Uplift! Empower! Motivate!

I have told you on several occasions that I joined Younique after I read the mission statement:

Feel beautiful.  Look beautiful.  Be beautiful.  Inside and out!

Younique's mission is to uplift, empower, validate and ultimately help build the self-esteem of women around the world. Through high-quality products that encourage these core values - along with spiritual enlightenment - we're enabling opportunities for personal growth and financial reward to women everywhere.

As a plus size woman I have struggled with self esteem issues my entire life! I have heard the whispered and even loudly stated comments from men and woman about my size and internalized them and even agreed with them throughout the years.  When I hit my mid 30's I had a long talk with myself and in the end decided that I was NOT going to live like that any longer! I have mentioned before my morning ritual, well in my 30's that ritual changed a little.

Prior to that I would tell myself every morning that I was capable of speaking to people that I did not know, that I was capable of answering the phone and doing the job I was paid to do.  During most of this time I was a secretary in a planning department of a local government, and I hated every minute of every day that I worked with the public, however, I kept a smile on my face and did my job, because it was how I was raised! I had agreed to take the job and no matter how miserable I was I would do it to the best of my ability.

During this same time I would regularly go home and drink a bottle of wine with my dinner, yes the whole bottle!  I also found that I really liked rum, and vodka, and a great number of other alcoholic beverages.  I know it sounds like I was becoming an alcoholic, but truthfully I was not and am not, I have never had a problem with not drinking and in fact have had less than a dozen of drinks in the last couple of years, but, at that time in my life I was single, fat, and in my mind I was alone and pretty worthless.  I had a lot of people that I considered friends, some of them really were and others not so much. 

I made the decision in 2000 to move back to Alaska, and financially it was probably the worst mistake of my life for about 2 years; I was unemployed until March of 2001 and then landed my full time job, once again as a secretary in a planning department in my local government.  At that time I was about 32, and terrified! 

I have made some amazing friends since then and it was one of them that unknowingly helped me see that I am not fat, alone and worthless.  I have tried every diet ever made and nothing seems to work, I do not generally overeat, and in fact I eat healthier and less than my skinny friend.  Getting to know her through the years and seeing the way she eats vs. the way I eat made me realize that my weight was more that just bad eating habits; my friend is at the most a size 14, she looks great and lives on crap!  Seeing and comprehending that was truly life changing for me. 

I added to my morning ritual and now I tell myself on a daily basis "I am NOT worthless! I have a purpose and I will succeed in the purpose! I DO NOT CARE what anyone thinks about me and my size! I am comfortable being me no matter what size I may be! It is FUN to be me and others wish they were me! and I am capable of speaking to people that I did not know; and I am capable of answering the phone and doing the job I am paid to do."

Shortly after I made that change I was promoted and am no longer a secretary I am the Grants and Projects Coordinator and I work on a daily basis with roughly 220 million dollars in grants and contracts.  I love it! 

When I read Younique's Mission Statement I realized that this company was the one I had been looking for; their belief in Feel Beautiful. Look Beautiful. Be Beautiful. Inside and Out! speaks to me and makes me want to live up to those words! They make me want to help other women feel that way!  Thanks to Younique over the last year I have spoken to more strangers, and gotten to know some amazing women and men and as terrified as I am through it all I am determined that I will do it I will share Younique with everyone I meet!

My self esteem goes up a little more every day and I have Younique to thank for that!

My 1st Event - The Holiday Market Place

Was awake all night with a horrible headache, the meds are really not working much so I decided not to go to work today; and since I cant sleep I decided it was time to tell you all about my first event for Younique, so here goes.

November 9th and 10th was the Mat-Su Holiday Market Place, the first time I have ever had a booth at an event!  I was completely terrified! LOL  I managed to speak with just about everyone that stopped in, which if you knew me you would know is a big deal!

