Archive for FAITH, HOPE, LOVE

What Do You Need Most? Inspiration, Motivation or SKILLS?

By Emma on January 31, 2011 6 Comments

Emma Tiebens at Dani Johnson's First Steps To Success LA

I am still in awe of what transpired this weekend at Dani Johnson’s First Steps To Success event. In case you don’t know yet, I found Dani Johnson online 3 years ago and as soon as I heard her message, I immediately flew to Atlanta, GA with the top leaders of my organization and there I personally met Dani Johnson. She gave me the utmost dose of inspiration, purpose and direction I needed to move forward with the greatest calling for my life… to help equip entrepreneurs in the marketplace and do what I can to become unbelievably blessed so I can become a blessing and help others learn the secrets of how they too can become a blessing! It’s the PERFECT PLAN!

Dani Johnson First Steps To Success Emma Tiebens

Emma with Nellie, Rose, Moxi and Philip at First Steps To Success

Barely 4 months after that, I met Mike Dillard when I went to Austin, TX – that’s when I also met Tim Erway, Justin Christianson, Raymond Fong and Fernando Ceballos as they trained us on how to generate traffic online. I will never forget that weekend as this weekend truly taught me tangible skills that I still practice to this day. Also that weekend, there is this hidden gem whom I really didn’t get to meet while I was at the event but it was a few weeks later on that we connected, my good friend, Jerry Chen. It was also during this year when I spent time with my good friend and mentor, Ruth Klein. The remaining few months of 2008 was spent learning new skills… online marketing, video, social media, blogging, joint venture collaboration, etc.

Then, 2009 rolls in and now that I am more specific with the skills I posses, it was time to kick it up a notch and invest in more serious mentors, learn and connect with influential people - Ann Sieg, Mike Klingler, Mari Smith, Tracy Repchuk, Ellie Drake, Seth Godin, Jorge Bueno and Chris Brogan to name a few. This was the year I met the Mentor who took my life beyond anything I ever expected… Joel Bauer. Joel Bauer introduced me to the possibility of myself becoming an Author and an International Speaker.

In 2010, realizing that I can now translate my skills and experiences to people, I started Coaching and Consulting. I wasn’t quite ready to create my own product. However, this was a year I will NEVER forget as this is where I experienced major breakthroughs in my business and personal life. As a result of the many mentors I invested in, thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours spent in attending personal and business development seminars, I became a Best-Selling co-author of the book “The Relationship Age” with one of my top social media marketing heroes, Mari Smith. It was this year that through the unconditional encouragement of my Mentor Joel Bauer that when I when I accepted my calling to be an International Platform Speaker and in Dec. 2010, I had my very first solo 2 day Live Event “Relational Marketing Secrets” at the Hilton LAX.

Now it’s January 2011… I just came back from Dani Johnson’s First Steps To Success and it seems like I finally have come full circle! Sitting there this weekend reminded me of why I became and entrepreneur in the first place. The focus was no longer to continue to get inspired, motivated or acquire skills. This time it was deeper… This event brought me back to my commitment to my Designer and the fulfillment of my Destiny by which he Designed me for.

This weekend I felt like I have “come home”. Dani teaches incredible leadership skills that will take anyone years to master. I know now that she will become an integral part of the leadership training I will introduce those who truly want to succeed in their businesses. I will be giving those who choose to be mentored by me, the opportunity to get to know Dani and learn from her things that only she can teach!

Dani Johnson is truly the Mother of Relationship Marketing! It’s so interesting that while I have not attend her events for over almost 2 years now, the inspiration she gave me just from attending 4 First Steps and 1 Creating A Dynasty has left an indelible mark in me that I embraced Relational Marketing as something that everyone needs to succeed in life! Co-incidence? There is no such thing… I believe that in our hearts of hearts, we are all Relational Marketers!

Emma Tiebens' Prized Relationships

So my challenge to you is this…

Most of my potential clients always seem to ask me:

“So, how long will it take me to generate some income?”

“Is there really money in online marketing?”

“Can I really succeed at this like most people say they do?”

“Who is that one person out there I could learn from to jump start me in making money?”

Etc… Etc…

While I absolutely understand why people ask these questions, it’s so interesting to note that I can also tell at what stage in their business and personal growth a person is in, depending on the questions they ask me.

Brand new online entrepreneurs always seem to ask “When will I start making money?”

Some “seasoned” entrepreneurs who have already acquired some skills will normally ask: “What is the best course for me to purchase so I can learn more on how to tie the pieces together?”

The more mature online marketers who now understand that it does take time to make money and have purchased tons of courses – some of which are still unused and unread – now begin to ask “Who is the best mentor I can connect with to take my business to the next level?”

Through it all, there are 3 main requirements that will help you succeed in your personal and business life and these are:

Inspiration

Motivation

Skills

Why are these all important? It’s because throughout your quest for knowledge and your self and career evolution, you will need to tap into those 3 to keep you going – one cannot be without the other because the truth of the matter is that when you are pursuing the greater purpose that you were created for, it will will take time, patience, perseverance, faith, belief, sacrifices and yes, money – lots of it, to take you where you’re going.

At the same time, there is one common denominator that we absolutely MUST know how to harness and be responsible for to really and truly succeed in anything we do and that is PEOPLE. To be able to effectively deal with people, we need all 3 – Inspiration, Motivation and Skills…

So, where are you now in your journey to success? When you think you have finally arrived, think again because it simply means you are ready for the next round.

Please share your comments, your views and which of the three you need most right now…

If you need help in clarifying your direction and helping you move forward regardless of what stage you’re in I would be happy to help you!

