It's May! Can you believe we're fewer than 60 days away from the completion of our biggest and best Seminar year ever?

I absolutely love this time of year because this is when character is revealed, perseverance and resiliency are tested, attitudes are formed, victories are won and queens are crowned! This is when we find out who MAKES promises and who KEEPS promises. This is what I like to call "Championship Season".

During championship season, the called, the committed, the courageous and the convicted will take their energy and efforts to new heights. Records will be set and broken. Belief-barriers will be raised, and those who are contributing to the miracles that are happening at this very moment will be forever changed. Lessons of what works and what does NOT work will be permanently engrained into the head of the risk-takers. Many will be working to finish a goal, while others will be working to get a head start towards next year's goal.

This is when the champions bring their game to the business, regardless of what has happened in the months before. Its peak-performance time and Independent Beauty Consultants and Independent Sales Directors are re-energized by HOPE, PRIDE, PURPOSE and the unconditional love and support YOU provide. This is Mary Kay at its best!

I've studied champions for many years, and I want to share 10 qualities that I've found to be consistent among them:

1. The victory is won in their head and heart before the work is done.
2. Champions know the rules of the game and they're willing to play better than they've ever played before.
3. Champions believe the risk of victory is worth more than the disappointment of failure.
4. Champions have champion mentors.
5. Champions know there's nothing more powerful than a winning attitude.
6. Champions are motivated by their dream, but are made by their routine.
7. Champions focus on maximizing their strengths, not protecting their weaknesses.
8. Champions have unquestionable integrity.
9. Champions are extra-milers. They don't do just enough to get by; they do the and then some.
10. Champions NEVER give up! I'd like to elaborate a little further on a couple of points. Take #1, for instance: The victory is won in their head and heart before the work is done.

Over the years, I've seen many Sales Directors miss a goal simply because they never believed they could achieve it. These Sales Directors said all the right things to others, but they hadn't convinced themselves that they deserved the victory, or they simply weren't willing to put forth the effort needed to achieve the goal.

On the other hand, when a Sales Director has made a non-negotiable decision that she's going to achieve a goal, not only does she feel it in her heart, she demonstrates her passion for success in everything she does. Someone once said, "When the passion is big enough, the facts don't matter. Those are the words of a true champion!

Champions have "champion mentors”. A champion mentor is the only person who can stretch an average dream into a great one. Mary Kay Ash was our champion mentor and she breathed belief into champions for nearly 40 years. Do you remember the shy, meek, scared young woman who broke through her fears and became a top Independent National Sales Director? What about the one who was just looking for a few extra dollars to supplement her family's income, and now is a Mary Kay multimillionaire? Finally, do you recall the one who wasn't sure if her check for the showcase would clear? She got off to a less-than-powerful start, but now enjoys the lifestyle of the rich and famous. I could go on for days about the uncommon champions that have been nurtured through the love and support of our champion mentor, Mary Kay Ash.

Now more than ever, you're the champion mentor that your Sales Directors and Beauty Consultants turn to for encouragement and leadership. It's your breath that breathes hope and belief into their dreams. You never know when a phone call or a postcard is going to make a difference between someone deciding to take a chance rather than giving up.

Which brings me to the next point.....

Champions NEVER give up! Champions are champions because they try, they keep going and they finish! At Career Conference, Independent Senior National Sales Director Wanda Dalby talked about three types of people: the climber, the camper & the quitter. The climber is a find-a-way, make-a-way kind of leader who refuses to give in or give up until the victory is won. The camper is a starter, but not a finisher. She's interested in sameness, not success. The camper is so busy protecting what she has; she misses out on countless opportunities to have more. The quitter, well, that's self-explanatory. Of all the champions I know, I've never known any of them to be happy with the status quo, or to give up before accomplishing their goal.

In these last few weeks of the Seminar year, I want to remind you of a question we'll ask ourselves over and over again for the rest of our lives: "What would Mary Kay do?" That question often is asked when we're facing a crisis or an ethical decision. But I think it's appropriate to ask also when we're facing the decision of stretching for a personal goal or helping a team, unit or area achieve a goal.

What would Mary Kay Ash do? I think Mary Kay would:

• Weigh the costs (time away from family, the emotional and physical commitment required to do the work)
• Consider the rewards (a walk across the stage, a diamond ring or bee, the satisfaction of accomplishing the goal)
• Engage the family in the decision (it's not success if you lose your family in the process)
• Consult with someone who's already achieved success (it's the winners, not the whiners, who can help you achieve excellence)
• Work like everything depended on her and pray like everything depended on God!

Have a magnificent May, and I'll see you at Seminar!