Do Winners Quit?

"Winners never quit and quitters never win!" I've heard it a million times - I simply do not agree. 

I am working diligently to make positive things happen for me and my family and it seems that my intention and tenacity are beginning to pay off. It is not lost on me that this turn for the positive came shortly after I let go of other projects that were time, labor and money intensive - all with little progress. Yes, I quit.

I quit pouring money into a business idea that was not making money. When Dave and I started this business in 2008, we intended to see wild success. We spent more than $60,000 and didn't make anything close to that amount in return. It simply is not good business to continue to spending, spending, spending with no return.

Those of you who know me personally know that I am an optimist. I can recite all the motivational quips and quotes that assure us that if we just hang on a little longer, success will break through! I know how many of the mega-successful entrepreneurs filed, in some cases, multiple bankruptcies before finding that formula for success, and on and on and on the hype goes. I want to know the stories of those same Disneys and Trumps recognizing that a plan is not going to come to fruition and pulling the plug. Oprah did it with OWN when she let go of 130 people, it was a step back to move the big picture forward. In my case, the step back was closing the business and putting our resources to work for our future, our new dreams, and who-knows-what-else might be on the horizon for us. I feel it's important to note that what might be around the corner might have been missed while my nose was to the grindstone of the business that was not producing any thing even remotely close to success.

With all this said, I do not believe winners never quit, I feel strongly that winners do good business and that is knowing when to hold 'em and yes, when to fold 'em. I'm a winner and I quit!

There is Progress!

Finally, I feel like something constructive is happening. Selling a house can be emotional to be sure, but when it comes with financial difficulties and is not a traditional sale (it's a short sale), it comes with additional stresses. The main difficulty is that you don't know when you have to move! Well, that's not entirely true as one can certainly pack up and move anytime they want to, but moving is no small task and we didn't want to do it one day sooner than we have to.

We put our house on the market back in April, submitted an offer to the bank the first week in May and then we waited...and waited...and waited. Nothing. I advised Dave that we could get a call that the offer was approved and we would have to move with little notice, he didn't all the way believe me because the bank had not been fast to respond to anything. Well, that call came and frankly, I was glad. We have been living in a bit of limbo, knowing the move is coming, just not sure when.

Even though the call came because our agent had a hunch, we ran on to the field and began calling plays; scour the classifieds, call rental agencies, put the word out to family and friends, we're looking for a new place to live! There was lots of, "Fill this out..." and "How is your credit? We will be running a background check you know, AND it IS $40 per applicant. Oh, but don't fret, we will keep your file active for a full 6 months!" Which is all okay, but the fact of the matter is, we are your dream tenants...we are not the people who put holes in walls and allow our dog to chew and scratch everything in sight. No, we need to take a different approach, we need to market ourselves to homeowners looking for us!

I created a pdf and put it out via e-mail and social media, within a few hours we had two really great locations to choose from and we found a place to rent! It's less than one mile from where we live now and basically, in the same neighborhood close to town and Mason's school. I am over the moon about what a lovely little house it is. It's a 3 bedroom/2 bath on a lot that is maybe a little smaller than where we are now. It has a deck of the whole back of the house with a portion of the deck covered with a ceiling fan for those warm nights when you want to be outside. There is no grass but other outdoor living areas with rock walk ways, lots of little planters, fall trees, a fig tree, a lemon tree, an apple tree and an outdoor fire pit. Oh, and another perk, it has a hot tub! The kitchen is small, but it is lovely, all white tile with newer appliances. Finally, there is a breakfast nook popping right out of the front of the house, just another fun, quirky feature of the house. Having lived in a larger space, we will have some adjustments to make, but all in all, this is a great place for us to live until it's time to make the big move. I'll send out change of address once we sign our lease and know for sure our deal is done!

While we were finding our new home, we also got word that our short sale has been approved and we close on 9/25 - perfect for our 9/15 move in to the new house. Finally, it feels like things are going our way and working out without a continuous stressful effort!

I will comfortably call this Intentional Winning finding a place to live!!

It's Hard to Come Back...

Intentional Winning has a definitive point of view - it is about making your dreams that have not come true, come true. It's so clear to me, I eat, sleep and breathe it...but I have stopped living it.

Like so many, I have been living through difficult times not only with the universally struggling economy, but personally on the level of, who am I really? Why am I here? It's a strange place for me to be because I know who I am! I know what I am supposed to do, however, every time I set my sails, the wind changes. This makes me wonder, am I off course? I keep coming back to what makes me happy and what's working, continuing my college education and creating RiverLights Originals.

I stopped posting regularly popping in only occasionally but I want to come back. I want to share my journey from a more honest perspective, less Rah! Rah! cheer leading and more motivation from a place of honesty. I want to motivate you, and me with the truth. Not the truth that outs the overbearing pseudo-celebrity who takes advantage of those who turn to her for mentoring, or the others who preach the importance of being "real" and "approachable" only to not return phone calls or e-mails. No, I want to share my journey, what really happened with ZipperBack Gloves and what the outcome of our tax audit is. The way we plan to make Dave's dream come true that will have us moving across the country in the next 12-18 months. Heck, a cross country move to a new state, new jobs, a new school, and who knows what else should make for some enjoyable reading!

I hope you'll join me and share your experiences, thoughts and ideas as we go along, as we find our course and the wind fills our sails. Let me know how I can help you and rest assured, I will return your calls and e-mails!

If You Don't Have Something Nice to Say...