Leave your name and email on the box to your right so we can stay connected!

Until We Connect… I am here…

CHEERING YOU ON TO YOUR SUCCESS!

Emma

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Categories : Branding and Marketing, FAITH, HOPE, LOVE, Inspiration, Leadership, Mindset, NEWS, Spirit Driven Principles, WordPress Blog

Our Miracle Son… A Purpose For My Second Life

By Emma on January 13, 2011 30 Comments

It’s January 13, 2011 – the birthday or our “miracle son” Garrett!

We call him “miracle son” because he is our 4th pregnancy but our first baby. We have lost 3 pregnancies and one of them was a baby girl who died in utero at 16 weeks…

My pregnancy with Garrett was such on the “high risk” level that my doctor said to discontinue EVERYTHING I was doing and stay in bed for 2 weeks straight! At that time, I was going for my last few classes at the University of CA in Irvine, to become a Certified Financial Planner and I had to make a decision to discontinue that. It was 9 months of close monitoring and a very fragile pregnancy.

A week before Garrett was due to be born, I experienced excruciating pain in my lower abdomen and I knew something was terribly wrong. A couple of weeks prior, I already started sleeping on the couch downstairs as I couldn’t go upstairs anymore. That morning, I found myself yelling for help, crawling on the floor, waking Gary up.

911 was called and in 3 minutes flat, they were right at our doorstep. After 12 needle pokings, they finally found a vein for my IV… We waited for hours as they performed ultra-sound figuring out what was wrong with me but they couldn’t find anything. When the doctor made arrangements to transfer me to my original hospital, the baby’s vitals started dropping and all I heard was “Code Red… Code Red” and they rushed me into the OR. I overheard them saying to my husband: “Sir, put this smock on and follow us…” To that Gary responded: “No I have to go back to the car.. you don’t understand… if I don’t have the camera when she has the baby, I am a dead man!” (Ha, ha! Even way back then, the camera was already an extension of me and Gary knew it!)

Gary and I Welcoming Our "Miracle Child" Garrett

A few minutes later, after all the commotion, I heard the doctor say out loud: “Oh my God… Oh my God… look at the hole in her uterus! Mr. Tiebens, a few more minutes, you could have lost them both… this is a miracle!”

I still get teary eyed when I remember those moments… it was a time when I really came close to death without really knowing I was that close.

Since that time, I have always been mindful that I am living a second life…

God gave our son and I a second chance at life and it’s for a greater purpose for sure. Now, years later, I have evolved into someone who has embraced entrepreneurship and have a wider reach of audience to empower and equip.

I know in my heart that I was given a second chance to Encourage, Empower and Equip entrepreneurs – to become not only a Messenger of Hope but a Teacher of Skills they can leverage.

My challenge to you right now is this:

What pivotal points in your life would you consider a second shot at life? You may have more than one but how are you remembering what they are and what meaning and purpose do you give it?

I urge you to grab inspiration from such set backs.

I look forward to connecting with you and until next time…

I’m Here…

Cheering You On To Your Success!

Emma

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Categories : Branding and Marketing, FAITH, HOPE, LOVE, Inspiration, Mindset, Spirit Driven Principles, WordPress Blog

Give LOVE On Christmas Day… Make Everyday a Holiday!

By Emma on December 25, 2010 2 Comments

Merry Christmas 2010!

Here in Louisville, Kentucky with the Tiebens Family on White Christmas morning!

This is my 16th Christmas here with the Tiebens Family and every year, I look forward to spending some time with Gary’s family! Being here is the highlight of our Christmas!

However, every year – like clock work, I get “cranky” as let’s face it… this is the busiest time of the year where I set up my campaigns for the coming year, and at the same time, I have to take care of the family’s “social life”, shopping for gifts, sending out cards, attending social functions, making arrangements for house sitting and yes, packing for the holidays. Needless to say, this is the time when I get really get cranky from stress and lack of sleep!

However, as I nestle on my airplane seat – with a nice glass of Bailey’s On The Rocks – I start to unwind and appreciate the fact that we’re having a wonderful Christmas surrounded by a loving and united family and how truly grateful we are to have this opportunity. Some people couldn’t stand being around family but we are so blessed that we have over 24 members who truly love each others!

The Schweitzer Family hosts our annual sit-down Christmas dinner, complete with elegant fine china, stemware, silverware and candles everywhere! A real treat indeed!

As we were having dinner last night, the snow started falling! It was BEAUTIFUL!!!

I just woke up, still warn and cozy in bed.. Garrett is still asleep next to me and Gary is already putting salt on the driveway… we woke up to a White Christmas!

I couldn’t resist sharing my sentiments with you to remind you to be mindful of giving LOVE on Christmas Day and everyday!

One of my favorite Christmas Classics is “Give Love On Christmas Day…” If you don’t know that song, here’s my favorite few lines I am writing from memory:

“People making lists… buying special gifts

Taking time to be kind to one and all…

It’s that time of year, when good friends are dear,

And you wish you could give more than just presents from the store…

Why don’t you give love on Christmas Day…

Even the man who has everything, would be so happy if you would bring

Him love on Christmas Day…

NO GREATER GIFT IS THERE THAN LOVE… ”
Yes, I am guilty… I get cranky… sometimes I am not fun to be around especially when I am so focused on finishing a task.

BUT

I want to remind you all that we do what we do because of the people who matter to us… the people we do all this for…

Let us show them that the time we take away from them is worth it by being kind to those around us….

