I typically spend 4-5 of my lunch hours looking at Target, Walmart, Michael’s, and online. It has to be the perfect size for me to tuck into my purse, but large enough for me to have plenty of room to write. It has to be cute and stylish. It must lay flat and the binding can’t be so big that I have to straddle my wrist over it to write on the left hand page. The cover must be durable. I love when they have inspirational messages, and stickers are a must!

As you can see, not just any old planner will do. I need the best planner for setting and achieving goals.

Well, about this time back in 2016, I came across a Facebook Ad for a company called Commit 30. I was first intrigued by the classy leather-look cover, but as I looked deeper into the concept behind this planner, I knew it was one that I had to try.

In a nutshell, the planner helps you focus on your 12 biggest goals, and then helps you break them down by month. Each day of that month, there are daily action steps that you check off when completed. Every day that you check off your daily action steps, the closer you get to achieving the monthly goal.

These are your own dreams, goals, and action steps, not just something that is already determined for you.

This is perfect for me, as I am not only a PLANNER junkie, but I am also a GOAL SETTING and CHECKLIST junkie, which is the entire basis of this planner. Since the planner was not to be released for another couple of months, the company offered printable sheets to get started during the last few months of the year. I ordered my planner and signed up for their free printables, which were delivered immediately by email as pdf files.

Within a few weeks of using the printables, I was in love with the layout and concept, so I went ahead and ordered 2 more planners. I ordered the two extras to give to two of my closest friends and accountability partners for Christmas. This was probably the most thoughtful and useful gift I have ever given, as both recipients dug right into theirs and posted on Facebook about how much they loved their gifts. We also had a couple of goal-setting dates in which we sat down together and brainstormed and shared ideas, as well as colored pens and stickers. Fun, fun, fun!

Ok, so the planner is cute, the right size, inspirational, and fits all of my requirements. There is also a place for a vision board, which I am a HUGE fan of creating, as well as lots of empty pages for notes, thoughts, and inspiration.

But let me tell you why I really think this is the best planner that money can buy . . . BECAUSE IT WORKS!

When I first received my planner, I immediately started filling in my 12 months of goals. They are categorized as below to help you start thinking in the right direction, but any of them can be altered to make them your own.

Physical Health
Mental Health
Marriage/Partner

Family/Friends
Pure Joy/Fun
Adventure/Travel
Spiritual Health
Personal Growth
Career
Home
Community
Finances

From here, each month you get to choose which category you will focus on for any given month, as well as develop your own action steps to achieve that particular goal.

Here is a sample of my January goal, which surprise, surprise, was to improve my physical health. More specifically, my goals were to improve my diet, improve my cardio health, and lose the stomach bloat and excess weight.

Action Steps:
1) Eliminate Junk Food and Reduce Dairy
2) Drink 80-100 ounces of pure water each day.
3) Walk on treadmill daily.
4) Use my dry sauna & use my FasciaBlaster 2 times per week.
5) Meditate for at least 15 minutes four times per week.
6) “Green Drink” daily.

Did I do all of these things, every single day? HaHaHa, no. I wish! But the days I was consistently checking off the boxes were also the days I was seeing the most results! I can only imagine how much faster I could have reached those goals had I stayed focused for the full 30 days.

This was the case for ALL my monthly goals. When I focused on my physical health, my physical health improved. When I became clear about what I was looking for in a relationship, the man of my dreams appeared out of nowhere. In 2017, I visited ALL the places that I had written in my adventure/travel circle, even though I had never shared those goals with anyone else. A business opportunity fell in my lap and I was able to pay off over $50,000 in debt.

What about the months that I completely slacked off and didn’t stay on top of filling out my goals and daily action steps? Well, my house is still not organized or completely decluttered, I still have not started a serious meditation practice, and I still do not send birthday cards to my friends and family in the mail.

Even though I did not complete these goals, I would still consider my year a HUGE success! And it’s not a total loss on these items anyway, as I will continue to bring them forward on my next planner until they are finished.

I’ve already ordered my 2019 Commit30 Planner, and I’m starting to think about my top goals and priorities for this next year. As the company states, Small Steps = Big Results. And that’s exactly what I am looking forward to achieving in 2019!

