Annie Meehan | Dynamic speaker, author & entrepreneur

Success

Celebrate all the small Victories on your journey to Success!

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Celebrate all the small Victories on your journey to Success!

Often, we wait for that big, huge victory before we celebrate, before we get excited, before we give ourselves credit for doing well. I’d love to encourage people to celebrate the little victories along the way. Did somebody answer the phone that’s been ignoring you for a while? Did somebody have a conversation with you and actually noticed something you did good? You see, when we celebrate the little victories along the way, it keeps us motivated to keep going instead of waiting until we actually cross the finish line. I believe that sometimes we get so caught up in the big prize that we don’t celebrate along the way. If we don’t celebrate along the way, it’s so easy to get discouraged because it takes time to get to that full victory. The other day, I was having a gathering of people, and somebody said to me, “I watch you and what you do. How you always open your house, and you’re always engaging. I so appreciate that.” This was about my National Speakers Association (NSA) chapter and how I was serving. She was saying, “I love what you do for this chapter.” Serving as the NSA Minnesota chapter president at the time, it was so wonderful to hear somebody recognize all the different things that I had done along the way instead of waiting to the end of the year leaving me thinking, “did I do this right?” I wasn’t looking for that, but I really celebrated it. I remember that night during dinner I told my family that somebody really noticed all the extra effort I was making as the chapter president. Celebrate the victories along the way. Don’t wait until you finish the project or get the big sale. Celebrate the victories and allow people to celebrate you when you’re successful. Even if you’re not hitting the mark, if you’re getting a little bit closer every day, celebrate that. The victories small and large will keep us going so we can sustain a successful business. I wish you all the best and many victories in the years to come. What small victory have you experienced this week that deserves to be celebrated?

How might your motivation shift if you paused to acknowledge progress instead of waiting for perfection?

Who in your life could use a word of encouragement today for the little wins they’ve achieved?

How many ways are there to be Successful?

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The Many Ways to Be Successful

What’s the way to be successful?
Here’s the truth: there isn’t just one.

That’s why I created an entire ABC series—because there are countless ingredients that go into building and sustaining a successful business.

As a professional speaker, I often hear the “rules” people toss around:

  • You have to write a book before you speak.
  • You have to speak to massive audiences.
  • You have to charge a certain amount.
  • You have to become a coach.

The truth? None of those are absolutes. There are a lot of ways to find success.

Define What Success Looks Like for You

The first step isn’t chasing someone else’s version of success—it’s defining your own. Ask yourself:

  • How many times do I want to speak in a year?
  • How much income do I need to earn?
  • What balance do I want between family, travel, and work?
  • What business model feels most aligned—speaking, coaching, writing, courses, or a mix?

For me, the sweet spot is delivering about 50 keynotes a year. I love opening conferences with energy, equipping attendees with a framework, and then staying to connect with the community. Coaching, books, and online courses are also part of my business—but they’re not the core. Speaking from the stage is where I thrive.

But that doesn’t mean it should be your path. For some, success may come from selling books, leading retreats, or focusing on virtual courses.

Success That Fits Your Life

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned—and often share with young parents interested in speaking—is this: don’t sacrifice your family for your business dreams.

When our kids were growing up, my husband and I chose to spend 80%+ of our time at home. We didn’t miss ski races, soccer games, or dance recitals. That time was priceless, and I wouldn’t trade it.

Travel and opportunities will always be there. But the years with your kids and spouse? They fly by. In those seasons, your speaking business might look like webinars, books, or online courses instead of heavy travel. And that’s okay. You’ll actually gather more wisdom to share down the road.

Success Can Start at Home

I love what professional speaker Walter Bond once shared at the National Speakers Association Minnesota chapter:

“I grew a million-dollar speaking business in Minneapolis before I started traveling all around and speaking.”

You don’t have to go far to grow your business. You can start right where you live.

So, remember: success isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s about planning, experimenting, and finding the right rhythm for you and your family. When you do that, you’ll not only build success—you’ll sustain it.

Now, I’d love to hear from you:

  1. How do you personally define success—both in life and in business?
  2. What’s one “rule” of success you’ve heard that didn’t actually apply to you?
  3. If you could design your ideal work-life balance, what would it look like?

J is for the Joy of the Journey

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J is for the Joy of the Journey

As we settle back into our normal routines, During this Fall Season. I am here to continue guiding you through the ABC’s of Success in starting a business. Today, we are on the letter J, which stands for journey.

When a person begins a business, they plan on how they’re going to arrive at success. I don’t know if you ever do meet a single point of success though, because you hit that point, then you raise the bar. You hit that point again, and then you raise the bar more. Sometimes, you don’t hit that point, and you get discouraged. I found to be successful is to recognize this is a journey.

Some days, I’ll be up, and other days not so up. Some days, I’ll be way up, and some days, not up at all. That’s the whole point: It’s a journey. It’s also about consistency through the journey. It’s not about the destination, it’s about the ride and knowing that you’re in it for the long haul. When you know this, then you can find joy in all the moments—the good ones, the bad ones, the challenging ones, and the wonderful ones.