Let’s continue to give LOVE not just on Christmas day but make everyday a Holiday!

Cheering You On To Your Success!

Emma

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Categories : Branding and Marketing, FAITH, HOPE, LOVE, Inspiration, Mindset, Spirit Driven Principles, WordPress Blog

Would You Rather Be Perfect OR Functional?

By Emma on December 17, 2010 3 Comments

I was supposed to be on board the Century Ship by Celebrity Cruises to attend the very exclusive “Winner’s Circle Cruise” to be with my my Mentor Joel Bauer, other ProfitPoint graduates and top, top marketers from all over the world!

However, due to prior commitments and obligations, I wasn’t able to go. Funny how things do happen for a reason as this week has been a rather nerve racking week!

Ironically, this week was where the bulk of my endless “to-do” list was supposed to be implemented and completed.

I needed to:

Do my Christmas shopping
Decorate our home for Christmas
Design, label, get postage and send out 200 Christmas cards
Begin my Mentorship Program with my M90X Clients
Help launch our book Ultimate Life Lessons on Amazon.com
Help Mike Klingler and Mike Dillard promote Elevation Group
Help out at Garrett’s school for Christmas activities
Wrap presents upon presents
Deliver the presents
Respond to many emails and phone calls

Normally, this “to-do” list wouldn’t have been a big deal… I could do all these in 1 week!

However, this weeks was rather challenging.

My internet connection has been rather iffy for 4 days now. I couldn’t get on Facebook without the connection me being kicked out of the connection and I wasn’t able to promote the launch of our book nor was able to help Mike Klingler promote the Elevation Group.

To make matters worse, Garrett came down with a cold on Wednesday so I had to take him to the doctor yesterday only to be told that he has fluid in his lungs and now we’re back in his breathing treatments and round the clock meds.

I have not slept for 2 hours straight for the past 3 days!

Okay, this might sound like a rant but it’s not… I finally have a steady connection on my laptop so writing this post is just my way of “reconnecting” and decompressing… It’s amazing that blogging really is therapeutic for me!

I just wanted to say “hello” before I dive in gift wrapping mode. I have 15 gifts to wrap in the next 2 hours so my husband can deliver it to Garrett’s school. It’s for the teachers and the staff who lovingly take care of Garrett throughout the year. Gary asks, “Do you really need to do this?” I say… “Absolutely!”

I guess my blog post title was “Would Your Rather Be Perfect or Functional?”

Well, I have to say 80% of the time, I am FUNCTIONAL. People wonder how I am able to implement so much in such a short time and that’s exactly why. I love details and appreciate them a lot but when it comes to getting things done, that’s exactly what I do… I get them done? Sloppy? Not so much… Imperfect? Well… at times, yes.

So, would you rather be perfect and take the time and get half your “to-do” done, constantly stressing over not having enough time? Worse, is for the sake of wanting perfection, it turns into a paralyzing excuse not move forward?

Would you rather be functional where you’re moving forward faster, accomplishing tasks and celebrating successes along the way? More importantly, have more time to spend with those who matter most to you…

I would take functional any day! I’ll catch you on FB and Twitter shortly… for now, need to focus wrapping presents and taking care of my boy

Cheering You On To Your Success!

Emma

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Categories : Branding and Marketing, FAITH, HOPE, LOVE, Inspiration, Mindset, Spirit Driven Principles, WordPress Blog

How Do You Pull Off A 2-Day Live Event?

By Emma on December 13, 2010 4 Comments

It has been a whirlwind of the past 2 months for me since I took on a very lofty challenge! After my 7-day Intensive Profit Point Speaker Mastery with Joel Bauer in September, I decided to create a 70-day Challenge where in 70 days, I will learn implement everything that Joel taught us, from creating our presentation, to finding a venue, to actual promotion schedule, gathering equipment information and actually implement a 2-day information filled event!

For more seasoned speakers and Marketers with a huge database, this challenge is probably not a big ordeal but for someone like me who just came out of the gates from a Speaker Mastery class, barely comfortable about speaking to a group, not really knowing how to create PowerPoint slides nor hosting webinars prior to the challenge, this is a HUGE deal!

(This is me in front of the Marquee at the LAX Hilton…it was so surreal seeing my name there.)

I had to do all of these while continuing to serve my existing clients, be a full time Mom and wife, celebrate Thanksgiving and attend live events I was already committed to.

Looking back, I truly wonder, “How in the heck did I do all these in such a short time?”

There is only one answer: I TAPPED INTO MY RELATIONSHIPS!!!

(With my Beloved Mentor Joel Bauer)

While I now reap the benefits of making the right decisions in choosing which relationships to build and strengthen, I must say that building relationships don’t happen overnight… in fact, most of my relationships have been “seasoned”… they are at least a year old…

There was no way I could have done what I did without the help of my Mentor Joel Bauer… he held my hand every step of the way and generously transferred some of his 40 + years of life’s experience to me. There was no way I could even begin to see myself speaking to a group – inspiring, motivating and equipping them for 2 straight days if Joel Bauer didn’t teach me how… more importantly, HE BELIEVED IN ME and gave me the permission to go for it!

I wouldn’t have felt the boost of confidence if Mike Klingler didn’t support me by sharing my message to his entire database of over 80,000 people! I saw my webinar attendees go from 20 to 399 in less than 2 hours after he sent out one email to his database! How’s that for “relationship currency”? I couldn’t thank him enough for his generosity!