-Penny

I have been talking to my boyfriend’s daughter about her recent weight loss and new lifestyle plan. Her mother became involved with a program through her workplace and has lost around 30 pounds so far. So obviously, when Blake decided she was ready to embark on her own journey, she jumped on board with her mom. It’s only been about two months and she is down 20 pounds herself! I have been texting her almost daily asking her for tips and tidbits. Everything she is telling me are things I already know, but have failed to put into practice. In fact, the tips and tricks are very much in alignment with a book I listened to on Audiobook over a year ago, called “The Thin Woman’s Brain”. The book explains why we have cravings, why we can lose weight and then gain it right back, and why willpower is bullshit. And it explains step by step how you can re-wire your brain to enable you to eat like a naturally thin person. I plan to re-listen to that book during my daily commutes for some extra reinforcement.

Right now, I am committing to:

1) Documenting everything I eat for the next 7 days.

2) Walking no less than 10,000 steps per day, which I can track on my Fitbit.

3) Eating only when I have physical hunger.

4) Eliminating soda and junk food.

I figure that these will be a good start to get things (such as the scale) moving in the right direction. And I love that I have someone to touch base with, share my frustrations with, and for when I need some back-up or a pep talk!

I remember when my boyfriend, 6’ tall and 200 pounds was losing weight last summer, and I felt so embarrassed when his weight became less than mine. I also felt that I was letting him down as he was doing all the things necessary to improve his life while I was doing nothing to improve my own. That, combined with an upcoming trip to the Bahamas, spurred my super-sized butt into action. In November, I gave up soda and junk food (my biggest weaknesses) and began walking.

In January, I splurged on myself and got myself a Fitbit, which really challenged me to get moving even more. I was able to take off about ten pounds just before the trip in mid-February. I felt much better and was able to completely enjoy the trip without any physical restrictions or feelings of weight-shame. However, I was still not feeling good about the way I looked or felt. After being dressed in little more than a swimsuit for an entire week, I came home with a strong desire to get fit and lose more weight.

I joined Weight Watchers and DietBet, which both helped me to lose about 8 more pounds, fairly easily. I was starting to feel really good, my clothes were getting loose, and my self-confidence seemed to be returning. I was actually looking forward to attending a wedding and getting a new dress that I felt good wearing. Bare arms were shown and selfies were taken.

And then it happened. I have no idea what “it” even was, but it happened. I just stopped doing everything that had been working. I didn’t do it consciously, but every day, I would just let myself skip the walks, or I’d allow just one soda that would easily turn into 2 or 3 more. I was back to eating out all the time. All of the good habits I had been forming over the previous 9 months were surrendered. As a result, here I am, back up those 9 pounds that I had lost. Without reason or explanation of what went wrong.

At this point, I figure I have two choices:
1) Continue on the path I’m on.
2) Pick myself up and move forward.

I choose #2! Now I just have to figure out WHAT it is that I’m going to do and how to make this time different than all those other times. I don’t want to take too long to decide exactly how to go forward, but I do want to take enough time to understand what I have going on emotionally that causes me to continually sabotage my weight loss efforts.

Why am I afraid to speak my truth? Why am I afraid to speak up for myself and my feelings?

Well, let me tell you, I am pretty sure this one goes WAY back. I have recently been having some vivid memories from my childhood. I know some people may say it’s not possible to remember that far back, but I believe my first memory was from around 3 years old. I’ve been able to narrow the timeframe down, because in this particular memory, my family was still living in our trailer house in Friend, Nebraska. Here is a photo of me with my brother, Tim, who has Down Syndrome. We also have an older sister, a younger sister, and a younger brother. My mom really had her hands full!

So, here is what I recall. I was going through a phase of repeating everything people would say. EVERYTHING. I remember that I was sitting on the counter, or maybe the washing machine, while my mom was talking to her brother, my uncle. I was repeating everything he was saying without missing a beat. I can still remember him getting really angry (or at least pretending to be), leaning in close to my face, and hissing a threat at me if I continued to do it. I remember that in a moment, I went from being a giggly, care-free 3 year old to a sad, trembling-lipped, scared child. Now, I honestly have no recollection of what he said, but I imagine that it was something to the effect of, “If you don’t stop that right now, I’m going to take you out in the country and leave you there by yourself.”

I realize that’s a pretty specific guess, but here’s why I feel that may have been the case – After that, ALL of my childhood memories were of crying and being afraid. Afraid of being deserted by my mom, and scared of absolutely everything. I cried daily out of fear of being stranded. Even when she took me to my grandparent’s home when she was going to the hospital to deliver my sister, and later, my youngest brother, I was terrified she was never going to come back. I couldn’t even go with my older sister for a walk down the block from our friends’ house without ending up crying, because she would get a few too many steps ahead of me and I didn’t know the way back home.