I feel like as the past president of NSA, Minnesota, I’ve been on such a journey. I thought it’d be all fun, and everyone would love me. It was going to be great. However, it has been quite a journey, which has included a lot of growing and more work than I thought. There has been a lot of stretching, planning, being organized, and getting into the details of things that I don’t necessarily love.

The journey to a successful business is about staying committed and consistent through the highs and lows. Are you in it for the ride? Or are you just in it for the rival? For me, it’s the ride that makes me better every day at doing the good work I have been called to do.

I hope you enjoy the journey because it’s a journey to success and of success. This week, I encourage you to be committed to the journey, even when you don’t get as far or see as much success as you anticipated. If you need help along the way, I would love to come work with you and inspire you on your journey.

What does living your exceptional life look like to you?

Do you see building a business as a journey, or could you benefit from shifting your perspective?

How can you stay committed to the journey through the highs and lows?

Share your thoughts with Annie! E-mail her at:
Annie@AnnieMeehan.com

Have you been able to enjoy your journey as you navigate growing a successful business? #thejourney #reset #whereareyouheaded#success

How do you eliminate your Excuses?

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E is for Eliminate Excuses

This week we will cover the letter E, which stands for eliminating excuses. We need to strive to eliminate our excuses so we can expose our extraordinary. What I mean is when you face a challenge or someone who doubts your abilities, turn the negative into fuel to encourage you and allow that fuel to become the reason why you won’t stop until you reach your top!

For example, gym clients will say to me, “You don’t understand, my family has always had diabetes, it’s just the way it is. Genetically, there’s no hope for me.” Then, I have watched those same people transform their lives. Now, I realize some diseases can’t be cured or reversed, but so many can be improved with diet, self-talk, habits, and exercise.

Your physical, mental, and emotional health are so much more important than a number on a scale. Taking time to care for yourself and see improvement is where I love to support my clients.

Eliminating excuses always starts with understanding why we make excuses, you see there is a reward in every excuse for why we don’t live our best life. When the price is more painful than the reward, we start to make changes. I love to teach in acronyms.

E – Eliminate your excuses to expose your extraordinary.

X – iXnay the nay sayers. Remove the negative Nellies from your life and instead surround yourself with those that believe in and support you.

C – Commit to the changes you long for and want in your life, one step at a time and one month at a time. It is a lifelong journey, but Commitment + Consistency over time = Change.

U – You must put yourself first. Selfcare makes you self-full, not selfish. Care for yourself first, so you can serve others afterwards.

S – Stop and think about your thinking. Are you believing the negative or are you challenging your thoughts by asking yourself, “Does this serve me, my business or my relationships?” Stop and then shift your thoughts.

E – Exceptional. Why settle for average when you were created to live an extraordinary life?

In my life, I have had many challenges and have a pile of excuses why I can’t write a book. I am dyslexic, I can’t spell, some say I have ADD, but today I have five books! You can too!

When I bought my first gym, I was told by the previous owner that I would never make it. He said he had been bleeding for months and now he was hemorrhaging before he sarcastically wished me good luck. It felt like a sucker punch to my gut that knocked my breath out. Then, I shifted it in my mind and went from “you will never,” to “I dare you!” I used it as fuel to become #4 in the nation in 4 months.

So, if your excuses are stopping you by causing you to think, “My job isn’t working out,” or “I have the wrong boss, or “My relationships don’t work,” I encourage you to instead turn it around and look for a reason to make things work. Take your excuse and turn it into a reason why you’ll do things differently. By doing this, you can have success in an area you maybe didn’t have in the past.

This week, I encourage you to eliminate your excuses to live your extraordinary life.

What does living your exceptional life look like to you?

What success have you had eliminating an excuse by finding a reason within it?
What area are you struggling with?

What does your extraordinary life look like?

Are you Fun or Funny? What makes you laugh?

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.Today’s focus…Having FUN! When was the last time you laughed? What do you do for fun? Over the last year there has been a ton of serious in our lives and in the world but if you look there is always something to laugh about. I love laughter, it is fun and it is contagious. What will you laugh at this week? Who is the funniest person you know? What is something you do for FUN? #BeTheException #laughteristhebestmedicine #PineapplePeople #Havefunbeingfunny

The 4D’s of Growing Success in all areas of your life, From Professional to Personal Success

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Monday Moment is about the 4D’s you must go through if you are going to find Success in what you Dream of becoming a Reality in your life #BeTheException #PineapplePeople #FromDreamToDestiny

Dream have vision
Distress it will come, how will you overcome it?
Developement what are the baby steps you will take to continue to grow
Destiny How will you celebrate when you achieve landing where you are going?

What do you do to take care of you? Do you wait until you are sick to care about getting well? What is your strategy to prevent sickness from winning? Do you exercise, Eat healthy, Use Supplements, get enough sleep, release your stress. When you get a headache what is the first thing you do? Do you take a pill, drink more water, take a nap, take some deep breathes, go for a walk, call an encouraging friend? I met a new friend…He loved Americans! hashtag#BetheException hashtag#PreventiveCare hashtag#TakeCareofYou hashtag#InspirationalKeynotes

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