Today Could Just Be Different

January 9, 2018November 25, 2020 | lillmi

Today COULD be the day that everything changes.

When I awoke and stepped on the cold tile floor, I thought… “why am I doing this?”

For just a few dollars, I could purchase a small rug that would make my feet warm when I wake up in the mornings. For a few dollars more, I could probably buy some new house-shoes and for just a few hundred, purchase carpet. So, “why”? I’m waiting.

I’m waiting to make the right decision for the new flooring. Of course, the decision hasn’t settled on me yet. So my feet get cold. I don’t want to buy a rug, because when I settle on the flooring, I won’t need it. Same with the shoes. That’s why. I’m waiting.

When I started my Avon business, I had waited about 6 months from the first time I thought about it. In that 6 months, I didn’t make any extra money and I didn’t meet any new friends and I didn’t add any new skills to my life that could make a difference. The price of the start up kit changed and the incentive offers changed – but I waited.

FINALLY, I moved in the right direction… starting my business with a sweet lady with an English accent that really kept my attention! I met new people, banked some cash and best of all… added some skills to my life that changed me forever. It was a gradual change, but it began with that first decision.

If you are waiting on something to ‘settle’ on you before you make an important decision, let me encourage you to move toward the ‘decidin’ part’, as my grandmother called it.

Give it some thought. Do you want to sell? Do you want to deliver? Are you handy with social media? If the answers are yes, and you can see yourself as a sales person and a team builder, get on with it and enjoy meeting others, earning extra money and adding skills to your life. It will change you.

If you can’t decide, because you can’t determine if it’s really for you… send me a note. We can talk for a few minutes… maybe I can help. But, first… I’m off to choose a rug!

It’s a Girl Project

September 15, 2017November 25, 2020 | lillmi

I finally settled on a project. Well, I’ve chosen several. Visiting with my friends, the other night, I learned it’s pretty common to “bite off more than you can chew” when you first decide to retire.

So, I’ve backed up to regroup.

Three months ago today, my company gave us notice and I had to decide what my future would look like. I’ve always had a plan and always known what my DREAM was, but not necessarily when it would happen. So, I’ve been given the opportunity to reflect and rethink the dream.

So, now… while consulting in direct sales for my “gig”, I have time to complete a few projects that will lead to that picture I see in my future.

To have what I desire, I need a pretty back yard.

It doesn’t have to be fancy. Just neat and comfy with very little maintenance required. I really do not like yard work, but enjoy the benefits… whether I earn them or buy them.

I called a friend that loves to do outside work and has some great ideas. She’s known me for 35 years, so she knows my likes and dislikes. She listens to my concerns and my goals and encourages me in a different direction when she knows there is upkeep on the horizon.

The message I left her went a little like this: “Hi, Sherry. I hope you are ok today. My yard and my future well-being require your assistance. I hope you are free to visit soon.”

THREE DAYS LATER, she got the courage to call. She knew it meant work, because she knows about me and outdoor work.

She asked lots of questions and I found the answers. She has another friend who loves that work and would like some extra bucks, so she can help. It’s a girl project!

Day one comes and goes… no one shows up – not even me!

Day two arrives with the overgrowth being yanked from around the house and add-on. Progress.

No more overgrowth! Only the hydrangeas will remain. The rose bush will be moved and the grapevines come down tomorrow!

They decided to save the rose bush, and use it in another area. The hydrangea stays, the monkey grass is relocated for a bit.

The numbers of critters in the garden are the main reason I don’t like gardening.

I watched with goose bumps as the spiders (of all kinds) scampered across the house, tools and ground to find a new dwelling. The King snake had to relocate and the lizards were moving quickly to the other side of the house.

We picked up the soapy water bottle to allow the bees and yellow jackets to crawl away and find a new home and I hate to admit it, but we sprayed that huge nest of wasps from under our chairs!

The mosquitoes are another story, so we grabbed the Bug Guard and the Skin So Soft to be fully prepared.

Our brick has so many colors, I’m excited to shop for ground covers, plants and “littles” that personalize an area. But, that’s another day. For now… I feel comfortable walking outside where the plants used to reside and see the cleaned area with the weeds slowly giving way for a future oasis that is lovingly referred to as our girl project.

Success is about the WHATEVER

September 12, 2017November 25, 2020 | lillmi

I’ve found that retirement is a time to do more than you possibly did while you were working!

One day I overheard someone mention that they wondered how they ever had time to work a “real job”. I just laughed it off… until now!

