I Drank the Kool-Aid and You Should Too

A while back, I had the opportunity to go to Memphis, TN to witness an Arbonne car presentation.  For those of you reading this who don't know what in the world I'm talking about, here's the deal:

I work for myself as an Arbonne consultant.  Arbonne is a health and wellness company.  It's a network marketing business (not a pyramid scheme -- that's illegal!) and when someone becomes a Regional Vice President in Arbonne, they get a white Mercedes Benz of their choice and we have a big party to celebrate.  In Memphis, I heard wonderful and inspiring stories about other peoples' adventures in Arbonne.  All the way home from Memphis my friend (a fellow consultant) and I planned how we would achieve our goals in Arbonne.  Tonight, while I was snuggling with my sweet, sleeping baby big boy, I started thinking of what brought me to Arbonne.  What brought me to this point in my life journey?

I first heard of Arbonne in 2005.  I was 24 at the time and laughed at the idea of using anti-aging skincare... never mind the fact that there was a FREE Mercedes attached!  A year later, I got married.  A year after that, I had a baby.  Three years later, I had another baby.  Three weeks after that, I turned 30 and my younger sister brought me sample packs of Arbonne's Anti-aging skincare and told me that it was time to start using it.  Talk about a blow to my ego!  But my sister and her husband saw the bigger picture.  They saw people experiencing great success and financial freedom through Arbonne.  They knew our budget was tight.  They could see the stress and tension it created in my marriage.  Through a little pressure from them, I agreed to meet with a consultant.  The thought of going back to work after almost 4 years at home was daunting.  The thought of leaving my four-month-old with a stranger was terrifying.  Then I remembered what I liked about all my past jobs.  I loved helping people.  That's why I always worked in retail.  That's why I enjoy being a mom.  Although, it can be exhausting to help little people all day long.  I realized that through Arbonne, I could have the best of both worlds, so I signed up.   

When I started out, I had a four-month-old baby and I wasn't about to leave her with anybody for any reason.  Needless to say, I didn't do much with my Arbonne business at first.  I told myself that my goal was to get my own products for free.  When I reached that goal, I told myself that it would be nice to have a little extra shopping money each month.  I despised asking my husband for money and feeling like a free-loader (can I get an AMEN from all the stay at home moms?!), so I worked my business to make that happen.  Then I met all these people who were not only making a little extra spending money, but were paying for their kids' college -- IN FULL, were quitting their full-time jobs in corporate America, were rescuing their families from bankruptcy, etc. and it was ALL because of Arbonne.  I told my husband these wonderful, inspiring stories about these successful women and men in Arbonne and he said, "So why aren't you doing that?"  That question weighed heavily on my mind and on my heart.  Why aren't I doing that?  I desperately wanted to take some of the financial burden off my husband.  I saw the stress that it caused him to be the sole provider for our family.  We had/have very little "family time" because of it.  I've dreamed my whole life of being a wife and mother.  I couldn't bear the thought of leaving my kids at daycare each day, so a typical day job wasn't going to work for me.  I knew Arbonne was the ONLY way for me to fulfill my wants.  

The further into my Arbonne journey I went, the more self-discovery I did.  That weekend in Memphis, I had a lightbulb moment (several actually).  Tonight I realized that I started my Arbonne business for financial freedom, but I have stayed in it because I wanted to return to being myself.  If that doesn't make sense, just keep reading and hopefully it will.  You see, in college, I was a bright and bubbly, happy girl without a care in the world...as most college students are.  But the older I got, the more I worried and somewhere along the way, I lost myself.  My worry was stealing my joy.  I became "Brian's wife," "Joseph and Katie's mom," not "Carrie-the-girl-who's-always-smiling."  I needed to regain that part of myself.  I have realized that Arbonne is the answer to all of my WANTS: 

Looking 25 again -- check!

Feeling 25 again -- check!

Building a house that we can stay in and never out-grow -- check!

Paying for my kids' college -- check!

Shopping anytime I want -- check!

Driving a PAID FOR Mercedes -- CHECK PLEASE!

FEELING like myself again -- PRICELESS!

All of this is to say, that Arbonne has been transformational for me.  I am renewed and excited to help people again.  I am looking forward to living in my new home and knowing that it will be "the house that Arbonne built."  For most people, their debt is rising and their savings are falling, but I am determined to reverse that trend in my own home and to help others do the same.  Here's to HEALTH and WEALTH!