Where will you be five years from now? Where would you be now, if you had made a change five years ago? My Arbonne journey began five years ago when I made a change. I listened to my heart and made the commitment to build my Arbonne business. I was a stressed-out working mom, with a husband, a 4 year old, and a baby on the way. I was ready to change my life’s path. Obviously, this was not easy to do. Fear and guilt consumed me. Fear, because I wondered if this was the right decision and if I were capable of building a successful Arbonne business, and guilt, because I had gone to school for so long and always thought I would be a successful businesswoman, since I earned my MBA and had been working in the auto industry for 10 years. The path I was on was based on decisions I had made several years prior, and intuition told me it was time to make a move, no matter how scary it might be. If it felt right, then I needed to pursue it. I also knew my commitment would have to be a serious one, including the goal of making it to the top! I wanted to have more freedom in my life, and be able to spend more time with my growing family. Because these desires were so strong, I was willing to take the steps necessary to create the life I really wanted. I had faith and belief I could make it happen.
Fast forward to today and I am a National Vice President with Arbonne. The past five years have been an unbelievable journey that has brought me from a full-time, stressful corporate job to a lifestyle our family would never have if I had not stepped out in faith five years earlier.
The journey to National Vice President was both life changing and wonderful. It has been a journey of personal growth, overcoming fears, and many ups and downs, both personally and professionally. One of the immediate obstacles we had to face was my husband, Brian, being downsized from his job, just three weeks after I promoted to Regional Vice President. Even though I made a comfortable income from my Arbonne business, we were down to one income, and paying all the bills of a two-income family. Brian looked for a job but with no success because the local economy was stagnant. We thought long and hard, and remembered our goal was to get out of corporate America. We decided we would do our best to keep fear at bay, and Brian would take on the role of “Mr. Mom” while I continued to build my Arbonne business.
Then, 18 months later, we decided to make another big change in our lives by moving out of state. We always disliked the cold Michigan winters, and decided almost 17 years ago when we got married that we would move to a warm climate one day. Because we have no territories or boundaries with Arbonne, and were no longer tied to corporate jobs, we were able to do this. Still, this was not an easy decision to make, as both of our families lived near us, and we were again facing feelings of fear and guilt. We knew deep down this move would be a growth experience for us, and would allow us to expand our Arbonne business even more. So again, we stepped out in faith, with the mindset that life is short and we needed to seize the opportunities that came our way. We put our house up for sale, and a few months later, packed a moving van and drove 2,000 miles to our new home in Arizona.
That was a year and a half ago, and in that time, we have learned so much and grown in so many ways. We are excited about our new life and know the challenges we have been through were valuable experiences that helped us become stronger and more independent. We no longer have the fear that most people live with every day. We also know guilt is not a healthy emotion, and are living our lives the way we choose, based on our own personal values and beliefs. Brian and I have conquered the fear of the unknown and have taken the road less traveled. We know most people choose the road of security. We believe, as a well-known economist does, that in today’s climate, working for yourself is truly the safest avenue, and working for a corporation has become the riskier of the two options.
I always made the personal growth aspect of Arbonne a priority, and from the very beginning, I read books and listened to audiotapes that transformed me into a new and better person. The more I focused on personal growth, the more I wanted to learn, and the more my Arbonne business flourished. Every time I felt my business was becoming stagnant, it was the work I did on myself that helped my business jump to the next level. Why? It is the “law of attraction” bringing me wonderful new business builders and loyal Consultants who want to purchase product at the discount. I have always shared the personal growth aspect with my team, and I make it a primary focus as I coach and mentor them.
Times are changing, and many people have a desire to change with the times and pursue the entrepreneurial path. Brian and I have a mission to share Arbonne with as many people as we can and offer them the potential to make that change. We also want everyone to know they deserve to have all the wonderful things Arbonne can offer. It is unfortunate that many individuals feel they do not deserve the massive success and awesome rewards that come with achieving the VP level with Arbonne. The truth is that everyone has the talents and abilities needed to achieve success; they just need to make an unwavering commitment to themselves and their business, knowing that the end rewards are greater than the small sacrifices that are necessary in the beginning.
There are many individuals I want to thank who have helped me on my journey. To ENVP Karen Priemer: You have been with me on this journey since day one when I sat in your living room at my first Arbonne meeting, not knowing what to expect! Thank you for being there for me, and for being willing to listen to the good, as well as letting me vent when things were not going so well. To ENVP Beverly Lambert: I felt a connection with you since the day we met at dinner on an Arbonne cruise! Your business sense and understanding of “the numbers” has always been so helpful to me, and I appreciate you making Brian and me feel at home in Arizona! To ENVP Donna Johnson: You were so generous in coaching me one-on-one when I was a struggling DM and it inspired me to keep going. Even just a few months ago, when I hit a wall, you helped me again to address some personal roadblocks that were holding us back from becoming a Nation. To NVP Judy Pressman: Thank you for all your words of wisdom and your matter-of-fact mentality I so admire! To ERVP Vicky Rozich: I am so blessed to have you as a wonderful new Arizona friend and value the time we get to brainstorm and help each other.
To President Rita Davenport: I am so fortunate you were able to travel to Michigan for my car presentation three years ago when there were not as many VPs promoting! You are the best and you make Arbonne shine!
To my fabulous team: Your efforts have allowed us to achieve Nation status and I thank you! Every business builder and Consultant who purchases product at a discount contributed to helping us reach our goal. To RVPs, Debbie Thompson, Melinda Claudepierre and Bonnie Conforti: You and your Managers are all fabulous leaders and I am so impressed with your massive growth! To Area Managers, Lisa Pajtas, Meredith Dixon, Debbie Murphy, Stephanie King, Jenny Green, Jennifer Williams and Nina Hardwick: Next stop is RVP and I cannot wait to celebrate with you! To the following District Managers, Kara Kreiner, Joyce Hunter, Pam Lizanich, Mary Bartlett, Dana McCrary, Lisa Linn, Ann Moening, Shawn Hurst, Ann Marie Ervin, Marci Wall, Kim Moran, Ponda Stone, Theresa Diadiun, Doc O’Dell, Debbie McNeilance, Diana Bolding, Lorena Mikkelson, LaDonna Gibson and Christine Little: You all are dear friends and I am so impressed with your passion and commitment!
To our families: Thank you for supporting and helping us in so many ways. Because we had faith in ourselves, you had faith in us, too. That has meant more to us than you will ever know.
To our children, Erica and Benjamin: What a joy that both mom and dad can be home with you! Thank you for being so patient with us as we continue to build our business. We appreciate and love you both so much! I know watching us grow our business will teach you so many things that will have a positive impact on you as you grow older. To my husband, business partner and District Manager, Brian: We have been through so much together. You were the support I needed to get us to where we are today. Whether it was watching the kids while I went to appointments or attended meetings, or going to the post office, whatever was needed at the time, you always did it with a smile on your face and no objections. You will never know how important all those things were (and still are) to the success of our business and family. I look forward to all the incredible things life still has in store for us. This is only the beginning!
If you want a change in your life, you need to think differently and make an unwavering commitment to step out in faith to make it happen. Embracing the Arbonne opportunity will transform you like nothing else. Believe in yourself! Do not let fear, guilt or any person stop you from pursuing the life you deserve. Go ahead and say it out loud, “I deserve to be a National Vice President!” Yes, you certainly do!
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.