The space was 10 X 8 and cost $300 so at the suggestion of my sponsor, the amazing Nichole, I divided the 2 days into 2 shifts each and then put out the call on our Team Diva Facebook group for anyone that would like to take a shift.  The response was amazing and we ended up with 2 or 3 presenters per shift and split the cost between us all!

The event theme was "Owl be Home for Christmas" and we were supposed to decorate in keeping with that theme, so the incredible Haley, a team member and friend, took it upon herself to help me figure out the decorations.  Our booth was amazing and looked absolutely beautiful!

Our booth without our products set up, they were added the next morning at the start of the event!

I did not get any photos, never even thought about it! However, Haley got several, including the one above, taken the night before the event, and the one below showing me, the plus size one and Amanda, a friend and fellow presenter.

I was way to broke to take a lot of product with me for sale, but I had one of everything on display with brushes so people could feel the quality of them and see how the pigments and concealers applied.  I also had sponges so they could try out the BB Flawless if they wanted to, and of course had the little spoon there so if they wanted to feel the Brilliant Moisturizer they could.

I took 50 catalogs with me and gave out most of them! The event had a lot of people in attendance and we had a steady flow through our booth.  I had decided that since it was my first event and I really wanted to draw people in the door prize would be a complete collection, the Eyes Have it Collection:

Everyone that stopped in loved the products and I sold what little I had on hand.  I ended up with over 50 contacts and 4 of those wanted information on the business opportunity and possibly having a party!

Of those that stopped in I have had a couple of orders and some emailed questions, so I am hoping that more turn into orders!

I have made contact with those that were interested in the opportunity and am giving them a few days to review the information I sent them and then I will phone them to follow up and answer any questions they have.

I am hoping that they all decide to join my team!

All in all I thoroughly enjoyed my first event, and have already registered for next years event.  There are several things I would do differently next time, they include: get a bigger spot if possible, Take a chair for when I really need a break!; try and have samples available (as soon as corporate gets more in I will be purchasing them) and try to have flyers with a summery of the opportunity, just in case someone wants to take one with them, and pick up one of those gel mats that Chef's stand on, so that I am not so sore by the end of my shifts!

My next event is this coming Saturday, and is a one day small bazaar at a the Finger Lake Elementary School. This time I will either be on my own, or with my sister, who just recently signed up under me, and my brother is coming along to do a fund raiser for my nephews baseball team, so he can get a jump on next season! 

I have purchased a tiny little Christmas tree and have taken my tester size products and made them into little ornaments, I have a purple table cloth and 4 winter white cloth napkins that I will use to lay out some of the products on.  I am also taking some tall purple votive holders that I have that will work great to hold the brush sets next to the cases that my pigments will be setting on.   This time I have a lot more product on hand to sell!

I am excited and hope that this will generate even more interest and hopefully more team members!

I learned that I will not succeed unless I get outside of my comfort zone on a daily basis and that as scared as I am I can do it and it will be so good for me! Just like this blog has been outside my comfort zone, but something I am learning that I do enjoy and is good for me! Everything I can do to grow and succeed it worth doing!

As always Thanks for reading! I hope you day is full of new adventures outside your comfort zone!

My Emotional "Why"

Over the last couple of week I have been reading and listening to self improvement books on building a direct sales business, and tonight Younique held a Corporate conference call, and the one thing they all stressed was the need to determine your Emotional Why.

Why did I join Younique:  My first response is, the mission statement spoke to me in such a way that I had to be a part of this company.  My second was, I want to live debt free and have the financial ability to run away to a beach with my entire family or all my friends any time I want to!

The I read and listened to all of these direct sales professional ask over and over if I knew my Emotional Why!  I have given it a lot of thought and tried over and over again to get away from the financial aspect of it. 

I found out in 2005 at 36 that I would never have children of my own, it was devastating! I went into surgery to have simple cysts removed, and woke up to find out that due to severe endometriosis they had to do a complete hysterectomy and I would never be able to have children. 

