Can you relate? If you are a mom, or a human with social media accounts, you are exposed to friends selling a variety of fitness products, health/beauty, clothing, accessories, etc. The sense of urgency to buy those butter soft leggings, celiute reducer, miracle eye cream, everlasting lipstick…you get the message is enticing! Samples are offered and you take advantage and see if all the hype is legit in your opinion. My helping heart orders from friends not only because I trust them, but also want to see them grow their business. I love to watch mamas succeed and live their best lives. The success of others ultimately led me to commit 2 MLM’s over the past 6 years. They are rocking it…well, so can I, right?
All the props to my “boss babe” mamas that are successfully running their own business and changing lives. I am honored to say that I’ve been a teacher for past 17 years. For some reason, I sometimes feel like it’s not enough for my family from a financial standpoint. This feeling does not stem from my husband or other outside pressures, it comes from within my soul. The need for more. Temptation for material things. The drive to make money for my family. This pull on my heart to always be in motion, busy, and working on something. Why is working full time and being a mom not enough in my mind? Guilt takes over when I am not “working” during the summer as a teacher. Always striving for more, rather than being present and at peace being a teacher and a mom. I’ll touch on that piece in a bit….
Personally, I have been involved with two incredible MLM companies. Even though I feel this pull to make money for our family, if you know me, you know I refuse to profess my love for something unless it comes from personal experience and confidence in the products. I was raised to follow through on a commitment and be exceptional from start to finish. In my mind, I was going to work hard, make a ton of money for our family, maybe quit teaching, and be better than the best. Turns out, I ended up meeting incredible women, earned free products, and made some extra income. The vibe of the women I met was fun and inspirational. Although I am not involved in a MLM company currently, I still rave about the products I sold to others and use them daily. I celebrate with my mama friends earning free trips, cars, bonus checks, etc… Success stories are amazing, but incredibly difficult to replicate in my experience.
Here’s the reality I discovered. As I shared before, if I commit, I am going to work hard to succeed. My husband has always been my biggest cheerleader. I mean, this man supports anything that is positive and energizes my soul…boy, do I love him! However, what I found in both MLM experiences is that I lived on my phone. That was not expected, yet being competitive by nature, I could not stand the idea of missing out on a sale opportunity. “I’ll be there in just a minute” (which turned into an hour) or instead of actually talking to my husband, I would be glued to my phone making connections. You could find me on my phone in the car on family trips, kid sporting events, in the bathroom (seriously), and I felt anxious when my phone was not at my side. For the love…what if someone wanted to place an order?
I became obsessed with posting my business on Facebook, checking my sales reports, comparing myself to others, contacting friends and acquaintances from years ago, attending meetings, dropping off samples of products, following-up, sending friend requests to people I didn’t know to extend my network, etc… In my mind, if I love a product, you should too! My drive to succeed is strong, yet not strong enough to make a sale unless it came easily. When the least level of resistance from a potential customer was sensed, I felt uncomfortable and as though I was being “pushy” and at times, annoying.
I set my sights on being at the top, earning those tropical trips, cars, and a whole lot of extra money for our family. The truth is, I know many women at the top in the MLM business and I can tell you I admire them greatly! They have a grit, passion, patience, positive energy, and inner strength. Finding out something is not for you can be empowering. Remember my husband that supports all my ventures? Life got a lot sweeter when I was at peace being a teacher by day and a fully engaged mama when I leave my classroom.
My experiences with MLM served as a reality check for me. Knowing I am “mom enough.” Savoring my summers off as an teacher and being fully present with my children-that’s where I shine. I’ll never forget when my son looked in my eyes and said, “mom, how can you put a timer on my iPad when you are always on your phone.” Powerful…little eyes are watching and wanting their mamas. Putting my phone away and talking about our days with my husband was put aside for too long. Nothing is more important than my connection with my husband. Sadly, there were times that I felt more connected with social media. What I justified as doing something extra for my family proved to be quite the opposite. My mind was unable to disconnect from working my side business, when I needed to be all in with my family. Not missing a hit during a baseball game, bedtime stories, welcome emotions, slow down, no longer telling my children to wait, looking in their eyes, intentionally listening-you get the drift. I am blessed to be a teacher and that’s enough. The gift of time is so precious and fills my soul deeply. Cheers to countless moments with my children that make my heart melt…
