The Road to Area

So I decided at the first of the month that I wanted to become Area Manager by the first of December, this means having to complete the first step of the 2 month qualification process in October. I am now at October 27th and have reached about half way to my goal. Now, will I be able to get the rest in the next 4 days? I'm trying to think positively but everything will have to go my way in the next couple of days to achieve this goal.

I look back at my activity this month and I had a lot of business builder meetings but still only put on 2 of my own parties. I have 2 consultants who launched this month supplementing with 2 parties each but volume wise it wasn't enough. I am not throwing in the towel just yet because I have 3 maybe 4 more parties left this month and feel they are going to be good ones. Either way in November I will have to be a party throwing machine so I can get the volume and paycheck I need.

I am so pumped about my new consultant K, not only because she is a good friend but because it has been a long process getting her into the business. She had a bad experience with a company like this when she was younger so she was quite skeptical about getting into this. Yesterday she called me and said she was so happy about how things were going so far and the amount of support she was getting was amazing. This made my heart sing! I am so happy that I am able to give her the support that has been given to me.

Now I need to make a plan for the next couple of days and also for November, I need to have my head in the game the whole month. I need to pump myself up and be ON all month long. I love plans, love making to do lists, love crossing things off those lists. I will be an Area Manager.

Perspective

I spent the evening with my closest friends celebrating the 22nd birthday of one of my best friends. I love this friend for everything she is and everything she does. Her care for others is unwavering and seeing her happy made the evening a success.

We went for drinks, then dancing, then a nice walk home, though I developed a huge blister and figured out I am ridiculously out of shape,it was still an amazing night with only a little bit of drama.

This was until 4 in the morning when we were woken by a domestic dispute directly outside our hotel room door. As my birthday girls' night in shining armor (in this case quite literally) sprinted out the door we followed and came upon these two people, both yelling about calling 911, the wife saying no, the husband saying yes. Our knight had placed himself in between the woman and man and the fear I saw on this woman's face was terrifying. There was such a mix of emotions on her face that I instantly wanted to take her in my arms and tell her it was going to be okay. You could also tell she was unbelievably embarrassed to be in this situation which is the perpetual viscous circle that women in abusive relationships go through.

As we ushered the woman into one of our rooms away from her husband the hotel employee came up saying a disturbance had been reported. J (our knight) started to explain that he saw the man hit his wife and he was just trying to stop it. It was late I was scared and I felt sick to my stomach because this small town girl has never really been this close to such a horrible situation.

After we made sure the woman was okay, her, her sister-in-law, and her husbands brother went with the hotel employee downstairs and the husband went into his room. We sort of looked at each other not knowing what to do and eventually went back into our rooms. We instructed the girls in the other room (who had been taking care of the wife) not to open their door for anyone and when we got back into our room the hotel employee called to make sure we were okay.

The worst part of this whole experience was the things that the husband and his brother were saying. Though I don't think the brother knew he had hit his wife, the excuses were just flowing out of their mouths. "my brother drank too much and his wife doesn't like when he drinks, that's all this argument is about, "this is a family matter, please go back to your room." The husband even tried to say that we were making this was a race issue and we should mind our own business.

I just wanted to scream at him that it had nothing to do with him being a different race this has to do with the fact that your wife's screams woke us up and our friend saw you physically fighting! It infuriates me that people can just sit back and mind their own business when things like this happen in the world. It is such a hopeless situation to be in, to love someone so much and have them betray you like that. Not everyone has the ability to be strong and walk away, not everyone has the resources to start a new life.

We found out in the morning that the man was arrested, which makes me happy though I wish I could talk to the wife. I wish I could be there for her, be only on her side whatever she wants. I hope this is not an on going situation and I hope she doesn't ever have to be hurt again. I hope she remembers the horror on our faces and realizes that there is another way to live.

It was such strange night and on the drive home I couldn't help but think about how lucky I am, my friends are an amazing group of people who I have common interests with and who make me feel comfortable to be myself around. I have fought my way through friends I was forced to be with, girls I had nothing in common with, feeling like I was the strange one because I didn't fit in. I found my place, found girls who I am so proud to call my friends. I am open and honest with them, I love and cherish these friendships more because our small drama before the big reminded me of a life I used to live. It reminded me of how far I have come and how I never have to go through it again.

Working Towards Livable Life

Disclaimer: I have been drinking


I have been working so hard to live the way I want to, I have been working daily, weekly and monthly to be the person that I want to be. To live the life I want to live, even if I don't know specifically what that is. I have wants that go through my head, the want to be healthy, exercise, do all the things that everyone thinks is "what you should do". Though the wants are there I have no immediate drive to do them, and for me to do something about it that drive needs to foster inside until I can't ignore it anymore. I bought an Ipod tonight so I could go for walks and finally get the exercise my body craves. Who knows what will develop in the months to come? I decided a long time ago that a little bit of exercise is better than none so until my mind is satisfied with this exercise I am going to run with it.

I acknowledge my emotional connection to Arbonne, I understand that when someone says no I feel it is a personal assault. I am getting so much better though, better at being strong, better at separating Arbonne from my personal life. Though I know I will never be able to fully separate the two, because this is who I am and that emotional person is someone I have become pretty fond of.

I'm happy right now, yes I have my bad days but I am happy with the fact that I can choose my life. I can choose what I do every day and how much I work. I am able to have the alone time I need to be a better person, friend, relative and girlfriend.

