Friday, October 21, 2016

MY WHY

I took a leap a few months ago and signed on to be an Independent Fashion Consultant with LuLaRoe. 
LuLa what?  Yea, I got that from a lot of people.  And there have been quite a few naysayers who question my sanity.  But that's okay.  Nobody ever paved a new path for their life without taking risks.  And honestly, this is not that big of a risk.  I will get out of it what I put into it.

LuLaRoe puts a large emphasis on "our why".  Why did we choose LuLaRoe?  Why are we doing what we are doing?  I've been reflecting deeply on this to try to pinpoint my why, and I cannot come up with only one reason.  My why has many layers.  I want to share them with you in hopes that I may inspire you to take some time to reflect on why you are doing what you are doing ... especially if some of you are not happy with where you are in life.

Simon Sinek, an author, consultant, and speaker specializing in leadership, wrote a book a few years ago called Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action.  He says "People don't buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it."  He uses a model called the Golden Circle to identify your What, How, and Why.   If you have 18 minutes and 4 seconds to watch his TED Talk, it's well worth your time.  If you can't watch it now, bookmark this to watch later!  Very thought provoking!





MY WHY started a little over a year ago in September 2015, when my son had a brain tumor removed.  This was probably the most fearful I have ever been in my life.  We did not know what the outcome would be, and the thought of losing one of my children was unbearable.  But God heard the many prayers that were being sent up to Him, and the tumor was benign, and my son is healthy again!  Only a few short weeks after his surgery, my son and his wife learned that they were expecting their second child.  My granddaughter is now nine years old, and they have tried for years to have another child.  Talk about timing!  God knew we needed something positive to happen, and we are so blessed to now have a healthy 6-month old grandson ... and his big sister adores him, as we all do.

About a month after my son's surgery, we learned that my niece also had a brain tumor.  Yes, for real!  Two people in our family within a month.  What the heck was going on?!  My niece, however, was not as fortunate, and her tumor was malignant.  She had surgery, went through radiation, and is still undergoing chemotherapy.  Thankfully, her prognosis is good, she is a fighter and the tumor is gone, but she has to continue her treatments for a few more months, and we are still praying that God completely heals her.

In November 2015, I lost my mother.  She was only 74 years old and had a terminal lung disease.  We knew her time was short, but nothing ever prepares you for such a loss.   We buried her the day before Thanksgiving and although the holidays were very sad without her, we were so thankful that we had her in our lives for as long as we did.  I believe she is now with my father, whom she missed desperately for 16 years.  They are together again, holding hands, free of pain, and singing with the angels.

Fast forward to February 2016.  My employer was going through very difficult times (and still is).  Guess who was one of the 100+ people who were laid off?  This was not the first time I found myself unemployed due to restructuring and downsizing.  It is stressful, painful, scary.  Now what?!

Although I still think and feel young, when I look in the mirror I am reminded of my mortality.  I realize what a blessing each new day is, and I am tired of being at the mercy of someone else to determine my worth, my schedule, my job duties, and my time off.  I sacrificed family time too many times over the years because I was fiercely loyal to my employers.  I had some wonderful employers, don't get me wrong, but in the end, where did I end up?  I worked hard, continued my education, stayed up to date on trends in the industry (human resources), and ended up unemployed.

BUT I HAVE FAITH


As corny as it sounds, I believe everything happens for a reason.  Thanks to my employer giving me the boot, I had ample time to help clean out my mother's home and prepare for multiple sales of her belongings.  Because of my layoff, I was able to visit my daughter and son-in-law in California, not once, but twice, for a week at a time.  Oh yea, I failed to mention my daughter had her fairy-tale wedding one month before her brother fell ill.  Talk about a roller coaster ride of emotions!  The wedding was absolutely beautiful (of course - I was her wedding planner).  Oh, and you know how I mentioned that they live in California?  Well, they got married in Pennsylvania.  It could have been a logistical nightmare, but we made it happen!  And I digress.

Because of my layoff, I was able to visit my son, daughter-in-law, granddaughter, and new grandson several times, and was able to stay for a week at a time.  I was able to be there the day my grandson was born.  I was able to help them pack for their big move from Columbus to Toledo.
 
