“Ask yourself, 'What do I really want?' Then use your power within to begin.”
One of my favorite songs ends, “with everything out there, why set- tle for only one piece? I included these words in my Eye on Arbonne story the second time I promoted to Regional Vice President in 2001. I, too, wanted to “have it all,” but my road to success took a few detours along the way. Looking back on my 10- year grand adventure with Arbonne, I have experienced personal growth and abundance beyond my wildest imaginings. The power of those imaginings has brought me to the wonderful life I am blessed with today. How grateful I am!
After supporting my husband through law school as an elementary school teacher, I was ready to be a stay-at-home mom. But that wasn't in the cards for me yet. Through those years, I continued to teach school and created side businesses from home. My husband Randy always believed that I had special talents and helped me look for ways in which I could harness my abilities to bless others and find happiness. While doing my due diligence with a sales company in Chicago, I met an amazing woman who ignited in me the power of self-discovery as she shared her insights and belief that I should and could be a mentor to women. From then on, I set out on a quest to find a vehicle that would allow me to accomplish my mission of helping women earn incredible money from home and be a positive influence in the lives of their families.
When Arbonne came into my life, I knew my search was over. I knew that everything I needed to be outrageously successful was in place. But for the real power to be activated, I knew I must become someone worth following. I attended seminars, and I read every leadership and self-reinforcing book I could find to discover the power of visualization and affirmation. Randy believed in me enough to support me in my decision to take a leave from teaching. Within six months, I had been promoted to District Manager and started my business momentum rolling. While we were off on one of many awesome Arbonne adventures -- enjoying snorkeling in Maui -- I was invited to speak at Arbonne's upcoming National Convention in Chicago, at the very hotel where I had met the woman who changed my life several years before. To me, this was an honor that reaffirmed that I was headed in a positive direction, not just in business, but in life.
I worked to create and implement systems that would maximize the power of duplication. My efforts paid off and I was promoted to RVP in August of 1997. I felt like everything had come together, and that I had learned and applied all my lessons. However, the positive was offset by an unexpected negative. There were other powers at work and due to situations beyond my control, I lost two of my Area Managers when they quit their businesses. Over the next year and a half, I saw my Region shrink to an Area, then to a weak District. The flame of belief in myself and in my dream was nearly extinguished by these circumstances. I began to doubt whether I deserved to “have it all.” My recourse was to go back to teaching -- this time in a basement classroom with no windows. Even though none of my reasons for sharing Arbonne's message of hope and wellness had changed, I was frustrated with my situation and felt immobilized. But gradually my positive attitude and deep sense of commitment and belief began to bubble up again. I was determined to use my experiences to help me rather than hurt me. In a way, they prepared me for exactly what would happen next.
Armed with the power of persistence and determination, I rolled up my sleeves and went back to work. Inspiring quotes and pictures of what I wanted to “have” and “be” went up on my wall and I transformed myself into an Arbonne talent scout. I rallied behind Goethe's literary proclamation, “Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” Sure enough, magical things started happening and wonderful people came into my life. I met Dana Collins at a trade show in Philadelphia. She was looking for an opportunity to work from home and I had Arbonne to offer her. It was a perfect match. With Dana's amazing abilities and generosity in sharing her Six For Success system with all of us, Arbonne has grown incredibly fast and strong. Thank you for your example, Dana!
In October of 2001, everything came together once again and my “Lead to Succeed” Region was created. I thank ENVP Deana Wilkinson for the support and leadership she has shared with me and my team along the way. A big thank you also goes out to President Rita Davenport for being the “ultimate upline” pillar of support for me. Your encouragement when I had detoured made all the difference in the world!
The power of a dream has elevated me to my current status of Executive National Vice President. I consider it a great honor to work with my two new Regional Vice Presidents -- Debbie Noorlander and Teresa Moore and their amazing teams. More stars are rising rapidly. How exciting it is to watch them soar! These women have such a love for others! Thank you, my friends!
My sons, Joe and John, have grown up with Arbonne and are now successful entrepreneurs and cheerleaders for me and for many other people in their lives. Thanks for believing in me! The same goes for you, dad! And, finally and most importantly, to the one who has always believed that I am fabulous and who has always treated me that way every day, my sweetheart Randy -- Helen Keller best expressed how I feel when she wrote, “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched; They must be felt by the heart.” I feel your love and will always want to “have it all” with you!
The last two years have been filled with hope and adventures as I have experimented with new ways of finding leaders and sharing our message of hope with women all across the country. Arbonne has allowed these women to regain their health, to create abundance for their families and to really “be there” for their loved ones. What a tremendous gift! In addition, the power of people has enriched my life with wonderful women, nationwide, who have taught me about myself, shared fun times and allowed me to, confidently pursue my dreams. x
The testimonials on this Web site reflect the actual experience of each individual, are anecdotal only, and may be atypical. The testimonials are not based upon any clinical study.
