Parenting Success

At a Womens Bar Association lunch one of the attorneys ordered a diet soda and then explained to the rest of us that her children were doing a healthy living program so she stopped buying diet soda to drink at home. She said having this diet soda was a real treat for her.

She then confided in us that the real difficulty her kids were having with their healthy living was eating 5 fruits and vegetables a day. The topic for the day was marketing and it seemed to me that she had just displayed a couple of marketing principles even though the topic hadnt come up yet!

First of all the woman was trying very hard to model to her children the behavior she was encouraging. As a child I always pointed out to my mother when her actions did not reflect her directives she told me not to smoke for example. Her response was Do as I say not as I do. Sorry Mom it doesnt work. It just made me all the more curious about smoking. I did try it but fortunately for me I didnt like it.

No matter what your profession or business if you dont use your product or service you are not a model of what you offer. A lawyer who doesnt have a will, doesnt pay taxes, or signs a business agreement with a handshake doesnt advertise her own service very well.

Second the attorney and her children were measuring their success in eating healthy. The only place she wasnt complying was with the requirement of 5 vegetables a day. Tracking results is an important part of a marketing campaign. How can you tell if you are successful if you dont track your results?

Another way this mother was helping her children was with support. Trying to eat and live in a healthy way can be hard for children. Having their mothers support, the support of each other and that of their school is a really great way to get encouragement.

So too when you market a law practice the attorney needs to have support. The Bar Association is one place to get that support. Other places might be through a coach, a mastermind group, or other attorneys.

Just the other day I was listening to a teleclass on parenting with Jack Canfield, the author of the Chicken Soup books. He has written a book called The Success Principles. Even as I listened to his discussion I thought how many of these Principles we use in our daily lives without knowing it. Lets give ourselves credit for being successes in our own world! Here are a few that mother and her children used in that healthy living program:

• Success Principle 13: Take Action
• Success Principle 20: Commit to Constant and Never-Ending Improvement
• Success Principle 21: Keep Score for Success
• Success Principle 41: Build a powerful Support team

Canfield will be speaking on a telephone discussion group on parenting again on May 17th at 9PM ET. This time his focus will be his book Chicken Soup for the Fathers Soul. Jack Canfield adds wonderful stories to a rich parenting discussion. To learn more about it click here: http://tinyurl.com/4t7uy

Alvah Parker is a Business and Career Coach as well as publisher of Parkers Points, an email tip list and Road to Success, an ezine. Parker works with high potential professionals who want to make their work fun, fulfilling and profitable. Her clients are managers, business owners, sole practioners, attorneys and people in transition. Alvah is found on the web at www.asparker.com. She may also be reached at 781-598-0388.

asparker@asparker.com

 

Parenting Strategies !! 6 Simple Strategies that Will Aid Your Home Business !!

Copyright 2002 (c) Dave Hertner, All rights Reserved. Permission is granted to electronically reprint the following article, in your publication, e-book or web site, as long as there are no changes made to the copyright info and the resource box is included with the article.

Please contact the author at: mailto:effectus@cyberwealth-institute.com if this article is used. Please include publication location information.

"Parenting Strategies !!
6 Simple Strategies that Will Aid Your Home Business !!"

by Dave Hertner
Copyright 2002
All Rights Reserved

Let's face it. The biggest problem that we all share in being home based business people is working at home. Specifically, working in an environment where you are unsure of the availability of uninterrupted work time.

I was in the very same situation when I decided to start my own information marketing business. I had the drive to succeed, the great idea and the support of my wonderful wife. The problem I ran into though, was my inability to secure the uninterrupted time I needed to concentrate on the business. Does this sound familiar?

I am going to save you a great deal of grief by letting you in on the 6 strategies that my wife and I developed to allow me the time I needed for the business.

The first strategy is by far the most important. It is the bedtime ritual. You have to get the kids to bed at the same time, day in and day out!! What we did was probably the hardest thing for any parent to do. We put the kids to bed, closed the door and went down stairs. If you go back in they win!!

This WILL be hard on you for the couple of nights that it takes to implement but once you are through it you're home free!! You are the one who controls when they have to go to bed. You therefor, have control over how much time you make for yourself.

The second strategy revolves around playtime. We all know that your kids require a certain amount of your undivided attention to simply play with them. Children are creatures of habit as well. Marry this into the establishment of a defined playtime. Pick a block of time and make yourself available. They are happy that they have exclusive time with you and you are able to schedule with confidence.

The third strategy is to take an evening per week off. You will need this time to be with your spouse. I picked Wednesday night as our night out. We have a babysitter that comes over at 6:30pm each week. She gets paid very well and as a result she is never late. My wife and I will go shopping, go for coffee or whatever suits our fancy but most of all we spend time talking to each other. This is very important!! You need this time to avoid the resentment that can build when your home based business becomes more of a going concern.

The fourth strategy is to eat your meals with your family. There isn't a single good reason why you cannot eat with your family. It is critical that you are there to hear what is going on with your children and your spouse. Your business will mean nothing to you when you run into the problems that result from inattention paid to your family.

The fifth strategy is a simple way to get your kids started into the bedtime routine. My wife and I found that if we had the kids watching a video just prior to their bedtime we could use the end of the video as a tool. At the end of the video are the credits. Whenever they came across the screen we would say "There are the words. It's time for bed." The kids then started to equate the credits with bedtime and the credits became to blame for their misfortune in having to go to bed. Not their parents!! This has proved to be a great tool.

The last strategy I'll share with you today has to do with the philosophy of parenting. I have noted in many families of friends where the parent tries to be the child's best friend. I personally feel that you have to be a parent to your child first and a friend second. Children thrive on structure and routine and they need to be constantly reminded of the family hierarchy.

These are the strategies that have led to the success of my information marketing business. I hope that they help you to be successful as well.

To Your Wealth!!!

Dave Hertner

5 Millionaire Information Marketers Teach You How They Pull $10,000 Or More A Month! FREE Report shows you how and tells who these "Super" Marketers are and how they can help you reach your dreams! Your FREE information packed report is at: http://www.cyberwealth-institute.com