I spent hours and hours searching for a job, interviewing, planning, and praying. I paused everyday and I prayed for God to lead me down the right path ... to show me a sign of what I should be doing.  I had job offers, but after serious consideration, I turned them down because of the long hours and travel required, which would take me away from my family and create so much unwanted anxiety for me.  I am not ruling out another full-time corporate job, I am still looking, but it has to be the right opportunity.  So now what?

 

 

Enter LuLaRoe

As always, God has perfect timing and I believe He was planting seeds!  I first heard about LuLaRoe when I was visiting my daughter in March of this year.  We were walking down the streets of San Francisco, and she was constantly looking at her phone.  I got irritated and told her to put the phone away and she said "No mom, you don't understand.  I'm shopping LuLaRoe, and if I don't claim what I want, it will be gone."  I had no idea what she was talking about, but I soon learned.   A few weeks later, back home, my niece was raving over LuLaRoe leggings.  That same week, my sister asked me to go to a LuLaRoe open house.  I had to see what all the hype was about, so I went, but I made it very clear that I am not a leggings person!  Guess what I purchased?  Yep, leggings!  LOL  I also learned that LuLaRoe is so much more than just leggings!  This open house happened to be at the home of my beautiful LuLaRoe sponsor, and when I walked into her boutique, I had an AHA moment!

I have always wanted to own my own business, and I feel like I have been in search of my passion all of my life.  I have thought about other direct sales businesses over the years, but nothing ever lit a spark in me.  When I saw the LuLaRoe clothing, learned about the company, their mission, and the opportunity they provide to women (and men), I lit up.  After much research, many questions to my sponsor, and discussions with my family and friends, I decided to join the movement. This is a REAL BUSINESS people!  It's not just any old direct sales company, and it's certainly not a pyramid scheme as some people might think.  Anyone who knows me well knows that I don't make rash decisions and I analyze things to the point of nausea.  Just ask my husband and kids how many questions I ask!



So back to "my why" ... Here are the layers I mentioned.

I regret not spending more time with my mom.  Why didn't I spend more time with her?  Mostly because I was too busy working for someone else or taking classes to try to advance my career.  I silently beat myself up about this and I can never get that time back with her.

I want to have the flexibility in my schedule to visit my children and grandchildren more often and make memories with them.

I want to be my own boss.

I want financial freedom so my husband can retire at 62 (which is only a year and a half away).  How many times do you see people work their fingers to the bone all their lives to provide for their families, and they can't retire until they are 65 or 70, or never!  By the time they do retire, they are too old or sick to have any quality of life.  I don't want that to be my husband.

I want to be part of a positive, loving, inspiring culture, which is what LuLaRoe is all about.

I want to reconnect with women and the people I have lost touch with over the years.  No, I do not need LuLaRoe to do this, but it is a fun excuse!

I want to make other women feel beautiful and confident.  I have always struggled with my weight and have never loved my body, but when I wear LuLaRoe, I honestly feel more confident in how I look.  I want other women to feel that way too.

I want to bless other lives the way LuLaRoe is blessing me.  I do not have to build a team with LuLaRoe ... I can make a good living and love what I'm doing by selling the clothes.  But the more I am involved with LuLaRoe, the more I realize that I should be spreading the word so other women can be blessed by LuLaRoe too.  People are paying off their debt, traveling, adopting babies, helping those less fortunate, retiring their spouses ... all because of LuLaRoe.  

IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE CLOTHES!  This is not a sales pitch, really.  But if you want more information about the opportunity, I am happy to answer your questions.  If you just want the clothes, that's okay too, because they are amazing.  Call me, text me, email me, reach out to me on Facebook.  

But more importantly ...


Blessings to you,
Jules




3 comments:

  1. Excellent blog ! Everyone should read

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  2. You are amazing! I am so proud of you!

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  3. Thanks mom. We don't always see eye to eye, but you're the best. I love you and I'm very thankful for the time you've been able to spend with us and the times yet to come.

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