Birthday Eve Contemplation and GTC Recap

I haven’t written in quite a while, call it writer’s block, mental block, life block…I think I have been avoiding putting my thoughts on paper. But I am coming off of attending my company’s huge training conference in Vegas, and it was exactly what I needed in my life and I am so thankful that it came right before my birthday so I can use what I learned to be OK with my last year of life, and to propel me forward into the next year of my life.

This last year has been a little (ok, A LOT) rough for me. I had some medical issues that were pretty much unresolved with the medical intervention that was performed, which was very frustrating. Because of those issues, I was put on a medication that sent me into a tailspin and downward spiral of depression and anxiety that I clawed my way back out of after a few months of misery.

My ongoing journey with depression and anxiety can be a struggle, one which I usually have under control with the tools that I have learned over the years, and I have always been open and honest about my mental state. But when it was kicked into high gear over this last year, it was really hard to continue doing LIFE. Showing up as a mom, a wife, a business owner, along with many other hats that I wear. My anxiety, who I like to call “The BITCH Upstairs”, basically shows up by being extremely mean to myself, beating myself up and trying to convince myself that I am a horrible person who is not worth the things that I have been given in life and worked so hard to accomplish. And then the depression kicks in and I want to isolate myself in my cave of a bedroom and sleep, not function, just shut everything and everyone out. If you struggle with these awesome mental health issues, you know what I am talking about! And I see you and love you for your strength to get up every day and keep going!

The last few months, I have been working hard to get back to myself, diving into personal development, making sure I am eating healthy and supplementing my diet with things that are great for gut health (happy gut, happy life!), spending quality time with my husband and boys, and focusing on self care. Going to my conference is always a huge boost every year, but this year it was SO NEEDED and the things that I learned and relearned were absolutely fantastic! People might think, “Work conference? How the hell is that life changing or fun?”…well you don’t know Arbonne! Our culture is one of the reasons I call myself a “LIFER”. Arbonne pulled out all the stops with the program this year, not only having a line up of super inspirational Arbonne consultants, but also bringing us Rachel Hollis, author of “Girl, Wash Your Face” and “Girl, Stop Apologizing” (if you have not read these books, RUN, don’t walk, get on Amazon, go to the bookstore and BUY). We also had former Arbonne President, Rita Davenport, who was absolutely, hands down, one of the best speakers I have ever witnessed!

This combination along with seeing my Arbonne sisters and brothers from all over the world was a recipe for the best gift I could give myself at the end of my 35th year! Yes, Arbonne has products…lots of products…the best products for your health and wellness in my opinion. But their best product is the business, and if you immerse yourself into this business, you WILL change your life. We are a personal development company that has amazing products. I have grown from a person who could not even order a pizza over the damn telephone to someone who gets fueled by talking with as many other people as I can about becoming your best self, whether that is training my team, showing others how to create healthy habits and decrease the toxic load in their life, or setting an example for my boys about dreaming big and always being themselves, because that is who they were created to be.

A lot of our training can be implemented in anyone’s life! It’s not just about business and selling and money (although that is a great perk!). I wanted to share a few of my AHA moments that would help anyone, no matter what you do for a living.

First off, from NVP (National Vice President) Katrina Andrew (Australia), Mindset and Attitude are EVERYTHING! When we are positive and shine bright, we give OTHERS permission to shine bright! How cool is that? Just by putting positive energy into the world, we can help someone else shine their light! When you are leveling up in life, every level requires an enhanced version of you. If you aren’t growing, you aren’t leveling up!

NVP Leslie Collins asked us to be resilient. This very much spoke to me, as this year has beat me down a little. She said to embrace the setbacks and rise up after falling down. ENVP Blair Proffit says, You cannot move forward if you keep looking back! Are you constantly looking back and trying to overthink the past? Boy I can get stuck in that cycle! Again, let your setbacks fuel your comebacks!

NVP Ashley Strong, one of my favorite people in our company, blew the house away with her Ashley-isms! Here are a few that really spoke to me:

*You aren’t stuck! You have allowed yourself to adopt habits that aren’t serving you!

*Mediocrity does not create a legacy!

*Your comfort zone is keeping you broke and hiding your talents.

*When people are haters, they are attacking THEIR mediocrity.

*Do not let their two cents bankrupt you!

*If you don’t succeed because you decide to quit, you didn’t succeed because the option to quit was ALWAYS there!

Next up was Rita Davenport. Rita is a POWERHOUSE! She is in her 70’s, former tv host, best selling author, president of Arbonne for 20 years, oh and she shared a little story with us…she is the one and only Jolene, of Dolly Parton fame! In the words of Dr. Becky Humphreys, my friend and NVP, HOLY UNDERWEAR! This woman had us laughing with our whole body one minute, and sobbing in tears the next. I now see why my upline constantly has Rita-isms to share with us, because I will ALWAYS remember how this woman touched my heart.

*There is only one person who needs to believe in you and that is YOU!

*A person needs 3 hugs a day to keep from being weird!

*You only get back in life what you give away.

*Prepare for impact. Your life can completely change in a moment.

*You outswam over 200 million sperm to be created! You can be an ENVP!

And to top off so much amazing, we got to experience THE Rachel Hollis, LIVE and in person. It was magical! At one point she literally jumped into the audience to hug a woman who was crying and helped her work through something very personal in front of 18,000 people. This woman has HEART, has COURAGE, and she speaks to me on so many levels because she struggles with anxiety, she is a mother of 4 and a wife and wears all the hats. I love her truth and I love her tough love. Here are some of my favorite Rachel moments:

*Comparison is the DEATH of joy. Comparison and Insecurity are sisters. When you are comparing yourself, insecurity is inevitable. You need to OWN your life and STOP trying to rent hers!

*No one who has ever achieved more than you, will judge you for wanting more. (YES)

*Mediocrity will ALWAYS try to drag you down to mediocrity.

*You aren’t afraid of failure, you are afraid of them watching you fail!

BOOM! So good! I am so thankful that I was able to hear all of these things, especially in person, it was so impactful. If you have read this far, thank you. If any of this spoke to you, I hope you will tell me about it. Despite my personal struggles this year, I had my best year business wise because I chose to show up and own it! I’m so thankful that I have these resources to plug into and that I found a purpose that will continue to make me grow as a person while contributing to our family. I honestly think I am unemployable, because there is no workplace that could come close to what Arbonne has done for me.

As I sit here and think about my next year, I am filled with excitement for the woman I will continue to become. I know it will not be easy, there will be more struggle, but I will always keep going and keep learning. I own my journey and my passion to help others do the same! Is it time for you to OWN IT?