Redefining Yourself Through Motherhood Series: Part 2, Chapter 7

By the time I started my Shaklee business, I felt more confident leaving my house with baby in tow.  She was now around 3 months old.  I still hadn't lost the baby weight I had gained, couldn't fit into pre-baby clothes and had little motivation to hit the gym too terribly hard.  A few of my friends had already lost ALL of their weight!  This worried me.  Would I ever feel sexy again?  What would I do with all of those clothes in my closet? 

Since so many of my friends had not met Brighton, the fact that I had started a network marketing business was a great opportunity for me to reconnect with friends over coffee or lunch during the day.  I could also let them know about my new business venture.  I started noticing that making one small change was beginning to make a big difference.  The change I made was getting out of the house and interacting with adults again.  At this point, I still had no idea what it meant to be in the "sales" industry, but I was happy to be doing something other than taking care of a baby all day - I was doing something for myself and it was having a positive impact.

Lunch after lunch I was not getting a huge response to my new business.  My husband started to think that I did nothing all day except go out to lunch with friends.  At least I was getting human interaction tough!  And this started rebuilding my confidence.  I felt more energized, more connected with people and I was beginning to see glimpses of my old self again.  I really dove in head first with my Shaklee business - I watched videos, had coaching calls, read about every product, wrote scripts and attended meetings.  What I realized about myself, however, was that I felt like I had to be an expert on all things health related before I could share the Shaklee products with anyone.  This made me nervous and I became fearful of sharing Shaklee with others.  What I NOW know is that having all the answers BEFORE getting started is not necessary.  I began to realize, slowly, that I would learn as I go. I could say all the wrong things, but if it was to the right person, it didn't matter.  I was making small discoveries and changes in myself as a person and as a business owner.  Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew that I was preparing myself for major future opportunities, I just didn't know what at this point.

Lesson Learned #7:  Become a DREAMER again.  My dream, at first, was to earn my own money as a business owner so that I could raise Brighton in our home.  Knowing HOW you'll reach your dreams is obsolete, it doesn't matter.  Know your WHY and create the first few baby steps to get started.  You'll meet people along the way, learn along the way, read along the way and figure it out.  Set out to discover you true purpose in life.  If you are struggling with being a full time stay at home Mom then maybe that isn't your purpose. Doesn't mean you're a bad Mom, it just means that you were called to serve in another way, in ADDITION to being a Mom.

Stay Tuned!  I invite you to stop by and become a reader of this series as it develops and morphs just like we as mothers develop and morph into thriving, successful women of abundance!  I don't know where this series is going to take me, but I do have a mission.

Megan