall receive.”

T. Harv Eker taught us that everything is a duality. What you think on the inside, will appear on the outside, in your physical world. He said your emotional, mental and spiritual focus will ultimately manifest itself in your material world—what you surround yourself with. If you think small, you’ll live small. If you think big, you can and will live large.

He said each of us is born with a money blueprint. We probably got it from our parents—in other words, what they taught us about money. If we were taught that money is hard to come by, it will be. If we were taught that money is easy to obtain, it will be.

Your thoughts plus your feelings plus your action equals RESULTS! And the thoughts we think start in our money blueprint programming. The good new is this program can be changed! But first, you have to change your thoughts.

Victims are easy to identify—they’ll generally be doing one of three (3) things: 1. Blaming someone else for their circumstances (“it’s my parents fault”), 2. Justifying their circumstances (“money’s not that important, anyway”), or 3. Complaining about something.

Harv says that complaining is the worst thing you can do for your health or your wealth. What you focus on expands. When you complain you become a “crap magnet.” He challenged us with an assignment—no complaining for at least seven (7) days. That’s both on the inside and on the outside. Now, when I catch myself starting to complain, I try to start the sentence with, “I wish…” rather than, “I hate,” or “I can’t stand it when.” Can you give up complaining for seven (7) days? I dare you to try!

He told us the secret to success is to BE A SUCCESS! I love this—because you create your own reality. Perception is reality, so be careful what you think about. Think positive, live positive. Think negative, live (and die) negative. It goes both ways. You change your life when you change your mind!

Harv also said, “If you can win at anything, you can win at everything.” However, there is a corollary, “If you can lose at anything, you can also lose at everything!” How do you lose? You quit. You adopt a philosophy that the grass is greener somewhere else and you consistently pursue the wrong things. Harv says, “Grass is grass! It’s not greener somewhere else.” He also said a very profound thing, “If you can’t make it at SendOutCards, you can’t make it anywhere.” Nowhere is there a greater opportunity for success!

I believe what he said is true. If you combine mission with purpose, you get success. Rich, happy and successful people make a fortune while fulfilling their mission in life. The purpose and mission of SendOutCards is to help people act on their promptings—to create heartfelt connections with other people. What better mission or purpose is there? I can’t think of one. Wouldn’t the whole world be a better place if we were all connected? What better way to be connected than to receive a heartfelt card and/or a gift from someone who cares? You don’t have to spend a fortune or take a lot of time—but the difference you make can ultimately change the world. Your world, and someone else’s.

So, I’m building a Dream Team. I’m attracting people that are happy, positive, loving and want to make a difference in the world. It will also help if you wouldn’t mind making a lot of money along the way and achieving success like you never before believed possible. Believe. Don’t think, just do. Join me, I’m waiting for you.

Peggy
407 221-3614
Phoyt1@cfl.rr.com
CardDivas.com

Horses All Around Us

I was travelling recently to the National Network of Estate Planning Attorneys semi-annual Collegium in San Antonio, Texas. Like most busy people who don’t have enough time to catch up on their reading (even the required stuff), I brought a stack of periodicals with me. Among these was the August/September 2009 copy of In and Around Horse Country. If you know me, you know horses are my passion. This particular publication focuses on the comings and goings of horse people in Virginia horse country. Virginia is big horse country and I love reading about the varied way horse people spend their time, whether it’s fox hunting (as long as they don’t get any foxes) or polo or endurance riding.

In this particular issue I came across two interesting articles. One featured John Walsh from America’s Most Wanted. I never knew John Walsh and his wife, Reve were horse enthusiasts. They are in a big way. She likes fox hunting and John is an avid polo player with more than 20 “ponies” in his string.

The other article was about a new book and movie called The Horse Boy. The book is written by Rupert Isaacson, father of Rowan, a young boy with autism. Rupert had always been a horse enthusiast but when his son was diagnosed with autism he believed he may have to give up horses forever. Then he made an amazing discovery. One day while walking in the woods with his son, they come across a pasture of horses and Rowan had an amazing and life-changing encounter with a mare named Betsy. The horse/boy connection led the family to a pilgrimage to Mongolia! They planned to trek across the country on horseback. They had several encounters with various shaman and upon their return home Rowan was changed forever, for the better. The family now operates a therapeutic riding program in Central Texas. For more information see horseboymovie.com and horseboyfoundation.org.

