You’ve got to give it up!
There is nothing for satisfying then the giving of your time. I know how busy life can get, and you feel like there is no way that you can give any more of yourself than you already are, but I promise you giving of yourself when you have so much, to those who have less can bring you more joy than you can imagine. Learn to give back. Not because you have to but to give hope to those who can’t and to grow both mentally and spiritually as an individual.
Just last Thursday, I took a trip to Los Angeles, where I was blessed with the opportunity to volunteer as a mentor for the L.E.A.P. Foundation. Now before you pat me on the back and think what a wonderful person I am, I have to be honest and say I almost didn’t make it. There was a huge storm in Washington that morning, therefore my flight was delayed. Thanks to that delay, I missed my connection in Atlanta. When I got to Atlanta, every flight to L.A. was sold out until the next morning, and on top of all that, my luggage was missing. It was at this point that I thought about turning around and going home. After all, by the time I was now scheduled to arrive in L.A., I’d have to turn around and leave the next day, so what would be the point of traveling 3000 miles for a few hours.
Fortunately, I was travelling with my good friend Superwoman Vicki Irvin, who reminded me of my purpose….to be a mentor…..so off we went to our Atlanta hotel, and the mall (since the airline couldn’t tell us where our luggage was) to buy clothes that we could wear the next day.
We arrived at LAX at 10:30AM, found our luggage, ran to our hotel to drop off our bags, and of course since we couldn’t check into our room, freshened up in the lobby bathroom, jumped in a cab and made our way over to UCLA for the event….WHEW!
All I can say is despite the challenges of getting there I have never felt so blessed and honored to be part of such an amazing event. I met some of truly inspiring high school and college students, and by the end of the day my spirit was soaring. I know it sounds cliché, but it really is better to give than receive.
Coast to Coast….
Not only did I travel to LA to mentor a youth group, but the very next morning I hopped on a plane and headed to NY to meet my husband and attend Affiliate Summit…coast to coast within 48 hours. Now I don’t recommend this traveling bi-coastal on a regular basis, but sometimes you’ve got to dig deep to make things happen. I knew I wanted to give a part of myself to the kids in LA, but I also knew it was important to follow my own dreams and ambitions. They both just happened to coincide on the same weekend. The journey towards a worthy goal never comes easy, so the sacrifices I made to give of myself and to grow my business were well worth it.
The Do’s and Don’ts of Affiliate Summit….
I’m just returning from Affiliate Summit East in NYC, and all I can say is it was the best one yet. I just finished reading The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy, and in that book he talks about a phenomenon called momentum, where you begin to see success and results compound rapidly. Well I’m definitely feeling some momentum. LOL!
While attending ASE10, I networked and learned from some of the top names in the industry. I spoke with a number of individuals regarding my quest to bring more women into the industry, and was able to convince one very smart PPV woman affiliate to join my network. For those of you who weren’t there, if you are serious about becoming an affiliate, you owe it to yourself to attend.
If you are planning on being at the next event, I’d like to give you three quick pointers that will help you as you walk the halls:
- Don’t be a newbie…even if you are one. Advertisers are looking for experienced affiliates, so if you are talking to one, the worst thing you can do is say that you are new.
- Don’t let the advertisers do all the talking. Flip the script! Be aggressive and ask questions of them.
- Do go to www.offervault.com or www.affspy.com to see what types of offers the advertiser has. If you find that they are not listed under a certain offer type, ask them about it. This puts you in a position of authority.
Affiliate Summit West 2011 is coming to Las Vegas, January 9 – 11. Hope to see you there!
To your success,
Kim
