So I’m back! Not necessarily from outer space, but when most people first hear what I’m doing with myself these days, they may as well have that look on their face…
Yet again, another one of my posts must begin with an apology for the amount of time which has lapsed between this entry and the last. Because I know you all really miss me… 😉
As you all know, I love to blog and far from being the creative, prolific writer I wish I was, I wish I led a life that would allow me the opportunity to have interesting things to say.
I guess in a way, I’ve had that over the last few months. Those local to me will know the pressure the oil industry is now under and the effect this has on the local economy in Aberdeen on a fairly regular basis. Graduated and now well into my third year of full-time employment, the time has unfortunately come for me to face the first squeeze on the industry since commencing my career; something my Dad is all to familiar with, having endured the oil price crash of the 1980’s and repeat performances in the years which followed.
But I’m not about to sit here and spout about the economy, politics (to those who know me again, shocking, I know) or what I do for a living.
Well, not directly anyway.
In January this year, a friend and colleague approached me with a business venture she had recently started and was really excited about. She told me she thought I would be perfect for it but when she told me what it was, I couldn’t help becoming consumed with scepticism and uttering the words:
“You want me to do what?!”
She had me interested though. Truth be told, I was considering a second job to help scrape together a deposit for a flat but I was loathed at the thought of sacrificing what little time I had left for a social life, even if it did mean eventually breaking onto the property market. The last thing I wanted to end up doing was working Friday and Saturday nights in a bar and much to my Mum’s distaste (because she misses my discount, mainly) I wasn’t going back to John Lewis on a Saturday, either!
So, she planted a seed. I could see the earning potential as clear as day, but something was holding me back. Looking back now, it was pure unadulterated fear and uncertainty, and if I’m allowed to admit to having one regret, it’s that I didn’t side-step this and make the jump earlier.
So, I went and did some reading, intentionally looking for the negatives and plenty of those are out there to be found. I almost succeeded in ruling it out thanks to that, but I lodged it in the back of my mind for later on, as I had some family stuff to deal with which was consuming a great deal of my time.
Fast forward to April this year and I’m in Edinburgh attending a BBC Newsbeat debate for the 2015 General Election. Not only did this allow me a moment in the spotlight to talk about the difficulties faced by young people with regards to the property market, particularly in Aberdeen where the prices are inflated by the oil industry, but it really hit home hard just how fortunate I was to be (at the time) safe in a corporate job with another massive income opportunity staring me in the face!
Meanwhile, Jo and one or two the of the girls in my office had recently came home from a global training event in Las Vegas and were full of energy and enthusiasm for their businesses as a result. Whenever I ran into one of them in the office, they had something else to tell me about it and their passion and enthusiasm was starting to warm me to the possibility that maybe, just maybe, this would work for me too.
Then one Tuesday evening in May, I found myself at another Opportunity Meeting. It was different this time, although I was hearing the same information about the company again, it had a far more electrifying effect on my soul, although that could have been the emotional high I was experiencing from spending most of the meeting giggling with Lauren…
I stayed for the presentation and then the hours training with the other consultants afterwards. In the days leading up to the presentation, I’d had regular conversations with Jo and Rachel about how I was feeling towards it and when I entered the conference room that evening, I was a firm 90%. By the time I had left, I was still a 90%, but I leapt the last 10% and dived in with both feet…
So what is it?
On the 6th of May, 2015, I became an Independent Consultant and Executive National Vice President with Arbonne International.
SPOILER ALERT
So, the first part of that statement is true, I am an Independent Consultant with Arbonne International, but I’m a good few years away from making National Vice President. But, with consistency, practise and a faculty which I’ve never possessed (patience) I will one day reach this monumental achievement in my life and begin to enjoy all the perks which come with it.
So, there will unfortunately be no surprises here, unlike John Snow… But to get there, you have to think like an NVP and that means adopting the persona of one. Am I right?
Now…where was I? Right, reasons for doing it…
Firstly, as a secondary and residual source of income, to allow me to save for a flat and to remove the worry of paying the mortgage should I face redundancy again at a later stage in my life. Plus pay for one or two luxuries, like first class travel (because who really wants to fly coach for the rest of their life?) and maybe a Maserati or 5…
Secondly, to grow myself as a leader. When I found Arbonne, I was in a rut; I totally unhappy with most aspects of my life. I needed something which would stretch my comfort zone and develop me personally; to teach me to be more confident and positive. Something which would show me how to really focus on a long-term goal and engage in the activities which will help me bring it into reality.
Thirdly, to give something back to my parents, who sacrificed a great deal for my sister and I growing up to make sure that we could really put our best foot forward when the time came for it. I always knew from a really young age that I wanted to one day find myself in a position where I could provide for them and support them in a comfortable lifestyle and keep my Dad happy with a new Range Rover on the drive every couple of years.
Arbonne will help me do all of these things, plus countless others. If the first 6 weeks of my Arbonne journey are a sign of things to come, I really can’t wait for the rest!
Here’s to it folks; to a white Mercedes, yearly trips to Maui and to one day heading up my very own Nation T!
Lewis
x
Four months ago I joined the Yes camp out of a desire to take part in the great debate that the Yes camp told me was taking place within their ranks. Being a doubter I thought maybe I’d failed to find this debate and that it was exclusive to the membership of the Yes camp, so I joined hoping I could locate it and take part. But even as I was accepted into the ranks – after my ‘Morrison votes Yes’ article in Bella Caledonia, I noted that 5 out of the meagre 20 comments I received berated me for either not having decided sooner or for having questioned Yes at all. Another said, and I paraphrase: ‘Well if he’s had to mull it over he could easily switch to the other side.’ That comment in Bella Caledonia worked away…
lth0ms0n 