The horse/autism connection is not a new discovery but for this family contained a miracle. Horses are one of the most amazing animals alive. I’m always awed by their willingness and ability to interact with man in a predator/prey relationship. My Mustangs, Reno and Tahoe, were born wild but have adapted to life as barn yard pets. Horses have an innate ability to know what we are thinking and to reflect our emotions back to us—that’s one of the things that make them so incredible.

The Art of Appreciation Marketing

I'm really excited about upcoming events for SendOutCards. As a reminder, Tuesday September 15, 2009, is my regular "Cookies and Cards" event at my office beginning at 6 p.m. Everyone is invited to come learn and share about the best appreciation marketing tool in the Universe!

Next Month's Cookies and Cards will be slightly modified - Adam Packard, one of our upline distributors and a super star in SendOutCards will be in Orlando, Florida for a special event. Don Paradis, another senior manager in Orlando and I will be hosting this awesome event. This is for everyone interested in building their business (any business) through great relationships - also known as appreciation marketing. The event will be held on Wednesday October 7, 2009, in Baldwin Park, beginning at 6 p.m. I'll have more details, like directions later.

In two weeks, Teresa Morgan, Debbie Roser and I (a few of the Card Divas) will be in Salt Lake City, Utah for the annual SendOutCards Convention. Teresa and I are really excited as we promoted to Senior Manager and will be recognized for that and we also qualified for the VIP challenge and will receive all of the benefits of that accomplishment.

If you are brand new to SendOutCards, contact me directly at 407 977-8080 and I'll be happy to give you my personal website so you can send a free card on me or watch the "opportunity video." The response I get from my clients when they receive one of my cards is amazing! Join me for more fun with SendOutCards!

Beach House - New Smryna Beach, Florida

I just spent the afternoon at New Smyrna Beach - it's a great little town. Nice park at the north end that allows dogs. Great seafood restaurant - JB's fish camp at the south end in Bethune Beach. I'm kicking myself for not buying a little bungalow there 20 years ago when they were dirt cheap. Today, lots of great buying opportunities exist. Here's a link to one I found that could be a great investment property and a place to visit on the weekends. I would love to find a couple of seriously interested people who would like to go halves or quarters on this. It's a 2/1 about 2 blocks from the beach. It has hard wood floors, a fireplace and one car garage. The yard is currently waaaay overgrown so it doesn't show well but I looked in the windows and it looks very cute. Here's the link if you want to check it out! http://www.movoto.com/real-estate/homes-for-sale/FL/New-Smyrna-Beach/505-Oakwood-Ave-431_O4892786.htm/ .

Gay Marriage - Rethinking Estate Planning Stereotypes

Today, Vermont became the 5th state in the Nation to recognize gay marriage. Vermont joins four other states, Massachussets, Iowa, Connecticut and New Hampshire. Federal law, however, only recognizes marriage between a man and a woman. As a result, estate planning strategies involving federal gift and estate tax must be carefully considered.

In most states, where gay marriage is not recognized, couples have no protection under state laws like their married counterparts. In fact, one estimate says there are more than a 1,000 rights that are gained when a couple legally marries. This was one of the reasons I finally married my husband, Joe, after 14 years of co-habitation. It no longer made sense to lose the protections for married couples provided by law.

An estate plan is essential for all couples, married or unmarried, same sex or opposite sex. You can't rely on promises, understandings or even the law to provide the protection you may want and need. And planning like your a single person just doesn't fit the bill. There are too many possible pitfalls. You can read more about the pros and cons of planning for unmarried couples in my book Loving Without a License - An Estate Planning Survival Guide for Unmarried Couples and Same Sex Partners co-written with my friend and colleague Candace Pollock, an attorney in Cleveland, Ohio.

One strategy we recommend in Loving Without a License includes a Life Alliance Agreement (tm) to outline the rights and responsiblities of partners during the course of their relationship. Most states don't have a legal system to address the concerns of partners when a relationship ends and the Life Alliance Agreement can create a legally binding contract to benefit the parties.

Both my law firm, The Law Offices of Hoyt & Bryan, LLC and Candace's law firm, Hahn & Pollock, LLC are available for group presentations or one on one consultations.