I couldn’t have pulled off my actual 2-day event without the help of my amazing Mentors and friends Jorge Bueno, MaryAnne Morcos and Jerry Chen! Jorge and MaryAnne brought their entire A/V equipment the night before and we set up till 11:30 pm the day before! The entire 2-days, they told me exactly what to do, controlled and ran the equipment, emceed my event and even captured the entire 2 days on camera! I am forever grateful!!!

Being my first event ever, there was no one else I had dreamed about to capture the photos and energy of my event other than The Diamond herself, Moriah Diamond and she was here in LA just in time for my event! A dream come true!

To Mari Smith, Sherrie Rose and Coach Deb Micek for your loving comments, posts and encouragement! I love you all!

My ProfitPoint8 Classmates, especially Louie and Jini Pinto for spending hours of phone time with me… Kathy Eppley and Diane Hochman for their coaching, Kevin Connell, Fred Van Liew, Eric Shoars, Manuel Jardim, Srini Saripalli, Charles Nguyen, Mike Solis – you all strengthen me!

Of course, there are a lot of people who have helped me behind the scenes as well and to them I am truly grateful - Cecilia Mu and family for taking care of Garrett while Mommy is busy, and to my friends Eiji Morishita, Cindy Schulson, Tracy Repchuk, Diane Hochman, Jackie Ulmer, Teach Jim, Diyana Alcheva, Leta Russell, Richard Goutal, Nancy Burke-Barr, Marion Carlon, Nellie Schwab, Natasha Nassar, Rich Hazlett and Julie Thong, Lisa Hanfileti, Alicia Bausley, Rae Majors-Wildman, Manny Bombardier, Michael Grady, thank you for helping me spread the word about my live event!

Yes, it’s 12 Days before Christmas and I haven’t ordered my Christmas cards… I normally order 350 each year and the number is growing by the year! I sit in front of the fireplace, play some wonderful Christmas music and I hand write each and every card… That has been my Christmas tradition for the past 15 years and now, this year, I might not get to do that…

BUT…

I believe that what I have to give up is nothing compared to the victory I feel right now! My priority was to move forward and NEVER GIVE UP on my challenge and I am sooo glad that with the loving support of my loving husband Gary, our incredibly understanding son Garrett and my Mom Elena helping to pick up where I slack off in the home, we all pulled it off!

More importantly, all those years of frustration and doubt yet holding on to FAITH and it my life’s greater purpose that I am called to speak, to empower others and remind them of their sense of purpose, play a huge part in how I was able to pull off a 2-day live event.

In reality, I didn’t really do all these in 70 days… this is my life’s experience, my relationships, my faith – my failures and success – all rolled into a 2 day weekend!

The countless prayers by myself and those who generously said them for me were definitely answered! This event validates what I have always known in my heart that God has called me to live a life on purpose and help others find theirs – to be a light on a hill… for my message to be heard… These and more are my honest desires for you as well!

Click below to view are some photos of the event:

Day 1 Photos – Relational Marketing Secrets with Emma Tiebens

Day 2 Photos – Relational Marketing Secrets with Emma Tiebens

Check out the wonderful comments from a Video Slideshow Moriah Diamond and Jorge Bueno created for me:

Relational Marketing Secrets Video Slideshow

I trust that this post will encourage you to create your own “self-imposed” challenges to help you move forward!

Cheering You On To Your Success!

Emma

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Categories : Branding and Marketing, FAITH, HOPE, LOVE, Inspiration, Leadership, NEWS, Spirit Driven Principles

A Thanksgiving of Introspection…

By Emma on November 26, 2010 2 Comments

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

If you live in the U.S., Thanksgiving is a HUGE celebration! By now, most American’s are winding down from such an exciting day.

It’s 8:40 pm, here in Huntington Beach, California and I just woke up from a 2 hour nap after I “slaved in the kitchen” preparing our traditional Thanksgiving sit down family dinner…

Here’s a video I took before I turned my computer off today: (Trust me I had withdrawals! Ha, ha!)

We went to Whole Foods last night and bought the ingredients we need for today’s meal and it felt so good to just be around my husband, son and Mom as we made a mess in the kitchen for 3 hours!

Today we roasted turkey, made my “secret recipe” cornbread and cranberry stuffing, cranberry relish, baked sweet potato, green bean casserole and creamed corn. For dessert, of course, Pumpkin Pie with whipped cream and wonderful organic coffee. My drink of choice was champagne and Garrett’s was apple cider…

As we sat on our candle-lit dinner table, we marveled at how abundant our table was but at the same time, we were mindful of others who were not as fortunate to have their families by their side on this special day. Garrett led the prayer and each of us asked specifically to bless certain groups of people. We prayed for each other, our families near and far and most especially for:

Families struggling financially…

Families who just lost a family member or is coping with someone who’s ill

Our servicemen all around the globe who sacrificed everything for us

The widows…

The orphans…

Disaster victims

People who have just lost their jobs…

Entrepreneurs struggling to make sense of how they can succeed.

Most people who know me understand that I am a VERY optimistic person but my heart cries often when I see families hurting… It has been my prayer to become unbelievably blessed to become a blessing and I am doing what I can to create ripples of the same vision in others.

However…

I also understand that there are things we can control and things we cannot control…

One of the things we CAN control is our decision on who we’re going to allow to speak into our lives… who we’re going to allow to Mentor us…

I have always had Mentors in my life and some, I paid top dollar for! It was a conscious decision to invest in myself no matter how uncertain the direction was. I never stopped believing that I am called to something far beyond what I can see!

That is my same desire for you… that you will find a Mentor who will guide you… nurture you and shorten your learning curve…

The most successful people in the world have Mentors…

So, as the year 2010 comes to a close, I want to give you the opportunity to finish strong.

