My mother-in-law shared this statement with me while we were together for Hanukkah regarding some non-profit work she’s doing. It immediately touched me and I knew it applied to what I’m doing with Metromom.

It can be challenging to stay open to the possibilities. It’s easy to close down when faced with negative influences in our life — be it a skeptical friend or family member or the never-ending media cycle of more and more bad news.

It can also be challenging when we’re too focused. How so? Goals are an important way to achieve momentum in your business. However, the danger is that if you’re SO focused on your goals you may close down other opportunities, maybe even better opportunities than the ones you’re chasing after. It requires a fine balance to stay focused — but not narrowly focused — so you’re always open to what’s possible.

Here are some questions to help you determine whether you’re being open to new possibilities:
** Am I Open to My Environment? Do I notice and adjust to shifts in the world around me, whether it’s the state of the economy or a change within my own family life?
** Am I Open to Feedback? How do I respond to the observations and even criticisms of friends, family and colleagues?
** Am I Open to Myself? Do I trust myself? When I observe a shift in my attitude or my energy am I open to what that might mean?

Open Your Eyes by noticing your environment, feedback from others and your own inner awareness. Open Your Heart by embracing the truth. Then, Open Your Mouth by sharing your truth with others. I believe that 2009 is going to be an important year for all of us. I invite you to join me as we stay open to the possibilities.

As a follow-up to my last blog on authenticity, I wanted to add that being authentic may begin with self-awareness but to grow and blossom it requires self-confidence. Why? Because there will be times when being authentic means you have to listen to your inner voice when everyone around you is telling you something completely different. At times like these it’s very tempting to forego authenticity in favor of “proven” strategies and techniques.

Don’t get me wrong, I advocate listening and learning from business and marketing experts and I work hard to apply what I’ve learned. However, there are times when I’m reading a marketing book, or at a class, or speaking with my coach and I’ll hear great advice but it’s not the best advice for me - it doesn’t feel authentic.

When this happens I choose to create a new path for how I do things. I take in a lot of information from various sources (people, information products, books etc.) digest it, and synthesize it in a “Kim” way so that all I do has my personal stamp on it.

Women have an advantage when it comes to being authentic entrepreneurs. We’re usually fairly comfortable relying on our intuition. But when it comes to BUSINESS sometimes we let doubts creep in. My advice – always trust your instincts, even if you’re new to business. If you don’t feel authentic about a business decision, don’t dismiss the feeling. Take the time to make sure you’re truly aligned with you values, beliefs and goals before moving forward.

Please post a comment and share your experiences as you’ve created your own path as a successful entrepreneur.

There is a lot of conversation right now by business consulting and marketing experts about mindset. In fact, two of my Metromom teleclasses last month were entirely focused on this subject.

In a direct sales business, we’re all somehow involved with a product. We’re either selling a product or introducing a product.

To truly be successful in a home-based direct sales business, however, it’s not only about the activities that you’re doing. It’s very much about who you are being, and the quality of your mindset. Are you being someone who’s attractive that others will want to follow? That really is the key thing  and one of the key reasons I’m so fascinated with direct sales. Your business and its growth is completely a reflection of your personal growth and development.

I found a great quote from Thomas Jefferson and doctored it up for the purpose of our community. I took some liberty and changed the gender in this quote. “Nothing can stop an entrepreneurial woman with the right mental attitude from achieving her goal. However, nothing on earth can help the woman with the wrong mental attitude.” That really just touched me. If your head is not in the right place, really nothing is going to shift.

I fully expect to see Metromom members go on to be Famous Women Entrepreneurs. Even if you don’t want to be famous, you can achieve your own definition of success. If you grow personally, let go of some of the issues that have held you back, take your personal development classes and do all the things that you can do to be the best woman/mother/person you can be you will achieve your goals.

Please feel free to post comments on how your mindset has helped you achieve your goals.