We've all heard that before, right? ...Don't say anything at all. Well, that is pretty much where I have been. I started out this year longing for the truth, the truth about my family finances, my education, my weight, my career, the whole shebang! As I looked at what the truth really was, it seemed there were possible consequences for putting them out on my blog, not just for me, but for some of the people involved with me. It is never my intention to hurt anyone, and if I tell a truth about my experience with someone else, well, it might not shine a very good light. In some cases, I want to, I want to so badly I can hardly stand myself, but the fact remains, it's not my intention to hurt any one else. I have to rely on my faith that while that someone is out in a public forum telling half-truths and sometimes lies, well, that will come back to them in time, it's not necessary to share what I know about their deceit.

So each time I feel inspired to get real and share a truth, I have to check in and ask myself, What is my real intention with this writing, and what might the consequences be for all involved? If it even remotely looks like my writing is for cathartic purposes only or could possibly appear slanderous, I'm not writing it for this forum. For now, I'm choosing to live with the Golden Rule, "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all."

Kids Get It All Too Soon

Mason came in the kitchen this weekend while I was loading the dishes and said, "Mom, nobody knows this, but I found a $100 dollar bill on the playground on Friday." His eyes were wide waiting for my reply. He didn't have to wait long as I immediately replied, "You did not, you are absolutely telling me a lie." I gave him the disapproving mom look, you know the one, and his eyes fell so he could feel like if he wasn't looking at me, I couldn't see him. I asked him why he feels like he needs to lie for no good reason and his reply was, ironically honest, "I want to share something with you that is interesting. The normal stuff is boring."

Mason is completely right and at eight years old he understands that lies are often perceived as more interesting than the truth and he has already heard that white lies are harmless. I don't agree but the fact of the matter is, we are surrounded by more lies than we can identify. The idea that our peers and neighbors have all that they appear to have materially, financially, and emotionally are the lies they tell when they don't just put the truth out there.

This is a tough post to write and it's been sitting in my drafts for more than three weeks now. It is difficult to find the right words that say what I want to say without implying malice. I don't believe that people intentionally set out to mislead anyone as to what they have or don't have, but I do believe that we all get caught up in not wanting to admit we have too much credit card debt, drive cars we can't fully afford, or possibly have not managed our money in the best possible way. We live in shame. I know this because I am working to break these bad habits. I want to tell the truth and I want it to be okay that we currently live paycheck to paycheck, we drive older cars, and we can't afford to just go buy anything we want to buy. Since late last year we have been using cash, budgeting our money and you know what, it feels good. It feels so good to get creative when it is a few days before payday and my inclination is to eat out because we have no food - that's a lie, we have food, it's just not the food that is convenient or what we may want. It feels good to eat what we have.

Mason and I talked about the idea that ordinary life is boring and at 8 years old, he can see the magic in pretending to be an army guy when he plays in the bamboo, but he can't yet appreciate how my time with him talking in the kitchen is the epitome of wonderful and not one bit boring! He'll get there and when he does, he will see that there is so much more excitement in being honest than there ever will be in telling lies.

Life and Dreams

What is the truth about making your dreams come true? Dave has struggled much of his adult life feeling like he is not in a position to pursue his dreams. I have argued with him that if he thinks about his dream differently, he could start the process that moves him closer to his dream life. Through a series of unfortunate events I find myself wondering if maybe he's right, maybe if you make one choice in life, the door closes on the other (your dream).

The optimist in me says, No! I can live this life with my family and live my dream, too. Circumstances dictate something else. I then go to optimistic thought number two, What if I seek a slightly different version of my dream? Maybe, but can you feel like your dream is truly being fulfilled if it's not really your dream? I would argue yes, but one would have to want to make the change. Or maybe a better way to say that is one would have to love the life they are living more than they love the idea of their original dream coming to fruition - and fully recognize that.

“There are two ways of being happy: We must either diminish our wants or augment our means - either may do - the result is the same and it is for each man to decide for himself and to do that which happens to be easier.” - Benjamin Franklin

I completely believe that changing the way we see our dreams is not only possible but a wonderful option! Life offers such a bounty of possibilities that to limit ourselves to just a few would be a shame. For each of us to truly indulge in the unlimited possibilities available to us, we will have to pick and choose - after all, there are just 24 hours in one day. Be creative in your choosing and be open to ideas that may not be exactly your first choice. You might be pleasantly surprised!

There are Have's and Have-Nots

I am learning that I had an expectation for my life. I expected that if I worked hard, I could make a decent living. I expected that success was available to every person that would put action to their dreams. I refused to believe what my mom believed and told me often, “There are Haves and Have-Nots. We are Have-Nots.” I have worked hard and have a strong life and work ethic, yet my qualifications and experience for a job I could truly rock are only considered after I note that I have a college degree. I do not have a college degree. Success is not about hard work, it is about the defined work. Dreams do not come true for those who take action, dreams come true for those who have access to decision makers, people who may or may not be honestly qualified to make the call but they know my -fill in the blank. In forty-five years of life experience I question my mother’s belief and wonder about the possible validity of it.

This is an excerpt from an English paper I wrote about being lost. I don't want to be all about gloom and doom, the Eyeore if you will, but at the same time, part of the growth process is recognizing what's working and what's not. On my journey looking at deep seated beliefs is proving helpful. Do you know what you believe and why? Questioning why you believe something is good to do, you just might find it was never really your belief to begin with.