I know that in the days to come I will be stressed, I will have bad days where I want to throw in the towel. I will be scared of not having enough money and of not being the perfect daughter, friend and girlfriend. I will be upset because I didn't reach the goals I set. Though this is the case and though I am working on it, I think I will be okay, I think (today) that the world is an okay place.

New Look

I changed the look of the blog today, I really have no patience for things like that. I kind of go until I get a feeling and then stop. It usually only takes me a couple of minutes to make the decision. I know it is dark but I like the contrast of the words and the soft grey. I've always been drawn to grey, I think its because things stand out so much better against grey. It really is a beautiful color.

I spent the morning feeling sorry for myself, this always happens when I wake up in a bad mood. I just don't understand how I can be so disadvantaged right away to start the day. I have things to do and a life to lead. I want to want to do those things. So after venting to my beautiful confidant I kicked myself into gear, got in the shower and started my day. I did 2 follow ups for Arbonne, planted a few seeds that I hope will benefit my growing team in the future. It was not a lot of effort but I took the time to congratulate myself instead of looking for outside gratification like I usually do. (It's something I'm trying to work on) I have a couple of other calls to make tonight but I am happy I got off the couch.

So after I got home I started making wish lists, things that I wanted like new clothes, travel, financial goals (all material things because the love I have in my life is thankfully overflowing and amazing). Making lists seem to calm me down, I think to be able to see everything laid out in front of me, it makes the things I have to do in life not seem so stressful. It's like in a list I know exactly what has to be done, there is no mystery.

I want to go area by December in Arbonne and I know that only I am standing in my way. I need to work a little harder every day to make contacts and follow up with people. I have been doing such a good job so far keeping my days filled with activity and if I could just book one more party (making it 3 total for the rest of the month) I would be so happy. I am proud of the things I am accomplishing, not just in my activity but in my response to activity. I am taking no's a lot lighter that I used to and acknowledging that they are just a part of my business. I have not let my fire go out and I don't think it will.

I have a long way to go to reach my QV goal but it is so attainable I can taste it. I have a problem with making up scenarios in my head about my success and I think sometimes my imagination runs away with me. If the world could see the amazing business I am building in my head everyone would want to join.

The Need to Ramble

I warn you now, this post may not make any sense, may not have any structure and is guaranteed to jump from topic to topic. I have a lot on my mind and feel like this may be the best way to get things organized.

Now as I stare at the page I can't seem to make the words flow the way I think they should. I have been having problems sleeping, not from awful anxiety like before but with excitement surrounding Arbonne. I think about how to make more contacts, work out what I am going to say to potential business builders, think about who I am going to sell product to, I can't stop thinking about it. Then I don't sleep well. end up sleeping in too late and feel sluggish in the morning. During the day I have a block, I think its fear, fear that I will make it through all of my contacts and not furthered my business in anyway.

I worry about money, worry about not being able to pay my bills and having to go get another job. I don't want to do that, I don't want to have to go back to answering to someone else. I love working my business and having the freedom that Arbonne gives me. I just want the money to equal the amount of effort I feel I put in. I think its because I have so much heart in this business, so much of myself. I know I shouldn't feel so emotional about business but I am a woman and telling me not to be emotional is like telling me not to breathe.

I have a strange way of doing things, my mind has a certain way of processing and preparing before I can get any work done. I guess its like a nesting period before I can get work done. I had the same thing in university. I feel like I need to put myself on a better regime to promote efficiency and effectiveness. I'm such a planner, though sometimes that's all I do. I need to focus on action and not worry about having things be perfect all the time.

I need to get off my butt and focus on action

A Call to Action

I have made the decision, I want to be an Area Manager with Arbonne. I made my 30, 60 and 90 day goals and have a plan to achieve them. I will be Area by the start of 2012. I have a fire inside of me and it is bursting with Arbonne. I have been hard core using the training tools given to me by Arbonne, listening to learn and burns, national calls, looking up product knowledge. I am doing my asks; my calendar is half full and growing. I have a lot of potential business builders all I need is to portray to them that this is a gift and that being on my team will be amazing. I am going to the top of this business and I'm going to take anyone who wants come with me.

I was so excited last night about the planning I have done and the direction my business is going in I couldn't sleep. I want to do this business all the time, I have Arbonne fever.

I was listening to a nation meeting call yesterday and my NVP said, this is a call to action, this moment is for you to jump start your business into what you want it to be. I want to be at the top, I want to earn the trips, make the money, have my freedom, love my life. This is the gift I see in Arbonne, this is the gift I want to share.

Focusing on my goals has helped me get through, even the no's I hear aren't as bad as they used to be because I know the yes' will come. I love the confidence I have in Arbonne because it makes me confident in myself, something I have a hard time feeling.

My Arbonne family gives me the strength to know that things will be okay, that set backs are normal and everyone struggles. Being around that many strong women makes my heart sing.

I had to post because I think my friends are getting Arbonne overdose. I have be laying it on a little thick lately. This doesn't make me worry, it makes me laugh that I have something I'm passionate about. I've been looking for it.

Now what if I don't make Area? What if I don't make my goals? Truthfully, I can't see that happening, if I stick to my plan it will happen. If I do everything I have planned it will all fall into place. And if it doesn't, and I don't make Area that's okay. I say this truthfully, I love sharing Arbonne with people, I love educating them, helping them have a healthy life. I'm happy I have found this gift. Let me share it with you, this is a call to action.