What is a year worth to you?We are a society that is all about instant gratification. Fast food, microwaves, instant grits (southerners) , instant coffee, get rich quick schemes (that never work FYI), and the list goes on and on and on.
Many people want a get skinny fast magic pill also. Guess what? THERE IS NOT ONE! None of us went to bed skinny and woke up 20-30-40-70-100 pounds overweight. That would seem insane right? So why then do we go on diets and more diets that never work long-term and expect overnight results? Isn’t that insane too?
We all have seen the commercial with the well-known female half of a 70’s singing brother-sister duet that promises you will lose 5 lbs the first week. Um, okay? Then what? We can all lose 5 lbs in a week. Here is the bigger question. Can we lose all we need to lose in a year or two and keep it off for 10 years?
How about this question- Can we change our eating habits and learn to use food as fuel and stop giving in to the food marketing and hype we are surrounded by daily? We are so fast to jump on the latest bandwagon- low-fat, low carb, gluten-free, organic, paleo, Mediterranean, this group with weekly meetings (yes that one is a diet also- any plan that basically says as long as it fits in your points, you can eat cake daily- is a diet, and a bad one at that), this group with a diet people ate in the Bible, and the list goes on and on and on.
Oh- and my favorite I hear is, “I saw it on Dr. Oz so this has to be the answer!” Here is a newsflash and I have said this before, Dr. Oz will promote anything and anyone who pays him to be promoted. If he promotes it, stay FAR AWAY!!!
Bottom line- we have all heard the saying that nothing worth having comes easy or overnight and this is so true. This applies to both health and success in business. See, a little over two years ago, I joined Plexus and needed to lose a few pounds. I had NO IDEA the business opportunity that also was sitting in front of me. I also had no idea the health changes for my family that were to follow or the personal growth and development. I hated the thought of network marketing. But Now, I will shout to the rooftops that network marketing is the wave of the future and if you can find a really good network marketing company, like I did, the possibilities are endless for both personal health and growth, helping others, and income.
Here is my recap of the past two years. Read it and then tell me in the comments if you think a year is worth spending getting healthy, starting and growing a thriving business, and helping others at the same time.
In September 2013, I was 50 pounds heavier, dealing with recent spinal fusion after breaking my back in an accident, and involved in a social group with my husband that I truly had misgivings about and concerns over the integrity of as well. I was a workaholic who had let God slip from the center of all and it was showing. I knew it was time for a change.
We left the social group- which had a lot of amazing people we still get to see, and that was the start of a trend of deciding that life would from now on be Christ centered, healthy focused, and we would live our life the way we knew God intended and would not care if people made fun of us or “unfriended us” or stopped calling. And let me tell you, MANY we thought were friends stopped calling. I shed some tears. I mean who doesn’t get upset when you learn people you thought were your friends were really just friends of convenience, and situation and politics?
I felt so sad and was in a pity party over the weight I had gained after breaking my back and the fact that I could no longer run. I was a mess and trying to keep my happy face on for the people I knew and radio show followers etc. Never let them see you sweat right?
Here comes my next big decision- give Plexus a try. I mean, after all a nurse I knew professionally had been trying to get me to try it for a year and I had said no way. No network marketing products. I had tried them all- the health ones- and hated them. Plus I hated the idea of network marketing. I didn’t understand it really. I knew countless people with these home-based businesses making NOTHING and spending a ton and having parties and annoying the fire out of friends. NO THANKS!
Finally I listened to my heart and said okay let’s give this s shot. My thought were- I realize I will never make ANY money with this but if I can at least lose the weight I gained it will be good. That was why I initially signed as an Ambassador. Fast forward a month. This stuff is awesome and it is working and Ben and I are both losing weight and feeling great.
Next dilemma- WHAT WILL PEOPLE THINK IF WE GO PUBLIC??? I knew some of my followers would cringe. I worried some of the corporate sponsors of my tour and radio show would dump me, and I also worried more friends would think I was losing my mind. I was so scared, but said, I’m going public. WHAT IF one person who is battling with blood sugar issues and weight regain or weight issues or pain issues sees my post and gets helped? So I went public. Yep the usual few trolls of the weight loss community- well more specifically bariatric community, had a field day bashing me. Best thing I ever did was to DELETE and BLOCK the few trolls, however the response was mostly one of support. I now have many bariatric coordinators and a bariatric surgeon on my team.
So, we followed God and our hearts and devoted our business to Christ, another decision that did cost me a few sponsors, but who cares, and this is how things have changed since that September. Now yes we have had rough patches, bad months, people quit, personal issues, health issues, and basically LIFE getting in the way as we all have, BUT WE NEVER GAVE UP. We said in the beginning we are giving this at least a year to see what happens. Not a month or two, but a YEAR. I am so glad we did! I see so many join Plexus, or buy the products and if they are not super successful in a month or two they give up. What if we had done that? What if we had quit in those slow months or just said oh heck I’m going back to eating garbage? This current set of facts would not be true:
1. I am down over 50 pounds and Ben about 52 in the last two years. It was about 60 for us both until that trip to Maui Plexus sent us on wherecwecsrsrted being bad. We are back on track and I’ll be back to 60 lbs down by Feb 1. Keeping it real!
2. We have a team of over 1200Plexus Ambassadors and 700-750 active ones.
3. The last time I added up the pounds lost by our team in the past year it as well over 3500 pounds. THAT ALONE is worth the 2 years we invested!
4. The list of meds people have reported no longer needing from our team since using Plexus spans the list from diabetes meds to pain meds to migraine meds. PRICELESS
5. The income we earn with me as an Emerald Ambassador and my hubby a Senior Ruby Ambassador is such a huge blessing and it allows us both to work from home freeing up time for kids, grand-baby, and charity work and helping others. AGAIN PRICELESS
6. Seeing the health and income of our team members get better and better is more special to me than my own paycheck. I have NEVER seen a compensation plan that comes close to this one.
7. God had put SO MANY amazing people of faith into our paths. He has also sent us some “lesson friends”. There to teach you something but not real friends. Valuable for learning for a season nonetheless. So no regrets. God has a way of weeding out the people you just do not need in your life and replacing them with AMAZING Godly people who share your dreams and positive attitude and goals.
8. The personal growth and confidence in myself and my abilities as a leader that grow and change daily are incredible. I truly have to say that personal growth is the biggest blessing thus far on this journey. I am not a patient person by nature and God has truly taught me patience, how to deal with multiple personality types- when you have a team of over 1200 people they will all be different, and how to lead by example. I hope and pray that I NEVER EVER stop learning and growing and becoming a better version of who God intended for me to become. I am a work in progress with a long way to go but I realize this is not a race. It’s LIFE!
Was it hard sometimes? ABSOLUTELY!
Did I want to give up sometimes? YES FOR SURE!!!
Am I now glad I didn’t and LOVING this ride and working hard to make it to Sapphire and help as many people as I can and bring as many with me as I can? YES YES YES!
Thank you Plexus for showing me that network marketing CAN be done right and become a REAL life changing source of income and health and personal growth.
There are so many people I need to be thanking, ESPECIALLY God my Amazing team! I love you guys like family and love watching you all grow and learn with me. I feel honored to have each one of you on my team.
My Plexus family ROCKS!!!! I am so glad I said YES to Plexus and YES to network marketing and am so excited for the future! Fighting obesity, being an advocate, helping others, growing personally, and earning a nice income. WIN WIN WIN!!! God is good and I will never take this all for granted!
XXOO
Erin
Erin Akey, FNC, wife, mother, Christian, nutritionist, author, Emerald Ambassador with Plexus Worldwide 