OK, so I know that we are all moms here, at least as far as I know about my usual visitors...but that is not going to prevent me from dipping into the football analogies today.

I have posted before that I have had a slow year in my Creative Memories business, and that the slowdown can be attributed to me.  It is not a slow year compared to many other people, but I am trying very hard not to compare myself with others, and for me it is very slow, and I take the responsibility for that. 

Well, to borrow from football, here I stand at fourth down and ten yards to go.  What I really wanted from this year was to get back up and running at my previous level and to earn the company incentive trip to Los Cabos, Mexico for my husband and I.  With our financial situation, we cannot take even an overnight away.  But this is five whole days of pure luxury, all covered by my wonderful company!  The last trip we earned was, no lie, seriously like being in lifestyles of the rich and famous for five days... which is not what I want to focus my life on, certainly, but was pure heaven for a few days! 

Better than the trip is what it represents.  The activity needed to earn the trip is such that I would be back up and growing my business forward again, and helping our family out financially in a significant way. 

So, in the past couple weeks, I have been thinking about those goals I set at the beginning of the year.  With just three and a half months left to go in the incentive period, it looks pretty hopeless.... until I realize that we have two other incentives going on concurrently, which, if I work my business with very focused intensity over the next 16 weeks, will earn me the following: 

• $3241
• $810 in free product which I can sell at 100% profit
• $300 in free business supplies
• $180 in logo clothing (which is really nice)
• a very nice red business bag
• AND the trip to boot!
• and a partridge in a pear tree.... (had to see if you are still with me LOL

To earn all of that I just have to sell $1800 a month for the next three months, have some sales in December, and recruit 9 new consultants (3 a month for 3 months).... which for me is a stretch but doable, if I just do it and don't procrastinate.  I feel that this is a very large reward compared to the amount of work involved... and I know that if I do not take the opportunities these trio of incentives offer me, I will regret it later.

I have not met my goals this year.  Yet it is only the end of the third quarter.  I am not out by a long shot, so I figure why not go for it?  Many a football game has been won at the end... by forgetting the first three quarters and moving on.

Or as Paul put it, by "forgetting what is behind and straining for what is ahead, I press on toward the goal..."  (Yes, I know he was talking about something MUCH more important than a trip, but I am just borrowing the concept...)

I see this as a matter before God of excellence and my commitment to doing my work with excellence.  Running in such a way as to get the prize.  My husband would be SO blessed by my efforts, both with the income and with a trip- he toils day in and day out at a job he really dislikes in order to provide for us, and he deserves a break... I would love to give it to him!  He LOVED the trip we earned two years ago, and  has asked when we are going again, so I want to give this to him.

It will take determination and motivation, which I have lots of.  It will also take a great deal of follow through and organization, which are in shorter supply when it comes to me... so I am putting it up here so that you, my friends, might hold me accountable by asking me how it is going when you remember it.  I also ask for your prayers.  I realize this is not something life and death or even all that serious, but to us it would help a great deal, and so I ask that if the Spirit moves you to pray, that you would.

I will keep you posted on my progress!