I have a few more seats left at my 2-day LIVE event in Los Angeles on Dec. 4 and 5.

Click Here to see what I will be teaching for 2 straight days!

(Receive $200 discount off Ticket Price… Enter Discount Code: webinarvip)

If you’re a Solopreneur, Author, Speaker, Coach, Realtor or Network Marketer transitioning into Attraction Marketing Online, you need to be there!

People are flying in from all over the country and Canada to be there… If you live in Los Angeles, Orange County or surrounding areas you simply can’t miss this!

Click Here to see what I will be teaching for 2 straight days and register for my 2-day Event.

(Receive $200 discount off Ticket Price… Enter Discount Code: webinarvip)

What you will learn at my 2-day event is more than what you’ve probably struggling to learn in the last 12 months!

Sure you can wait until next year… the year after that… and the year after that…

Success waits for no one…

Success is when opportunity meets preparation…

Prepare yourself the right way and make a decision you’re going to find your Mentors today and start IMPLEMENTING!

I challenge you… what are you doing now to make sure that the results you get next year will be different from this year?

Let me end this by saying my heartfelt THANK YOU to YOU for continuing to allow me to be in your life and for hanging in there and continuing to HOPE for the best for you, your families and for the positive impact your decisions will bring to the world!

Until we meet…

I’m Cheering You On To Your Success!!!

Emma

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Categories : Branding and Marketing, FAITH, HOPE, LOVE, Inspiration, Spirit Driven Principles, WordPress Blog

Finding Freedom and Peace From Letting Go…

By Emma on September 8, 2010 7 Comments

I soooo missed writing on my blog and interacting with you! I haven’t been consistently online for almost 3 weeks and I feel awful about not being able to reciprocate “the love” but at this time, we as a family have made a decision to:

BUCKLE DOWN…

RE-GROUP…

RE-ANALYZE…

LEARN TO LET GO

It’s Garrett’s first day of school. I can’t believe he’s now in 3rd Grade! We had the most amazing summer, despite the move and the busy-ness of it all! He has been the most amazing, most understanding and most tolerant 8-year old these past 3 months. While us adults go through the motion of coping, Garrett has remained steadfast, strong and at times was the one who comforted Daddy and I when we had moments of fear and doubts. It’s as if God would actually speak through him!

Many times I would have tears from frustration, defeat, disappointment, overwhelm and when he sees me, he’s quick to offer his shoulder for me to cry on and he’ll always say: “Mom, we are learning a big lesson here and IT”S ALL GOING TO BE OKAY because God promised it will be okay”. He knows that always puts a smile on my face.

However, there would be times when it’s his turn to feel sad, afraid, unsure and it will be my turn to offer my shoulder and a great big hug to assure him that things are going to be alright. In fact, not just alright but behind this challenge is a more meaningful and happier life that will bring all of us closer not just to each other but to our God who makes everything possible!

I have completely forgotten how it was to move and how long it actually took to unpack and get settled. Sure I could have chosen to just function and made unpacking secondary from work but I wanted to make this new home a HOME to ease my family’s transition. What’s interesting is that because our new home is smaller than our previous home, we have been spending more time together, making dinners, playing board games and enjoying the community hot tub and pool at night as a family.

The more time we spend together, the lesser we became attached to “stuff”. Oh don’t get me started on “stuff”. We moved from a 3,100 sq ft home but because of the storage Gary custom built in our 3 car garage, it felt like we moved contents of a 5,000 sq ft home into a 2,100 sq ft home! Needless to say, we had to let go of a lot of stuff! An entire living room set – recliner couch, love seat and easy chair, dining tables, refrigerator, over 20 boxes of clothes, 15 boxes of books, 1,000 CDs, wrought iron bassinet, top of the line strollers among a few. We sold some, gave away a lot more and disposed of 4 dumpsters full of stuff!

What’s interesting is that we had to learn to let go of our stuff with our “eyes closed”, otherwise, we would have made justification on why we need to keep them and what purpose it may serve in the future. When we got to the new home, I had a major overwhelm from the amount of stuff we still had! I just might have a Phase 2 with my purging efforts!

Through this painstaking, tiring and ever so consuming experience of making decisions which things to let go and which things to hold on to, I came to a realization that STUFF just doesn’t mean tangible things. STUFF can mean so many things that if you allow to accumulate will start feeling heavy… obstructing… challenging. The more new stuff you accumulate, the more you will forget what could have worked for you in the first place.

As entrepreneurs and online marketers, we are faced with decisions about stuff every second:

1)Which stuff to read and which to delete;

2) Which stuff to purchase or stuff to put on our wish list;

3) Which stuff to learn now and stuff to learn later;

4) Articles to write

5) Videos to make

6) Emails to send

7) Replies to comments, posts and tweets

Phone calls to be returned

9) Webinars to be planned, promoted and executed

10) Seminars to attend

11) Relationships to nurture

12) Business to plan

13) Clients to serve

14) Bills to pay

15) Trips to plan

16) Social obligation to fill

17) Service of God and others

18) Managing a home

19) Taking care of oneself

20) And of course, finding time for this stuff called FAMILY.

So, I dare you to look at your stuff – both the tangible and intangible and really identify where you’re spending most of your time in. You’ll be amazed that wherever you spend your most time in, becomes the priority in your life and you will find all kinds of reasons why that needs to be the priority in your life.