I know you are asking yourself why is she telling me this? Well I wanted you to understand my feelings for my nieces and nephews.  Having lost the ability to have children of my own, they are the children I will never have.   I have done my best to attend every sports event, concert, birthday party, or anything else they have thought to tell me about, ever since then.  If they wanted Auntie Pam to be there then I would be come hell or high water!

I now have nieces and nephews, that range in age from the oldest who is 32 to the youngest who is about 2 months old now; I actually had to write them all down so I could remember just how many there were.

I was visiting with them last week and several of them, the younger ones and teenagers, and I, were talking about school and their grades and their plans for after high school, they are all mostly straight A students, and they were discussing how they all really wanted to go to college and how if they did not get the scholarships they needed from sports or their grades, and save money from their part time jobs, then they would probably do like the rest of the family and just go to work, and not go to college. 

Other than one brother and his wife that have attended college, there is no one else in my immediately family that has, so to hear my nieces and nephews talk about how much they want to go to college and how financially they may not be able to, made me so sad!

My Emotional Why:  My Nieces and Nephews!
It hit me at that my moment that my Emotional Why was indeed tied to finances! I want my Younique business to be a success so that not only can I live debt free, but so I can help my nieces and nephews pay for college if that is their wish.  I want to have the ability to help them succeed in their goals, no matter what they are!

I believe that Younique is the solution to that need!  I see my sponsor, who in the last 2 months, has brought home more than I make in 5 months at my current job, and is up for a bonus this month and I know that it can happen!

I have written down my Emotional Why, and my Short Term and Long Term Goals for my business, and I know that I WILL SUCCEED! I will not accept failure!!

On another note - Thank You for not only shopping on my site and helping me to succeed but for reading my blog and helping me to come out of my shell a little more.  I am growing and becoming more confident in my abilities every day - because of all of you! Thank you!!

Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes

One of the best selling products from Younique is our Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes. This is what Younique says about them "Packaged in two separate bottles, the Transplanting Gel and Natural Fibers are used together to enhance and magnify your OWN lashes. Watch your lashes transform into something you only dreamed of! A 300% increase in thickness and volume to your lashes while still looking completely real and natural. Potentially "mood-altering" 3D Fiber lashes will quickly become your favorite makeup accessory!  Water resistant, yet easily washes off with warm water and facial cleanser." 

 

 

I generally do not wear them everyday, I am lazy and the 2 part process takes longer than I want; however, I LOVE them for special occasions or if my photo will be taken! I have sold more of them than any other product and apparently the more you use them the faster it is to apply!

 

The ingredients are:

Transplanting Gel Ingredients: collagen, water, natural Propolis, Brazilian palm glue, Black iron oxide, Acrylic Copolymer, Nylon 12, Stearic acid, propylene glycol/emulsifier. Net: 12ml
Natural fibers Ingredients: 100% natural fibers taken from the campanulaceae of green tea. Net: 3g

 

If you want more information on the ingredients my website includes the details of what each ingredient is and what it is used for.

 

The results are truly AMAZING! They really do increase your lashes and when compared to false lashes they are a snap to apply!  Several of my fellow presenters have posted comparison photos on Facebook, I unfortunately am not talented enough to take my own photo yet, but I am working on it! Someday I promise I will include a self photo but until then I am extremely grateful to all my fellow presenters that willingly share theirs.



As stated this photo shows the difference between Natural Lashes, Mascara & Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes!

The photo below was provided by Amber Voight, a fellow Younique Presenter, and is one of my favorites! The photo is the eyes of her 16 year old Sister; She has such beautiful eyes and I am sure that plain old mascara makes her look even more beautiful, but the 3D Lashes make her eyes look absolutely stunning!

 

Another fellow presenter commented that Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes were like a push up bra for your Eyelashes, and posted this collage! LOL I loved that comment and the comparison! 

 



The directions state: "To prepare your eyelashes for optimal results, first apply one thin coat of your own regular favorite mascara and let it dry. Then apply Moodstruck Transplanting Gel (containing conditioning collagen) to your lashes. Immediately following and while the gel is still wet, apply the Moodstruck Natural Fibers. Reapply the Transplanting Gel a second time to secure the natural fibers onto your lashes."

