I’m a different person today than I was in 2014. I wouldn’t say I was unhappy, but I wasn’t living a full, happy, positive life that I’m living now. It came from one simple question. Isn’t that how it starts? One question that can alter your course forever? The question asked of me, “why don’t you do it? You should do it! You know it will be successful.”
What was “IT”?
Joining an MLM. A new MLM. Ground floor opportunity. In the pet industry.
All the eye rollers, hear me out.
Just hang with me for one or two paragraphs.
I was not a fan of the MLM concept. We all know “that person” don’t we? The one that wouldn’t take no for an answer? The one we’d avoid at all costs? The one that messaged us out of the blue “pretending” to want to connect and really just wanting us to join their company. Buy their products. I’d imagine you know who I’m talking about.
How in the world would I be able to look myself in the mirror if I joined one of “those companies”?
Well I did it. And it wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns.
It was truly one of the hardest, most challenging, difficult, uncomfortable moments in my life. I’m talking about those first few years. The years I invested far more time, money, and energy than I was making. The years I had good friends and family tell me they weren’t interested. The years of setbacks, failed ideas, learning curves, more failures. But enough successes that I kept going.
The one thing that scared me more than joining the MLM, was failing at it. I cared more about what people would think about my failure than my decision to join. This fear of failure drove me to continue, even when I wanted to quit. I knew this company would be successful with or without me, and I wasn’t willing to let it happen without me.
So here I am. A changed woman. Truly. Ask my closest friends, my siblings, my mom, my husband, they will tell you I’m not the same person I was before. I’m happier. I’m consistently looking at the bright side (I can promise you this was the total opposite of my life before). I have gained confidence, joy, fulfillment, friendships, and income beyond my wildest dreams.
I make more money now than I ever thought possible for myself.
This is what this industry will do to you and for you. I relate it to these 4 key principles. When I started implementing these 4 key steps, everything else shifted. How I looked at myself, how I treated others, how I treated myself, how I handled conflict, how I communicated with others. What I listened to and how I showed up each day. It’s been wonderful, insightful and brought more joy than I’ve experienced before. So here I share with you the contributing factors to my success and happiness:
- My Morning Routine. I am conscientious of what I do in the morning. That time is sacred. I’m up before everyone else. It’s quiet, it’s dark. It’s my time. I don’t check notifications. I don’t read emails. I am quiet. I listen, I pray, and I express gratitude. When I don’t do these things, it shows.
- Gratitude list. Each day I take time to express gratitude. I mention it in my morning prayer, but also in my daily gratitude journal app. I look for the good. It’s not the same good every day. Sometimes it’s something as simple as “I’m grateful I slept well” or “I’m grateful to be warm”. Others it’s more significant and I’m expressing gratitude for certain people, experiences, health, etc. It starts my day in a positive flow and sets the tone for the day. When I don’t do it, I notice.
- I Nourish my Mind. I love this quote shared by Randy Garn in a Facebook post-it’s pure gold! “As You start each day, be super intentional about what you put into your body, mind, soul!!! Truly, Your diet is not only what you eat. It’s what you watch, what you listen to, what you read, the people you hang around…be mindful of the things you put into your body emotionally, spiritually, and physically.” “Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” ~ Jim Rohn ~ You can see this is an extension of #1 and #2. I nourish my mind. I know not everything is rainbows and unicorns but I CHOOSE to focus on what I can control, what I fuel my mind and body with and it’s a much happier, peaceful place.
- I do something each day that brings me JOY. It doesn’t have to cost anything. I was asked to make a joy list years ago. Two columns. One column consisted of things that bring me joy that DON’T cost money, and another column with things that DO. We were given several minutes to come up with as many ideas as we could think of. Some of my favorites, exercise, watch Netflix (I love TV before bed!), cleaning (I love a clean house!), organizing a space, writing notes, listening to music, calling a friend or Marco-polo a friend, a funny show or meme, making treats, eating treats, going to lunch with a friend or family member, pedicures, manicures, a massage, a facial, traveling, the list goes on and on. I have friends that love to read, do puzzles, take walks, and go for a hike. If you’re lacking joy in your life, find the things that bring you joy and make it a point to do one each day. If you aren’t taking care of YOU, how do you expect to take care of anything else? YOU are the most important YOU.
If this list seems overwhelming, just do one. What is one area you’d like to focus on? Take that one step towards self improvement. You can find joy (or sorrow) in any circumstance. It’s a choice. You get to decide and I invite you to choose joy. The more you seek joy, the more of it you’ll find. The rest will follow.