In my 2 weeks of introspection, I have finally found peace and freedom in letting go of a lot of my stuff… I was concerned at first that people will “un-love” me if they don’t see me actively participating online. I was concerned that once I detach myself online, I may never go back or that I might get so used to being a full time Mom and decide to not go back to doing what I love most…

Empowering entrepreneurs and helping them how to create a powerful online presence to:

Increase Influence

Attract Their Clients

Become Branded Experts In Their Niche

In getting rid of so much stuff, so much more blessings came my way by way of friends, supporters, JV offers and more opportunities! I want to take the time to give a special shout out to 3 people who took the time to write and blog about some of my recent posts, and one special lady who created a personal video for me on my birthday:

Don Fletcher’s “Struggling in this Economy? Time to return to Principles of Wealth and Happiness”

Kelly Baader’s Entrepreneurial Mindset | Inspired by Emma Tiebens | kellybaader.com

Richard Goutal’s “Internet Marketing Leadership Myths | #1 Leaders Have Wealth”

Susan Ordona’s “Happy Birthday Emma!”

To all of you who took the time to send me your birthday well wishing, I just want you to know that seeing your names and your greetings inspire me to this day. I look at each of your profile photos and your well-wishing and I send you gratitude and love constantly.

For you my friends who left voice mail messages, text messages, emails, Facebook posts and tweets and continue to understand and support the clarifying stage I am in at the moment, I just want to say my heartfelt THANK YOU…

I will be coming up for air sooner than later. Right around the corner is Joel Bauer’s 7-Day Profit Point Speaker Mastery and I will be one of the 50 who have been so blessed to be accepted by Joel this year.

I have learned to let go of so much and in doing so, I have made room for so much more. I implore you to:

Re-Analyze

Re-Prioritize

Re-Focus

I look forward to hearing of your progress…

As always, I am just here…

Cheering You On To Your Success!

Emma

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Categories : FAITH, HOPE, LOVE, Inspiration, Mindset, Spirit Driven Principles

Tags : encouragement, faith, Hope, Inspiration, Joel Bauer, personal development, Profit Point

“I Love You Too Much, To Let You Stay That Way”

By Emma on August 18, 2010 7 Comments

"True LOVE comes with great discipline and sacrifice"

It has been 5 days since I’ve had any social media activity or blog post and I truly am having withdrawals! Now more than ever, I realized how I truly appreciate my TRUE FRIENDS out there, who continue to support me with comments on my blog and on my Wall…

Please know that while I haven’t had a chance to comment, I sooo appreciate each and everyone of you and I promise I will to get back to all your comments in 2-3 weeks! I am so blown away by your encouraging love and for taking the time to leave your wonderful comments which continue to inspire me!

The reason I have taken a forced “hiatus” from my Blog, Facebook and Twitter and social media presence was because for the past week I have spent my time and will continue:

1) Scouring Craigslist and MLS Searches looking for a new home to move into in 13 days before close of escrow!
2) Researching and scheduling movers for estimates.
3) Purging our 3,100 sq. ft home to fit in a home 1/2 that size.
4) Taking Garrett to his Reading Bootcamp and Math Sessions
5) Contacting friends, old housekeepers and gardeners who might be able to use some of our stuff or share it with those who need them most.
6) Planning and creating spreadsheets numbering the bins, tubs and boxes so movers will know which rooms they will go to in the new house.
7) Calling utility companies, etc. to open and close accounts
Change of address requests .
9) Sorting every piece of item in the house – Keep, Store, Donate, Throw Out
10) Last but not least, when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, I had to coordinate with our wonderful CPA about the unexpected “love letter” we received from Uncle Sam that they would like to “review our ’07 and ’08 tax returns! How’s that for a cake topper? We’re not concerned at all as we do our best to stay in honor… I’m just wondering about the timing as I have to dig into my files and prepare for it on top of everything else!

Okay, most of you who read my blog and and know me personally understand that that I love writing about positive, uplifting and motivating stuff. However, I do believe that while I am going through a situation that probably most Americans are going through right now, I am hoping that my posts regarding our current plight will somewhat bring a glimmer of hope to many.

I chose to be transparent and share our story because I believe that THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE HURTING OUT THERE – people who are looking for people like them, whose story could empower them and let them know they’re not alone. People who found themselves spiraling and wondering what happened to their dreams and why the rug was pulled off right from underneath them.

I am speaking about people of integrity and pride, who really work hard, are diligent, have dreams and are doing what they can to move towards those dreams. People who are committed to never give up on their dreams -

And yet… they find success highly elusive…

From time to time, I have many questions… why this, why that… how did this happen? Why to us? We’re good people, we give unconditionally, we know our faith is strong and we’re committed to living our lives on purpose with the “Spirit of Excellence”… why did this still happen to us?

Every time I ask that question, I hear this phrase over and over in my head…. It’s a phrase a trusted friend and spiritual advisor told me 3 years ago on what God must be saying to me as I go through trials in my life:

“I love you too much to let you stay that way…. I love you WAAAY TOO MUCH to make you stay that way….”

Then it dawned on me, as a parent, I know how to love and I know how to discipline. There is a fine balance. If I know my child is straying, I know that there is discipline coming.

Looking back through the highs and lows of my life, every event – good or bad – has had a major lesson, a purpose and produced results. For every trial, there always has been a corresponding triumph.

Like my Mentor Joel Bauer says, “Problems = Happiness” – overtime you solve a problem you become happy until the next problem comes along. I am a living proof of that… I used to be afraid of problems but now I realized they are part of what shapes my life!

