Inspiration

Blogs can be therapeutic, don’t you think?  It’s like journaling – something that can make you think and reflect.   I realized I needed to blog to tell my story and “heal”.  A friend once said, “Everyone has a story; they just need a platform to share their story. In business, when you find a way to use that story and give a person a platform to share it, success will come.”  I realized I needed to share my story to get passed a part in my life that I needed to work through.  I spent the last 21 years of my life in direct sales.  I experienced a fair amount of success as a leader in the party plan business.  After 9 years of building full-time income from home I realized I was good at this direct sales thing and began my third direct sales business with one of the most phenomenal companies ever.  In its first 5-7 years, the business grew substantially into a multi-million dollar opportunity. I experienced amazing income, building friendships all over the country, traveled to some pretty awesome places, and was generally enjoying “the good life”. 

Then things began to change.  Business climate changed, business was harder, maybe the company wasn’t fulfilling its part to the field, and leaders lost their belief.  It became an environment that no longer empowered women, but created doubt in their skill set, made them question their business’ ability to provide income for their families, and, in some cases, sent them packing to other opportunities.  My job as a leader of a large organization became more about crisis management rather than empowering women to do things they didn’t think were possible.  I was working from a place of weakness rather than from a place of strength. 

I knew the business was struggling, and financially was in decline for the last four years.  It wasn’t until I began a renovation project on a home that we purchased that needed a major overhaul, however, that I realized what kind of place this was putting me in.  As I redirected my attention to the renovation, while still maintaining the “must dos” of the business, I was able to stand back and really look at my business with a different set of eyes.  It was like the old saying, “You can’t see the forest through the trees” that hit me like a ton of bricks.  After having earned Top 10 in points for our incentive trip during this time, I knew I had to leave (even before taking the trip!), and leave I did.  I know I surprised, and probably shocked, a lot of people.  But the need to move on was so strong, I couldn’t ignore it.  I could no longer sell the dream when I didn’t believe it any more.  It had nothing to do with the company, the products, or the business model – it had everything to do with me and my lack of belief that this was going to be the vehicle for me any longer.  I could not coach other women about this “dream” when I didn’t believe the dream myself. 

So, my journey started over.  And now, I am picking up the pieces of a time in my life when I was working from an area of weakness instead of strength.  I launched You Can Do It at InspiredToDoIt.blogspot.com to help others who have been on this kind of journey too.  Maybe just needing a positive change somewhere in your life, whether it’s financially, for your health, or just to feel empowered to do something you have never done before.  Enjoy my journey of renewal through this blog; share your stories with me as well.  I would love to hear how you’ve overcome something, whether a challenge or a whole new way of life.

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Inspiration from Dianne Mooney,

Founder, Southern Living At HOME

Does your story limit you?

Are you unintentionally holding yourself back?

When you tell people about yourself, do you sometimes focus on your limitations instead of your countless strengths? Have you created a vision of yourself as one who is somehow “less than” rather than thinking of yourself as powerful beyond all measure?

If the answer is, “Yes” to either question, then I’m in good company. I had back surgery not long ago and so often think of the things I can’t do anymore. And in thinking that way, I influence who I am becoming. What a waste! What a sad waste of my own precious, one and only life.

My eyes were opened recently when a friend brought this to my attention. She told me that what we complain about -- we create. What we think about -- we manifest. For my own sake, I’m developing a precise vision of what’s possible in my life. Why? So that I don’t hold myself back from what just could be a phenomenal future. I invite you to get rid of thoughts of “not enough” that you think others have implied about you or that you’ve told yourself. “I don’t have time.” “I can’t because…” Let all those negative thoughts go!

If you think small, you’ll get in the way of developing your potential as a powerful being – one who can dazzle yourself with your own accomplishments. If you set the bar too low, then “too low” is what you’ll achieve.

We’re all deathly afraid that we’re not enough – that somehow we’re not lovable. We’re angry that we feel limited. But I tell you truly, we are limited only by the story we tell ourselves about who we are. Get out of your own way and let go of fears that hold you back. Try reaching for the stars. Do what scares you, and you’ll find you CAN soar with the eagles –if you just believe it.

“Come to the edge, He said. They said, We are afraid. Come to the edge, He said. They came. He pushed them... and they flew.” G. Apollinaire.