Kindergarten was pure hell. For me, my mom, and my teacher. Every day, my mom would take me to school, and the tears would begin. I just knew she was never coming back for me. If I would finally settle down, the slightest thing would set me off again and the tears would be rolling. And when the day would finally come to an end, I would go outside the classroom and immediately start crying again if I didn’t see her at first glance. I can remember those feelings of desertion as if it happened this morning , and it still brings tears to my eyes to type this out today.

There came a point in time where my mom started to wean me. And I can’t blame her one bit. After all, she had my brother, who has Down’s Syndrome, my younger sister, and my baby brother at home while I was in kindergarten, 1^st, and 2^nd grade. She started by meeting me a block away from the school, then two blocks, then three. But when it came to the point of me having to turn North to get the rest of the way home (which was another 2 blocks), I froze up and couldn’t do it. I was afraid of the dogs I would have to pass on the way or I was afraid that I would get lost. My mom eventually recruited a couple of my classmates and their parents to either drive me or walk me the rest of the way home. When walking, I would have like a half of a block to go on my own, and even then, I was scared I would come home to an empty house.

This fear went on for years. I was afraid to go to swimming lessons, I was afraid of dogs, I was afraid to be alone in the house. I was afraid of getting lost or left behind, I was afraid we’d lose our car after taking the canoe down the river, I was afraid we’d die and rot on the country road when we got stuck. I was afraid to go to camp or to another church’s bible school. If there was any chance of me having to do something on my own, I was afraid of it.

The one thing that sticks out the most to me in this whole story, is that I also lost my ability to speak. I don’t mean that I could no longer physically speak. I mean that I was afraid to ask for help, or to verbalize my fears, or to communicate my needs. I would just fall apart in tears. It makes me so sad to think of myself as that little girl who was afraid to do or say anything out of fear of being disposed of. As I got older, it became less and less acceptable to cry in public. So instead, I did nothing. I didn’t even stand up for myself when needed. I would outwardly ignore the problem, internally worry about it, all the while hoping that it would just go away. This is basically how I have handled life ever since. Here are just a few examples:

When a friend would say or do something hurtful, or compromise my trust, I would say nothing and just forgive her. I was too afraid to confront her. After all, she might decide to hate me and never be my friend again.

When my husband (now ex-husband) was raking in the dough at his new job and paying off his own bills left and right, I kept quiet while working 3 jobs and still barely making it. Instead of talking to him about it, I silently resented him, more and more every day. I was afraid to tell him how much debt I was in out of fear of being rejected or ridiculed, or worse yet, kicked to the curb.

After my divorce, I started learning how to speak my truth. But as soon as I started dating again, if there was any type of conflict, my then boyfriend, also newly divorced, would say, “This is exactly why I didn’t want to get into another relationship.” And because I was so afraid of losing him, I would just go along with him and be agreeable, no matter how disrespected or wrongfully accused I was. Looking back, I know now that this was an unhealthy relationship. And I don’t excuse him for manipulating me like that. However, I also know that people will get away with whatever you allow them to, so I take full responsibility for letting it happen in the first place.

When my ex-boss would threaten my job if I challenged him in any way, I would sink back down and shut my mouth. After all, I really needed that job, no matter how he or it made me feel.

Yes, this really is how my internal dialogue sounded. I know it’s sick and wrong and sad. But it was how I talked to myself on a daily basis in order to just get by without being left, deserted, or disliked. And all of this because my a-hole of an uncle couldn’t let a child be a child, and didn’t know how to effectively communicate with her. I only wish I could have made this discovery and connection long ago. Going forward, I know now that it is crazy to think that someone who truly cares about me would be so shallow as to not let me speak my mind, my opinions, or my truth. Every day, I am practicing using my voice. And every day, I somehow survive. I have found that when I speak my truth, I actually feel more understood and respected than ever before. What a concept!

So here’s the deal. Children need to feel loved, reassured, and safe. The way we talk to our children now will dictate the adults they become. I also speak about this in my entry called “Your Seven Year Old Self”, and in a live video, titled the same, on my Facebook page, One Saved Penny. Can kids be annoying like I was so many years ago? YES! But are there at least 10 other ways that situation could have been handled without destroying my ability to be a happy and successful child? Absolutely.

