Q&A@beBee with Renee Cormier

Image credit: steveoatesblog - WordPress.com

With Q&A@beBee, I ask some of the most interesting people on this network 7 questions. The result, unedited, is the most fascinating answers. Q&A@beBee is an ongoing series that gives us the opportunity to hear and learn from, and be inspired by, some of the most successful people, as they speak for themselves!

1. What motivates you to get up in the morning?   

I am always motivated by possibility. Each morning and each moment presents itself with a new set of possibilities. I thrive on that. When I open my eyes, I try to think of things to get excited about and to be thankful for, and I go from there. Now, having said that, if I open my eyes and smell a freshly brewed pot of coffee, I am out of bed before I can even think my first thought of the day! Such is the pull of my caffeine addiction. At least it's not vodka!

2. How do you spend the first hour of your day?  

While I am drinking my coffee, I am mentally preparing myself for the day ahead. The first thing I do is set my mood by focusing on feelings of happiness and appreciation. Then I make my breakfast and get to the gym for my workout. If I have an early morning meeting, then I am off to the gym early or I take a rest day, but I work out religiously, five times per week. I make a concerted daily effort to keep my mind and body fit. Once I do that, I am ready to conquer the world.

3. What are you passionate about?  

My passions are many. I love business and I love the work I do. That lights my fire like you can't imagine, but I am also passionate about helping people create happiness and be the best they can be. Those are typically my blog topics. One passion I don't write about is cooking. I may have to change that. I am a huge foodie! I invent all sorts of recipes and incorporate ingredients from all around the world. In my younger years I was blessed to have close friends from all around the world who were also fabulous cooks. They taught me a lot.

4. What is the most practical advice you can offer someone in business?   

Inexperienced business people tend to spend money on things they think they need but actually don't. If I could offer just one bit of advice, it would be to not buy anything for your business until it becomes really painful to not have it. For example, you don't need a customer management system if you only have a few customers. Wait until you cannot manage your database anymore before investing in a fancy CRM system (or paying for a subscription). I did write a post on beBee called The New Business Survival Guide. Newbies should check it out! Here's the link: https://www.bebee.com/producer/@renee-cormier/the-new-business-survival-guide

5. If you had the opportunity to ask a great mind any question, what would it be?  

That's a great question. I am actually planning to make my way to Madrid in 2018. At that time, I would love to have the chance to chat with beBee owners Javier 🐝 beBee and Javier 🐝 beBee about business. I think they could teach me so much. I really enjoy participating in business discussions. I am a lifelong learner and teacher. I always look forward to having the opportunity to benefit from the experiences of others.

Wow. The book that literally changed my life is a book called The Leader in You, by Dale Carnegie. I was married to my children's father who was abusive and severely mentally ill. I needed to get out of my marriage but I had three little children aged 1, 2 and 4; and my four year old couldn't talk due to his autism. I had no other family near and no one who could help me. My brother told me to go to the library to read business books so that I could get a job. I found that book and took it home. Something in it allowed me to believe in myself and gave me the courage to change my life. The story is much bigger than what I can tell you here, but it was an incredible and miraculous journey. My life has never been the same. Because of that book, I know that I have the power within me to achieve anything I want and that I will always be okay.

I always loved this Wayne Dyer quote, "If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." It really speaks to the power within us to create our own reality. People get hung up on their own misery and then all they see is what makes them miserable. By shifting your focus to thoughts that feel good, you automatically prime yourself to experience wonderful things. It is really that simple. I do it all the time. We all need to guard our happiness by being aware of our thoughts and feelings from moment to moment. Choosing to feel good is so much better than allowing yourself to feel bad!

Links to past interviews:

https://www.bebee.com/producer/@sara-jacobovici/q-a-bebee-with-ali-anani

https://www.bebee.com/producer/@sara-jacobovici/q-a-bebee-with-javier-bebee

https://www.bebee.com/producer/@sara-jacobovici/q-a-bebee-with-deb-helfrich

https://www.bebee.com/producer/@sara-jacobovici/q-a-bebee-with-ian-weinberg

https://www.bebee.com/producer/@sara-jacobovici/q-a-bebee-with-netta-virtanen

https://www.bebee.com/producer/@sara-jacobovici/q-a-bebee-with-brigette-hyacinth

https://www.bebee.com/producer/@sara-jacobovici/q-a-bebee-with-david-b-grinberg

https://www.bebee.com/producer/@sara-jacobovici/q-a-bebee-with-john-white