Everything you did before, was leading you to now.

Years ago, I was a volunteer for a crisis call center.  I underwent over 90 hours of crisis intervention training.  I was certified in ASIST and CERT, and helped organize suicide awareness walks.  This moment in my history has helped define who I am today in my home business.  You are probably wondering how. Keep reading!

Before the volunteer work, I put myself through 4 years of online college classes and earned 2 degrees. The first in Bridal Consultation/ Event Planning and the second in Small Business Management.  It's been about 11 years since I finished those courses and, I have never planned a wedding or managed a small business (outside of the home).  I probably couldn't recite a single chapter in any of those books- in fact, I would probably fail the final exams today.  It's not that I never learned anything, I just have never had the opportunity to apply it to my every day life. At least, not in the way it was designed.  I spent a lot of money on those classes, too!

During my time at the call center, I received a quite an honorable award for my work. I logged in the most hours in an entire year, more than most of the volunteers had done in 3 years time individually. I rearranged my work schedule to be there, took in all the extra training I could, even trained many new volunteers. I actually began to wonder if I should pursue a paid position. But, inevitably, some family situations began to wear me out, and I fizzled very fast. I reflect back often of the many calls I took, how many people I helped talk down, and how many times I needed to call for backup.  I learned all about how to cope with loss, how to manage crisis situations but most importantly, I learned how to work with people.  It has truly become a life skill, that I have been able to hone and deeply embed into my every day life.

Some of the things I learned were how to empathize, and the differences between that and sympathizing.

I learned how everyone has crisis, and that my crisis may not mean anything to you- but it could be my whole world crashing in on me.

I learned how to make and uphold life-pacts. And how the simple act of writing something out on paper can solidify and change your thought process.

Many years later, and a few kids more, and a move to another state- I found myself in a parenting class.  This class fascinated me and I found out, I have an obsession with the brain.  I am totally consumed with finding out why and how the brain operates. I learned so much about how to shift your mindset. Not only did I learn how to manage situations with my children, I've learned how to apply these management solutions to my own life in business. I learned how to upshift from a negative mind to a positive one. I learned how to recognize my triggers. I learned that sometimes,  you have to sit down and make your brain think by exercising both sides.

Again, after a few years- I found myself taking classes to be an EMT. Again grossly intrigued by body function, hormones, chemical responses, and even all the blood, guts and gore- I learned how to get calm under extreme pressure. How to go with your gut- but most importantly how to PUHA! {Pick Up- Haul Ass}

How does all of this apply to home business, being a stay at home mom and my life today?

Well,  every single one of these has been about one specific purpose: To help others.  To assist them into living a quality and comfortable life.  To find happiness. And to keep moving forward in life.

This is my life's calling. To help others.
I'm sure that while I cannot sit here and recall the lessons from my college course work, I picked up little seedlings of skill that all the other things in my life have helped me grow and nurture. It did introduce me to the world of being my own boss, and creating my own job security.

Crisis management, coping skills, persistence, consistency and patience all came with time.  I was able to experience many different sides and situations of crisis- and from all of those angles, I have formed a great understanding of  grief, pain, suffering, chaos, depression, fear, anger, loss and loneliness.

Many days, my life is filled with chaos. The phone will ring off the hook, the kids will not slow down, my message box fills up, the bills all show up in one day, friends get hurt...and it would be so easy, so easy...to just throw it all in. But, I call upon those skills I've been building, forming, and hoarding over the past 11 years. I begin to practice what I've learned and begin to work out my problems one step at a time.

I have learned that all this time, all these things, were stepping stones to the leader I am becoming in my life.  A leader with a great understanding of things, and skills and tools to teach you how to grow up your business strong and stable. All these things helped point me to where I am now. And, this too, is a lesson all it's own. I'm learning leadership and building it up right from the ground.

I didn't add 1,000 people to my team in one year. I didn't hit the highest rank in 6 months. But,  I am established, firmly planted and branching out. I'm ready to help you, teach you, show you-  help you get to the point in your life that you want to be at.  If this sounds like something you want- please reach out to me. I can help you!