We are 14 days into 2015 and already it's been a big year. Matt and I made the decision for me to join the Pangea Organics team as an Independent Pangeian. I started using the Pangea skin care line in December and had such an amazing experience that we decided it was a great fit for me and our family. As Matt said, "You're already selling it by talking about it non-stop...might as well get paid for it!". That's my husband :)
It's funny though. I've really struggled with how to get the word out about this new role. On one hand, I'm beyond excited because the products have been such a great fit for me and I have struggled to find the right products for my skin since I was a teenager. In that way sharing my experience has been easy. After all, everyone I've introduced the skin care to has been blown away and loved them! Easy, right?
Then there's the other side. Am I annoying people? Are they frustrated with me? What if no one buys anything from me? Why would anyone listen to my input on skincare? I'm so stupid for thinking anyone would ever care about my opinion. I. Am. Going. To. FAIL.
Ever been there? Ever passed up opportunities because you might fail? Ever kept your mouth shut because you weren't sure how others would receive your opinion. Yup, me too. It's my fatal flaw. Fear of failure and fear of losing the approval of others. Boy, that's a hard combination, isn't it?
I like to be liked. And I like to succeed. I have a hard time looking at what others might call "setbacks" or "learning opportunities", all I see are failures. And it's always personal. Bless my sensitive heart, I get told, "I'm not interested." and I hear, "I'm not interested in you.". Fatal flaw.
Now, thankfully as time as passed I've let go of the taking things personal stuff. Some people just won't like me (and I just won't click with some people). That's okay. Keep being kind and keep moving forward. As long as I'm not exhausted or having a bad day I can shrug off almost anything. That's taken a lot of intentional thought control and truly all credit goes to God and the work He's done. He's shown me time and time again that the only approval that matters is His and guess what? He always loves me so I can always feel confident, secure and at peace. That's awesome!
The fear of failure? Ugh. Still working on that one! A lot of days I feel confident in my abilities. And then's there's the Alice-in-a-rabbit-hole day...you know, the one where your thoughts just spiral out of control and before you know it the floor drops out? That one. The reality is though, we are all going to fail. And we can't let it define us. All great truths that I know but have a hard time applying to my heart.
Which bring us back to Pangea. I was petrified to start this. Excited but petrified. All of my old fears and insecurities resurfaced. I am going to fail. No one will support you, but they will totally be laughing at you. Fear always rears it's head when you take a step away from it. I took that first step (amidst heart palpitations!) and joined Pangea. Then came the next step...asking people to come to a workshop to try the products and learn more about organic skincare. I was dying! I sent out around 70 individual invites. I got 4 replies for my first workshop. FOUR.
You want to talk about ready to give up?! I was ready to quit and I hadn't even started! LOL! But then I did something different than normal. I wanted to quit...and I didn't. I looked in the mirror and told myself, You can do this. You can do this. You can do this! And as I gave myself the pep talk of all pep talks (complete with Sara Bareilles "BRAVE" in my head) I realized some important things:
1. My opinion matters. Because I matter. And I love these products! You don't have to love them. See? Your opinion matters too! You don't have to try them, you don't have to attend a workshop. But I'm going to share my experience.
2. It's not personal. Saying "no" to the products is not the same as saying "no" to me. So go ahead, tell me no. I can take it ;)
3. I need this. What's this? This step. This blatant refusal to roll over and play dead every time an opportunity arises that involves risk. And let's be real. All true opportunity takes risk. I am going to take risks. I am going to fail. And I am going to get back up and try again. I am done quitting! I am done being afraid! I will not be perfect but I will try.
So what does this have to do with you? Everything. I don't know what opportunity is ahead of you that has you scared. It might be a work opportunity. It might be something more personal like the opportunity to start a family. Maybe there's too much hurt from your past so you've been passing on relationships, opening up just feels too risky. Maybe your finances have you scared to death and you can't imagine being debt free. Maybe you want to start a non-profit to feed hungry kids and you can't figure the numbers out, or stay home with your kids and the finances are tight.
We've all got something that scares us and leaves us wanting to bury our head in the sand rather than taking the challenge head on. And whatever yours is, it's time to take that step.
Now. I didn't just go out and find any and every opportunity I could! I spent a lot of time talking with God about whether or not I should join Pangea. Matt and I discussed if it was a good fit for our family. I'm passionate about the products and love the mission and vision of the company. I wasn't foolish in my risks and you shouldn't be either. But if you've done your homework, you sought the wise council of those around you, you've prayed about it and the only hold up is your fear...it's time. Pull the trigger. Just do it. You might fail. You will have bad days. The fear will come back. And when it does, tell it to get lost. You've got work to do.
God did not give us a spirit of fear. We can do this. All of us can.
And if, if you need some amazing skincare that's affordable and won't harm you or the environment...I might just know a girl who can help you ;)
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