How is the finest gold purified? Through fire! I believe that God has a way of “purifying” us and removing the dross or the yucky black stuff that makes the gold dull. Some people call it pruning – and like anything else, when something is trimmed out of you, it can hurt.

I compare it to a butterfly coming out of the cocoon… it’s so uncomfortable but the only way for a caterpillar to become a butterfly and be able to fly high is by going through that cocoon…

What about you? What areas in your life are you being asked to change? What areas are you getting disciplined lately?

Perhaps it’s time to listen to what it is that you need to change in your life so you can get different results? What are you holding on so tightly that could potentially be holding you back from success?

Is it fear, clutter, doubt, procrastination, feeling of not being good enough? Or could it be ignorance with money, living beyond your means or what we say in the Philippines,

“Counting your chicks before your eggs are hatched.”

If you relate to what I wrote here, you must be wondering the same thing: “What do I need to change? Where should my focus be? How would I know I am on the right path?

I can’t really answer for you… all I know is that when my priorities shifted from:

Business
Family
God

And switched to:

God
Family
Business

I heard this message even louder!

“I love you too much to let you stay that way…”

Just the knowing that I am loved, is enough to strengthen me. On top of that, I also get a huge bonus of knowing that there are plans to prosper me beyond my wildest imaginings waiting for me and that after this is said and done I will come out with stronger faith and character…

And the stronger I become, the more people I can help empower! I know in 3 weeks, I will be back with MORE clarity and MORE of me to give!

Do you believe that there are plans to prosper you too? Are you willing to go through the discipline and do what it takes to see what lies ahead, if you knew that there truly is a big reward around the bend?

I would absolutely love to know….

Cheering You On To Your Success!

Emma

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Categories : FAITH, HOPE, LOVE, Inspiration, Spirit Driven Principles

Tags : discipline, faith, Hope, Inspiration, possibilities

To Whom Much Is Given… Much Is Expected

By Emma on August 13, 2010 42 Comments

"My Favorite Room In The Tiebens' Home"

It has been a rough 90 days for myself and my family. The good news is that we’re all healthy, have all remained happy and have stayed together! The bad news is that we made a decision to sell our home of 11 years!

Ever since we made that decision 90 days ago there have been many challenging twists and turns that needed to be dealt with. They were so challenging that I was on pins and needles most of the time and have experienced a few breakdowns here and there!

Sure… through it all, I have managed to function – continued to attend events, connect with people, encourage my social media friends, empower my clients and still give Garrett and incredible summer experience.

However in the past few days, I decided to take a break and focus on things that mean most to me: MY FAMILY. In my silence, I have received tons of love and support that I felt a sense of responsibility to share what’s going on.

Some of you may wonder, ‘Wow Emma, this is rather personal… are you sure you want to share this with the world?” Well, I thought about it long and hard and I decided to do it because of this:

I believe that “We go through darkness so we can tell our stories and guide others to the light”.

Please don’t feel bad for us. It was a decision we’ve contemplated on for years but have been putting off because we thought for sure that if I work any harder, we just might be able to pull it off… My hope for this post is for you to get inspired and somehow learn from the mistakes we’ve made.

Like many “aggressive” and risk-taking investors, we made decisions that proved great 7 years ago and purchased investment properties not anticipating what was to transpire with our economy. We though for sure we were infallible and NOTHING will happen in the next 20 years!

Boy were we wrong… so with many others…

For the past 2 years I dove in head first learning online marketing, connecting with powerful people, building incredible relationships with them and my favorite part was empowering and helping other entrepreneurs and getting paid for what I love! Needless to say, I neglected paying attention to what’s really going on, hoping and believing that the market will turn around soon!

Sure we were able to generate enough money to meet our enormous financial obligations to the banks and remained in honor for years and years, sacrificing lifestyle but making a choice to invest more in my business education, pushing forward because through it all, I continue to believe and hold on to my dream. A dream that one day, I will have a HUGE business that will enable me us to invest again in what we love… residential real estate, gold and silver.

What we didn’t realize was for 4 or so years, we have “chased” a fantasy. We thought that if we only worked harder and seasoned it with time, we will get caught up. We really believed that the “big money is right around the corner” and it just takes that one big break for us to be able to make our millions and pay of all our financial obligations in lump sum!

In January 2008, we met Dani Johnson for the first time and one principle that we learned from her was to “Prosper Where You’re Planted…”. We so got it at that time. We realized that for us to get “promoted” in the universal sense, we need to be able to progress or succeed with what we have NOW and what we think we’re going to make in the future!

We can’t rely on future earnings, spend it now and expect to generate more…

Please listen to what I am saying here because there is a major lesson here… I am not “preaching” – I just want to drive this important principle as close to home as possible because I this is one of the major lessons we learned in this painful yet rewarding experience!

If you’re an entrepreneur who has mounds and mounds of debt, running around in circles, close to broke but continuing to live an “irresponsible” lifestyle you had prior to becoming broke, spending money you didn’t have with hopes that money is around the corner, I have news for you… YOU WILL STRUGGLE WITH SUCCESS.

It’s the Universal Law of Cause and Effect which says ‘what goes around comes around…” or the Golden Rule “do unto others as you would have others do unto you…” or “what you send out comes back to you tenfold…” I love what Joyce Meyer says all the time:

“YOU CAN’T EXPECT MONEY IF YOU DON’T RESPECT MONEY!”

The Bible says, “To whom much is given, much is expected…” The irony of it all is that in the Parable of the Talents, the one Steward who was able to invest his money wisely was given more and the Steward who chose to be irresponsible, well, instead of being give more, everything he had was taken away from him! How’s that for a lesson?