I love selling stuff. Mostly, I love helping people solve their most current issue, whether it’s a physical need or want or something less tangible. Since I love helping people, it stands to reason that the best part of my side gig is the face to face conversations and relationship building. adobe-spark-post (2)

I’ve met women who want so badly to become their own person, so to speak. What I love to show them is that THEY ALREADY ARE! It’s their perception of what they would look like, if they “were their own person”. I think what they mean is if they were energetic enough to work to become the person they see in their dreams.

When I decided to go back into direct sales, my friend asked…”Are you going to do whatever it takes to achieve (the incentive)?

WHATEVER is a big word, folks! I know, better than some, that it takes fortitude to build a direct selling business to the scale from which we would love to earn. Replacing a salary takes work… and if you want to “retire” at the same time… one would be fooling oneself!

At the same time (within days) of our notice of downsizing, three tragedies struck my personal world. ‘Overwhelmed’ is not even a big enough word to describe my life. Poor hubs. He’s so loving and loyal and knows when to get out of the way. So, I did not do the WHATEVER. I couldn’t hardly move. Or eat. Or make a phone call. It was like life had ended during those days and weeks.

Then, a former customer called.

We had no personal relationship – she was just a one time customer. But, she remembered, that I knew the product she needed. She remembered that I could find it for her, even if I couldn’t sell it to her. We were both excited to visit and renew our talk about our children, her skin care need, my return to direct selling and her own plans for future retirement.

She was the reason I moved passed the disaster. My relationship with her was one of helping. I helped her meet the needs she was experiencing at that moment. It took several weeks of working out her needs. I used the skills I gained in all my work years. Still needed.

I felt great helping someone else, rather than feeling sad and overwhelmed by the responsibility and loss in my own life. She became my impetus. Our relationship made me move.

Now, we have a team. We are working a local county fair this week. We are meeting new people again and doing the WHATEVER for her business. My calendar is full and my floors need sweeping. The landscaping team I hired need answers and the dogs need baths. . I need to print more tickets to my workshop (for fair follow-up) and I have a 2:30 appointment with a young woman preparing to be a stay at home mom. I’ll be helping two new young women to start their direct selling off in a positive manner… in three weeks, I plan to help her see some growth.

How would I ever have time to work a full time “regular job”? Or for that matter, retire!

Success in direct selling … is about doing the WHATEVER.

Being the business owner is about serving others! Being their helper, is FABULOUS!

I love supporting the owner that needs a little consultation. Need to visit? Just send a comment and let’s talk!

Friday… day

August 25, 2017January 9, 2018 | lillmi

Fridays (before retirement) meant the end of a hard working week… at some places I worked. My last job – not so much. When you work with lots of people, encouraging them and answering their questions, facilitating their actions… you work when they need you.

When their work is also their past time, it normally involves some weekend contact. So, Friday’s take on less meaning. There is no end to your week when you work like that.

So, after a time, I managed to lose my work/life balance. It wasn’t intentional… it just occurred. It wasn’t even what the company wanted for me… it just happened. Even the team members apologized every time they called on the weekend. I was tired, not clearly focused and in the end, less motivated.

So, really… being available 24/7 didn’t do anyone any good.

I missed the grandchildren’s school programs, trips with girlfriends, seeing my sisters when they all got together, a musical at the local college, the birds building the nest at the edge of the porch, game day at church, my old friend’s funeral, time at the piano, organization meetings and local events I had loved before and most important, meaningful time alone with my love.

Balance is a fleeting skill. When you don’t exercise the core muscles, you lose your balance. If you don’t visit, go see the masses, have a drink with a friend, or watch the birds, your core muscles get weak. You can’t stand straight. You can’t carry on a current-content conversation, and you can’t listen to so Gorgeous Purple flowers meone who needs to talk… because you are not there.

So, while I search for that elusive balance in my retirement, I have made a plan. Every Friday… with intention, I will visit someone I haven’t seen in awhile. Since I know it’s easiest to start in one’s “warm market”, I’m choosing my friend Dianne for today. Last week, I stopped to visit my long time friend, Lou, at her volunteer station. We had a great visit and I felt so good when I left.

Today, Dianne… who is a former co-worker and now, friend, has lots of interests. I love to hear about her travels, the music concerts she attends with her husband, her adorable grandsons and of course, her new business interests. I’ve made a list.

As usual, I am reminded that I don’t think I am through working yet… but I’m exploring the realms of retirement – on my terms – in balance with the rest of my life.