The way we are talked to as children translates into how we talk to ourselves. Look at that photo above again. Now imagine how different that little girl’s life may have been with a little love, patience, and tolerance. Please remember that next time you are losing your patience and say something harsh to another human, especially a child. You really can change a child’s life, so let’s make sure it is for the better!

A few days ago, I went to the eye doctor to see about getting a new prescription for contacts. I haven’t had to wear contacts for 16 years after having Lasik surgery when I was 28 years old. When I had the Lasik, the doctor warned me that around age 40, our eyes start to degenerate, and I would likely need a touch-up at that time. I was lucky that my eyes held their perfect vision for 15 years. However, last year I started to notice that my distance eyesight was starting to get pretty blurry. I made myself an appointment to see what a “touch up” would entail. Let me tell you, I walked out of that office knowing that I wasn’t willing to do what they wanted me to do. Without going into the gory details, a touch-up is WAY more invasive than the original Lasik procedure. And of course, no guarantees.

So, I broke down and made myself an eye appointment with my optometrist. I walked out with a new pair of glasses that I could use for driving and sports spectating. I really didn’t need them for anything else at that time. Fast forward 11 months, and now I am becoming very dependent on my glasses. As in, I can barely see at distances without them. But on top of that, I’ve been finding myself struggling to read the labels on my make-up, supplements, and food labels. Ughhhhhhh. So off I went to another eye appointment.

I found myself sitting in the chair waiting for the doctor, trying to convince myself that I will do fine with full-time glasses and contacts even though I despised them before – I mean, come on, it wasn’t that long ago that I had spent $5000 just to get rid of them. And then I think back to elementary school, when the entire class almost fell off their chairs in disbelief and laughter after a fellow classmate was moved two feet in front of the eye chart and still could not read anything under the letter E. Kids can be such a-holes. My mind continues to wander and wonder how we all made it through high school.

A young girl walks in and introduces herself as the doctor. Ummmmm, excuse me? She literally looks like she is 22 years old. But she’s nice and has great hair (it takes everything in me not to ask her if she uses MONAT), so I tell her what is going on with my vision. And boy does she love to talk. Chatter, chatter, chatter, bifocals, chatter, chatter, chatter. Ummmmm, what?!?! It was almost like she knew she was about to punch me in the face, so she thought she’d cover it with kisses first. Nice try, little girl, but I heard that dreaded word loud and clear. She continued to talk endlessly about how our eyes start to fail us in our early forties and so on. I honestly stopped listening. Even after popping in my trial contact lenses, all I could think about was that I was going to have to wear (GULP) bifocals. I somehow ended up at the front of the store with someone explaining all the different options. Blaine sent me a text asking how my eye appointment went, and I almost started crying when I typed out the response, “Welp. I am not happy.” $454 later (and I’m even re-using my old frames!), I sat in my car, staring at my hands, feeling sorry for myself. But mostly, I felt old. Damn you, old eyes!

And that’s when it hits me. The late Louise Hay pops into my head, and I can see and hear her saying that it’s time to do some “mirror work”. For those of you who don’t know, that means standing in front of a mirror and thanking yourself and/or your body parts for the amazing things they are capable of doing every day. Even the broken, old, disabled, ugly, and failing parts. So, I try it – “Thank you, eyes, for allowing me to see all the colors, shapes, faces, textures, depths, ocean waves, buildings, sunsets, my food (so I can pick out the onions), my family, my pets, for allowing me to walk down the street unassisted, for allowing me to drive, and to pick out my own clothes and put on my own make-up every day. I’m not blind. I can see, and with the new glasses, I will be able to see even better. And while I may be getting older, there are far too many people my age who are not given that same opportunity. I should be celebrating every day I am allowed to live this life, with or without my fuzzy vision.”

Wow! Louise Hay just might have been on to something!

Suddenly, getting bifocals and getting older doesn’t seem like such a bad thing at all!

So, here’s what happened. There’s this patient who I will call Larry. Larry is an older gentleman who came to us for sciatic nerve pain, which was causing him to have trouble walking, sitting, sleeping, and standing without an intense pain shooting down his buttocks and the backs of his legs. During his visits to our office, Larry found that he was getting some relief when laying on his back with his knees propped up with a bolster pillow. He asked me if I could find one EXACTLY like ours to order for his home use. He wanted the same circumference, length, foam density, and vinyl. Well, the doctor I work for has been in practice for almost 20 years, and I was pretty sure our bolster was about that old as well. I looked online for about 10-15 minutes before reporting back to Larry that I couldn’t find one and would have to do a more detailed search outside of our regular patient hours.

