Evaporating Faith

This is a pretty intensely personal post. I don’t usually post anything like it, but maybe some of you have dealt with similar issues and will be helped by it.

Let me start off by saying I’m an introvert. I recharge by being alone. So it’s a measure of how enthusiastic I am about Young Living that I want to grow my business. Selling anything is challenging for me, but as my wonderful mentors have said repeatedly, there are many different ways to share. At this point, I’m choosing to teach classes about essential oils online. The classic method is to teach in person; I’m not opposed to that, as I’ve taught library instruction and WordPress for years. I’m also blogging about essential oils and topics related to emotional and spiritual aspects of life.

Honestly, my fear of rejection is great. I want people to like me, whether it’s in person or online. In fact, sending Facebook messages to friends personally inviting them to my essential oils classes freaks me out just a little. Okay, a lot. It’s not just the fear of rejection, though, but wanting to be authentic. Jumping into someone’s life out of the blue doesn’t feel right to me. It’s made me examine my socialization and how little I interact with even people I know virtually.

One of the aspects of Young Living I’ve found particularly enchanting is the community of godly women involved with it. I’m always struggling with spirituality. I’ve been a churchgoer all my life, and I’m a firm believer in God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit, but it goes back to authenticity. Or overthinking. Or something. I have trouble settling down into faith all the way, like I can’t just plop all the way into the bathtub. (If that makes any sense at all.) A very meaningful experience to me was reading and following Monique McLean’s 21 Days of Prayer for Your Business. Monique is in my upline (sort of like being my great-great grandmother in the YL scheme of things) and is a Royal Crown Diamond, the highest rank you can achieve. She attributes her success to God and isn’t afraid to say so. I was inspired after the twenty-one day experience to continue to really pray about my business. Plus I’ve had some spiritual experiences that convinced me God is helping me on my journey.

In my quest to develop a team with Young Living, I even began praying specifically for a group of women I mentally refer to as my “dream team.” I won’t tell you their names. All but one I know in real life. But I pray for their wellness, that they’ll become the women they were meant to be–and that when the time is right, they’ll join my team and help me share about the joyful oil life. I’ve never done anything like this before, pray so specifically and so protractedly for a group of people. Shows you how I’m really trying to do things differently than I have in the past.

All that is background to something that happened the other day.

All that faith, all that confidence just evaporated.

Because of a few words from my even-more-introverted husband.

“You’re about as good at sales as I am.”

Poof.

Yeah, he said it, but he wasn’t trying to be mean, just brutally honest. It was in the midst of a conversation about finances, and how I shouldn’t reach Star rank all by myself.

The past two days I’ve been so despondent. What if he’s right? What if I can’t sell anything to anyone? I haven’t so far. Why should I keep trying?

YIKES. All those months of building up my confidence gone in a flash.

Today I’m better. I remember there are always times of doubt. I’ve been so focused and confident that things would keep going great. But I take away two (or maybe more) lessons from this experience.

  1. Be careful what you say to someone. Be kind. We don’t always need brutal honesty.
  2. In some seasons, faith can be a tenuous thing. Strengthen it all you can when you can. In my head a voice keeps saying, “Well if your faith can be blown away that easily, it was a pretty pitiful faith.” But that’s not Jesus saying that. We have ups and downs. Don’t let the adversary mess you up during the downs.
  3. Step out of your comfort zone. You can do things people don’t think you can do. Challenge yourself. But be ready for the pushback of those who think they have you figured out and categorized. And be ready for your own self-doubt to redouble its effort to push you right back to where it’s safe.

I could go on, but you’ve been kind to read this far. I’d love to hear how you cope with challenges to your faith, and challenges to the confidence you’ve built up for yourself.

(Note: In yesterday’s post I said I’d talk about Young Living business, but I’ll save that for a later date.)

What are You Supposed to Be?

I’m assembling a team.

Nope, not the Justice League.

Nope, not the Avengers.

I’m assembling a team of women (and men) who are passionate about helping others become the person she (or he) was born to be.

What the World Needs Now…

Sometimes it’s really hard to love other people. The world–especially the U.S.—seems really tense and scary these days, to the point where it’s a whole lot easier to write ’em all off and just blanket-fort it. I have to confess that I frequently say, “People suck,” usually during or after a newscast. But what if people suck because they aren’t feeling their best? I sure get cranky when I’m not feeling well. What if they suck because they aren’t the person they are meant to be?

But that’s why we need to spread the word (and the scent) about oils. Wouldn’t it be great to diffuse Stress Away in the middle of Congress? Maybe we can’t do that, but a better world starts with one person and one action at a time.

Jesus commanded us to love, even (especially) our enemies. That is hard, I won’t lie. No matter what your religious beliefs, love is a central tenet. If we don’t consider the wellbeing of others, we get insular and just focus on ourselves. That deprives the world of our unique talents. People are crying out in need–and they need YOU.

