Elevate Highlight: Simone Jooste

How attitude, gratitude and perspective make the difference!

*Notes from Simone Jooste's presentation at the 2014 March Kick-off Wives Luncheon

1. Life is hard, when you realize that, it becomes easy. –Pastor Allen Hawes

2. Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. -JFK

3. Life is rewarding because it's hard. If it were easy, it wouldn't be rewarding. 

4. They are called growing pains, because they are painful, but through the pains of life you grow.  Recognize pain is part of growth and the worst thing someone can do is stay stagnant.

5. At some point we all feel worn out and neglected. This is where I find wisdom in the words of Neal Rogers.  Neal is selfless, caring and generous. That is why he is successful.

Here are his most profound statements:

• One hour in the summer = a day. One day in the summer = a week.
• You feel neglected because you are.
• It's better to have a hard working husband than one that won't work at all!! 

The summer is concentrated. We have a limited amount of time. I know that I can’t afford to bother my husband for 30 minutes a day.  Reality is, that 30 minutes equates to about half a day. 

6. This job is an opportunity or a sacrifice.  If we only focus on the sacrifice you will miss the opportunity.

7. During the long summer days, plan something that excites you. Focus on that and the benefits of it rather than what we are sacrificing. 

8. “If I had to go through everything again, just to help one person I would”. 

 It’s really not about us. We are all here with a purpose.  Consider that you have to get through challenging times because one day you will meet someone and be able to help them. The difficulty is for more than just you.

9. We all have different personalities. Read about them. Learn about them. Learn about yourself. Learn why you do what you do and why others do what they do. It will help you understand others and yourself.

You will react to life based on your personality. Personalities have positive and negative attributes. Enhance the positive and change the negative. For those interested in learning more about how personalities shape our lives, I recommend reading Personality Plus.

10. The earning potential with this career is incredible. Which is why it's so important to be thankful. Take advantage of every day and find gratitude in what we have been so graciously blessed with.

11. We can find never-ending motivation because the focus is to help our guys and helping others in need. 

My husband and I do this job because we like to have a nice house, cars, clothes and go on vacation. But more importantly, we do it because we wan to help the helpless. Because we work hard, I know little kids will get educated and have a real future because of our ability to donate and serve. Giving back is motivating and helps me keep the right perspective.

12. You may not realize it, but what we do impacts the world. Maybe this is just a summer sales job. But what you learn through this experience will impact the world.

13. Don’t be hasty. Be consistent. Day in, day out. Consistency is key. 

14. “Tree’s don’t have spectacular days’’ Take the pressure off yourself and embrace each day as it comes.  I don’t need to be amazing everyday, but everyday can be amazing. If a tree resisted growth what good would it be to us? But as it grows consistently every day it produces something amazing. 

15. Love is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Confidence is a choice.