A little later that day, we did end up finding one that was VERY SIMILAR, so I went ahead and ordered it, called his wife, and let them know we’d call as soon as it arrived. It was delivered a few days later, so my co-worker, Kay, called to let them know it was in.

A few hours later, Kay came back to my office with a $5 bill in her hand and announced that Larry had left me this cash as a token of his appreciation for all my “hard work”. I told Kay to give it back to him and tell him I couldn’t take it as I was just doing my job, but she said that he had insisted, and besides, he had already left the office.

Since then, this has really gotten me to thinking about the society we live in right now. And I feel pretty confident that the answer to my first question, “Is Customer Service Dead?”, is YES. It makes me think of the many times I have gone through a checkout line when I’m not greeted, nobody makes eye contact, and they don’t even say thank you when you pay and leave. You can walk into any store and find the help bent over the counters looking at their phones, and they don’t even acknowledge that you’ve walked in. At the bank I frequent every two weeks, the tellers at the drive-through don’t even say anything to me until I’ve already sent the money across. Finally, they’ll ask, “what are we doing with this?” I want to say, “Oh, I’m actually having a really good day, thanks for asking”, but apparently I’m not big enough of a jerk to pull it off.

So here I am, months later, still holding on to this $5 bill. I find it so sad that Larry has come to expect mediocrity from the workforce, so much so that he thought he needed to tip me for being such an “outstanding employee”. I haven’t decided exactly how to spend it yet, but I’m considering going against my own policy and buying a $5 greeting card to send to him. Or maybe I will save it to give to someone else who goes above and beyond for me. What I did decide to do for now is to pay it forward by giving a few tips of my own.

1) When you borrow something, return it in even better condition than when you got it. Borrowed a car? Fill the gas tank upon return. Borrowed $10? Give back $11. Or give it back wrapped around that person’s favorite drink. Something simple.

2) Hold the door for anyone behind you or coming from the other direction. It doesn’t matter how old, male or female, special needs or not, or if there is one person or 10 people. Hold the door and smile. If you are lucky enough to get a thank you (don’t hold your breath), give them back a “You’re Welcome” or “My Pleasure” or “No Problem”!

3) If someone holds the door for you, smile, say THANK YOU, and mean it.

4) Help people when they need it, whether they ask for it or not. Do it because you are a good person, not because you expect anything in return.

5) Make eye contact and smile at everyone who returns that eye contact.

6) Compliment strangers, but only when it is sincere.

7) Listen – NO, REALLY LISTEN – to people when they are talking to you.

8) The people in front of you always trump the people who are texting you, calling you, messaging you, or anything else that pops up on your phone screen. For the love of Peter, put your phone away.

9) Go above and beyond for people, especially when that is the job you are being paid to do. People have plenty of choices that allow them to take their business elsewhere. And trust me, they will do just that!

I know that most, if not all of the people who will read this are not the ones at fault. But maybe if a few people share it, and then those people share it, and so on, we can make a positive impact. It’s kind of like network marketing, except instead of selling goods, we are reminding people how to be a good employee and a decent human.

Until, next time, go be nice to strangers!

-Penny

Today, I want to share this earnings graphic.

Yes, the numbers are an average, but in many cases, including my own, those averages fall on the low side! What would you do with an extra $50, $500, $5000, $25,000 per month? And what would you be willing to do to earn that kind of extra income? People are surprised when I tell them how little time I actually spend in relationship to the extra monthly income I make.

I do realize that this business is not for everyone. I hear different reasons and objections as to why people are not willing to take a look at this business. Here is a list of the most common ones. Do any of these sound familiar to you?

?”I don’t have time”. I have personally built my entire business on 2-3 hours a week over the last year, and those aren’t even consecutive hours! It’s posting the specials and some before and after photos on Facebook, which most people are already spending their time on anyway. It’s mailing out samples and following up with a message a week later to see how the recipient liked them. It’s spending a Saturday afternoon with your new best friends at a training. I literally built my entire business on Facebook.

?“I’m not good at sales”. YAY!!! That tells me you are going to be great at this business! People don’t buy from “good sales people”. They buy from people they know, like, and trust. You are simply sharing the opportunity to try the products and take a look at the different levels of purchasing them. If they are interested, you help them get started. If not, no big deal!