Just the Essentials

I’ve spent the past six months studying essential oils, and specifically Young Living. I believe in the mental, physical, emotional and spiritual wellness the products can–and do–bring. That’s why I’ve chosen to devote significant time sharing with you. It’s not some dodgy company or a get-rich-quick scheme. I genuinely care about using my talents to help you become the person you were meant to be through a fuller, healthier life.

Wanna Join?

The point of a team is that we’re all pulling together for the same goals. I want a team because I can’t do it alone. And I want to help you with your goals.

Besides helping others, joining the Young Living team can help you earn an income commensurate with the work you put into it. As I said earlier, you won’t get rich quick, but you’ll have a group of people to help you. I’ll talk more about the monetary aspects in tomorrow’s post.

For now, here’s how to join Team Joyful Oil Life.

  1. Go to http://bit.ly/DonnaFitchYoungLiving.
  2. Click Continue
  3. My name should appear on the next welcome screen. If so, click Continue
  4. Choose your diffuser
  5. Customize your Essential Rewards box (optional, but recommended) and click the Confirm checkbox.
  6. Click Next
  7. Fill out your membership info and sign-in info. (Make sure you remember your username/password/PIN. This will be used to login to your Virtual Office.)
  8. Click Agree and Continue.
  9. Finalize your order, shipping and payment.
  10. Welcome to Young Living and Team Joyful Oil Life! You’ll receive a welcome email from me very soon, but feel free to contact me with any questions!

Sharing from the Heart

In my series “15 Days of Essentials,” I’ve talked about the contents of your premium starter kit, from diffuser to NingXia Red and all the oils in between. But before I wrap it up, I want to talk about a very important ingredient–YOU.

Purchasing a kit starts you on the road to wellness. But if you’re like me, you get so excited about the possibilities within those eleven little bottles, you want to share it with others. Three items come in the premium starter kit to help you do just that:

  • 10 Sample Packets
  • 10 Love It? Share It! Sample Business Cards
  • 10 Love It? Share It! Sample Oil Bottles

The sample packets allow you to share the scent of the most beloved oils with a friend. The tiny oil bottles are for dropping a few drops of an oil in for someone to try, and then pair it with the sample business card so they know what to do with it.

Don’t keep it to yourself. Learn about the uses of the oils, apply them in your life, and help others on the path to wellness. You can even make it a lucrative career, earning money and free oils along the way.

Ready to buy your very own starter kit? Visit bit.ly/DonnaFitchYoungLiving today! You’ll thank yourself every day.

NingXia Red: Magic in a Bottle

One day recently when I was rhapsodizing about the wonders of this product, my friend said, “Wow, you literally have drunk the Kool-Aid.”

Yep, I cannot deny. I am in love with this stuff. The premium starter kit comes with two 2-ounce pouches of NingXia Red. Don’t do what I did. I thought, “Eww, what is that stuff?” I resisted it for a long time. I am not a fan of artificial sweeteners, and when I read on the pouch that it contains stevia, the blecch factor went up.

Until I tried it. I’m not even sure what prompted me to, except that I’d gotten quite serious about the Young Living lifestyle.

Oh, and oh, I loved it. NingXia Red is made of a whole host of antioxidant-rich ingredients: Chinese wolfberry, plum, aronia (aka chokeberry), cherry, blueberry, and pomegranate juices and extracts. Plus pure vanilla extract and Lemon, Orange, Yuzu, and Tangerine essential oils. Two to four ounces a day of this wonderful drink will set you up with all kinds of wellness support. Oh my goodness gracious. Yum.

So be sure you drink up your pouches of NingXia Red.

If you want to know more about the scientific research behind wolfberries (also known as Lycium barbarum), check out this 2014 article from Drug Design, Development and Therapy.

How do you use NingXia Red? Share in the comments!

Ready to buy your very own starter kit? Visit bit.ly/DonnaFitchYoungLiving today! You’ll thank yourself every day.

Frankincense: Gift of Kings

The next oil in the premium starter kit may be familiar to you, at least in name. It was one of the gifts given to the Christ Child, along with gold and myrrh, by the Magi. Its name comes from Medieval French for “real incense.” Frankincense has been used for healing purposes since ancient times. Indeed, it appears in one of the oldest known medical records, the Ebers Papyrus, dating from the 16th century B.C. Young Living’s oil is produced by steam-distilling resin from trees in Somalia.

When diffused, frankincense increases spiritual awareness, promotes meditation, improves attitude and uplifts spirits. When taken internally, frankincense supports your well-being and normal cell health.

Young Living gives these instructions for use:

Topical: Apply 2–4 drops directly to desired area. Dilution not required, except for the most sensitive skin. Use as needed.

Aromatic: Diffuse up to 1 hour 3 times daily.

Internally: Put 2 drops in a capsule. Take 3 times daily.

Recipe of the Day

 

 

 

 

 

Ready to buy your very own starter kit? Visit bit.ly/DonnaFitchYoungLiving today! You’ll thank yourself every day.