I guess I am sharing this VERY PERSONAL and painful lesson with you because 2 years ago, I heard the lesson and started doing something about it. However, when things started looking up, I went back to my old ways – to what’s comfortable and somewhat “irresponsible”.

In the process of playing catch up with success and what my mentor Joel Bauer says “living along to get along”, we realized that we were slowly sacrificing something:

QUALITY OF LIFE…

I remember before Gary and I became parents, we would go on 4-5 trips a year as we absolutely love to travel! When Garrett was born, the destinations changed a bit but we still traveled… we went on cruises, resorts and most of the time, they were top notch and on occasion, we even have our very own butler on board!

However, for the past two years, our family travel has been limited to a few trips here and there. Gary’s not able take time off work as much as he used to and my time was spent servicing clients, building my online infrastructure, further my studies via seminars and mentors and invest back into the business and in myself.

In January 2010, when I went to the Internet Marketers Caribbean Cruise I had a ton of fun but there was one thought that stuck in my mind the entire time:

“I wish Gary and Garrett were here…”

It dawned on me that we have not taken any major trips for 3 years! I remembered always imagining that when we have our child/children, we will be traveling extensively, taking them to see museums, dining in the best places and introducing them to various cultures so they will grow up respecting all cultures of the world and loving the history of those cultures.

But instead, due to time and money limitations, we’ve opted for San Diego, Palm Springs, Santa Barbara… Sure they’re not that bad for most people but for us, we knew it was time to:

Buckle down… re-assess… re-group… learn to “prosper where we’re planted” – be able to live within our means. We were ready to no longer be:

HOUSE RICH AND CASH POOR…

Quality of life means so much more to us now that Garrett is 8 years old.

And so, on June 2, 2010, after dodging the decision for 2 years, we have painfully decided to put our home of 11 years in the market… a home we helped design, where we have experienced incredibly beautiful memories – the home that housed our dreams.

Here are some photos our our beloved home… while we’re going to miss it, we know it will house a new family who are yet to create beautiful and memorable dreams for them. I know that the best is yet to come for us!

I have learned a ton of painful lessons and joyful miracles during the past 2 1/2 months from when we made this decision. I plan on sharing them with you, my wonderful friends and readers in my upcoming blog posts with hopes to inspire you and give those of you who are probably on going through the same experience some tools, techniques and resources to help guide you through this painful though “cleansing” process.

I thank all of you who continue to support and cheer me on as I go through this ordeal… Your friendship and love means sooo much to me! I am creating this “series” as this is my way of paying it forward…

Cheering You On To Your Success!

Emma

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Categories : FAITH, HOPE, LOVE, Inspiration, Mindset, Spirit Driven Principles

Tags : Emma Tiebens, financial hope, financial lessons, home business, Inspiration, Joel Bauer, law of cause and effect, leadership development, Mindset, online business, Online Marketing, personal growth, plans to prosper you, prosper where you're planted, the golden rule

Magnetic Sponsoring Elite… A Sneak Peek!

By Emma on August 2, 2010 3 Comments

If you were one of the few “privileged” people who were offered Magnetic Sponsoring Elite via a printed postal service delivered mail from Mike Dillard, my question to you is did you take advantage of the offer? If not, may I ask why?

If you did, CONGRATULATIONS! What an incredible offering it was! Just the same, here is a “sneak peek” at the BBOS (Big Box of Stuff) that I just received in the mail.

What made it even more exciting was that Mike Dillard offered a personal one on one Mastermind with him at their new office in Austin, TX as well as dinner with him in Downtown Austin with him and a few other like minded leaders.

I am sooo thrilled that my Business Partner, Stevi Sullivan insisted that we do whatever it takes to be there and thanks to her, she and I will be flying to Austin, TX this weekend to meet with Mike Dillard.

Of course, you know I will keep you posted about the weekend. I just wish that you could be there with Stevi and I.

I have butterflies in my stomach with great expectation about what will transpire this weekend. I know Mike as a very wise, savvy, intelligent and highly actualized person that I KNOW FOR SURE we will take home more than one golden nugget…

It could potentially be our springboard… our launch pad to something bigger… something that is overdue…

I know that consulting with Mike Dillard might not be affordable for you at the moment. The good news is that there are people like Stevi Sullivan and I who continuously seek mentorship only from the best of the best so we can share the “goodies” with you.

Very soon, we are going to pick out a select group of entrepreneurs who are looking to belong to a community of success driven individuals with supportive leaders who follow the vision and are committed to investing in continued education. Leaders like Stevi and I who know how to follow the footsteps of those who have succeeded massively from the implementation of their strategies…

Now, the question is, how would you like to be mentored those in direct mentorship with Mike Dillard? If you find value in this question, the stay tuned for our upcoming announcements by making sure you do this:

1) Subscribe to this Blog by clicking the RSS button on the top right hand side.

2) Leave your name and email on the box on the right side of this page. You will also get your free report and videos

3) Connect with me on Facebook and Twitter and let me know you want to be notified when we launch our Team Coaching.

As always, I am just here…

Cheering You On To Your Success!

Emma

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Categories : Branding and Marketing, FAITH, HOPE, LOVE, Inspiration, Leadership, Network Marketing, Spirit Driven Principles, Training, YouTube/Video Mktg

Tags : "Mike Dillard" "Magnetic Sponsoring" "Magnetic Sponsoring Elite" "No Excuses DVD" "network marketing online" "internet marketing" copywriting "Building On A Budget" "Traffic Formula 2" "Social Media S