Following the directions works great, for some people! Others have found that they like them better without applying the mascara first, some feel that using a simple fan brush and lightly pressing on the fibers after application, and then sealing them, works best.  One thing for sure is that you must only do 1 eye at a time and keep the lid open on each tube, do not let the transplanting gel dry before you apply the fibers, and be sure to apply either the gel or mascara to seal the fiber or they may fall on your face throughout the day.

Results vary from person to person, and are based on the way they are applied, how many coats are used and how patient you are during the application process.  It takes time to perfect how you apply them to suit your own desired look.  But if you take the time I know you will LOVE them also!

 Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes are available on my site HERE for only $29.00US/$35Canadian. They are also available in several of the money saving collections Younique offers. 

During the month of November Younique is partnering with Kids Against Hunger and a portion of the purchase price from every collection sold will be donated to Kids Against Hunger.  Each collection will provide 12 meals to starving children around the world.  So please consider Younique Collections as gifts for all the women in your life this Holiday Season!!

I am Thankful for?

As we enter November I have been thinking about everything I am thankful for in my life and it is a very long list!  Above all I am thankful for my family! They are such a huge part of my life and without them I would truly be lost. I know that if I ever have problems they will be there to assist me in whatever way they can and I am truly thankful for that. 

This may sound funny but I believe that my nieces, and nephews, from the oldest ones the youngest, are my greatest treasure and I am so thankful for them all! They have taken the place of the children I am unable to have and are such amazing people that I feel truly blessed. My eldest niece has 3 children of her own and she is such an incredible mom and I am so thankful that she got to know my mom and takes after her in so many ways.  My eldest nephew just became a father and I look forward to watching his son grow into an incredible man just like his daddy is!  There are so many in between that are each so special in their own way that I am amazed everyday by each of them and their talents. 

I am thankful for the friends I have made in my life, from my very best friend, whom I have known since I was 7, to my newest friends that I met only recently.  They each bring joy to my life in their own way and I am thankful for the time I spend with them, I am a better person because of  them.

As silly as it sounds I am thankful for my pets, my dogs may have no manners at all but I know they love me unconditionally and I am thankful for the daily greeting I get when returning home, they bring joy, frustration, and disaster to my life and home and for that I am thankful!

There are so many things I am thankful for, and one of them is Younique!  I have said before that I joined Younique on a whim the moment I read their mission statement.  I have also told you about being shy and how joining Younique and attending the convention were outside my comfort zone.

As I was thinking about those things in my life that I am thankful for Younique jumped to the top for so many reasons.  I am thankful for Younique for being a company that I can be proud to say I represent, for having products that I can stand behind and that I love to use so much so that sharing them with everyone is a pleasure.  I am thankful for Younique for showing me that I am capable of doing so much more with my life than I have in the past, and for showing me what my future can be!

I am Thankful for Younique introducing me to such a wide variety of people that share the same goal as I do! My Younique sisters and brothers are all such amazing people and I am thankful to be there to witness their success with Younique as I work towards my own!  I am thankful for the support, and encouragement that they all provide to me and to all our fellow presenters.  Younique is truly a family and I am thankful that I got in at the very beginning and have watched them grow and blossom into such a successful one!

I am also thankful for what Younique has taught me, I have learned that I am capable of selling makeup, and writing a blog and posting on various social media sites, that being open and honest about my feelings and love of the products will not kill me! LOL 

I have learned that I have so much to learn about direct sales, social media, advertising, and makeup! I have also learned that I am capable of learning and that I enjoy helping other people to learn! 

I have a life that I love, with a job that I love and now a business as an Independent Founding Presenter for Younique that I love! I have a lot to be Thankful for in my life and even though it may not be perfect and I am in debt up to my eyelids I am still Thankful for it all!!