?“I don’t know anything about hair products”. You don’t have to! Who knows their hair better than the person wearing it? Nobody. Let them decide what they want, need, or what their main goal is for their hair. There is a 30-day money back guarantee, so even if they don’t love their first choice, they can trade it in for another choice. And there are product specialists just a phone call away to help with the process if you or your customer needs additional help.

?“It costs too much to get in the door.” $299 is the minimum investment to get in. That investment gets you free training, a free website, and you get $495 worth of full sized products that you can either keep, share, or sell for an immediate profit. It also comes with a ton of samples and brochures that makes it easy to share the products with friends and family.

?”How much am I required to spend or sell every month or year?” Zero. You don’t even need to carry any inventory, as your customers will just get online to order and pay for their own products, which are shipped right to their door. I personally like to keep some products on hand for those people who just are not comfortable placing orders online. Plus, I enjoy making the deliveries and having the face to face conversations. But that is my preference, and is in no way required.

?“I don’t know enough people.” It’s not just about who you know. It’s also about who they know! My team spans the entire United States, and I only know about 10% of them. With today’s social networking platforms, distance is truly irrelevant.

?“I don’t know what to say or do.” That’s what I’m here for! Not to mention the free online training.

?”Everyone is already buying it from someone else.” False. While it is gaining popularity and momentum, there are still people who I talk to every day who have never heard of it. Or maybe they’ve heard of it, but still haven’t had a chance to try it. Trust me, the market is far from saturated, no matter where you live.

?“I saw a negative review on Facebook”. There are over 500,000 documented people in the United States and Canada who are using, loving, and re-ordering these products! So, you saw a bad review? It happens. Not everyone is going to love it. Most do, but there are some who do not. I would never ask you to share or promote a product that you do not love and believe in. Side note: We just expanded to the United Kingdom, where there are 1300 banned chemicals (the US only has 11), and MONAT did not have to change their formulation whatsoever in order to meet those standards.

?“I don’t like the direct sales model.” This one actually hurts my feelings to know that a friend or family member is more comfortable with giving their money, trust, and business to the big box stores for mediocre to average products, or even to go online to save a couple of bucks, especially when they know how passionate I am about the company and products.

Again, I realize this opportunity is not for everyone. But if it’s something you’ve been considering, I would love to talk to you more to answer any remaining questions or concerns. And as always, I promise there is no pressure or expectations. You can ask me anything! I truly love sharing about the business and the products, and what they have done for me and the people I care about!

-Penny

After about a month of praying, and finally just “giving it to God”, as they say, I received my sign! It came in the form of a lunch with my sister, where I could clearly see that she was looking happier, healthier, and more confident than I had seen her in a very long time. Even her hair was shiny and vibrant, a direct reflection of her attitude that day. I finally asked her about what was going on with her, and she told me with much enthusiasm about a new natural-based, anti-aging hair care line she was using. My lifeless, breaking, dull, and thinning hair was also a direct reflection of how I was feeling on the inside as well, so I figured I had nothing to lose by trying some samples.

As many of you know, my results with this product were off the chart. (If you don’t know, check out my before and after photo!)

Even though it was December, and I was flat broke, there was something inside me telling me to take the leap. I justified my decision to join this company by telling myself that even if I never sold any product, I would have enough products to last me for many years. Plus, it was the only thing I had ever used that actually worked! So, with those justifications in place, I went against my own rule and put the biggest package available for purchase on my last credit card that had any available credit.

A month after starting the products, I finally decided to go public with my results. It was so far out of my comfort zone to take and post my selfies and story, and I lamented over doing it for several days before I finally sent everything to my sister so she could pull that trigger for me. But once I put myself out there, everything changed! It was a matter of minutes and my phone started blowing up with people asking me about the products, if I thought it would work for them, and how they could try it too. There were people who I haven’t talked to in years, people who I thought had perfect lives and perfect hair, and even people I didn’t think really even liked me who were now reaching out for help! The best part was that I’ve never had to actually sell anything. It is simply a matter of sharing the products and my personal results, and letting the products sell themselves.

Fast forward to now . . . I barely recognize the person I was a year ago. And I’m not just talking about my hair! I have new and renewed friendships that have been a direct result of this opportunity and my new-found confidence. Since last January, I have paid off $36,300 in debt by refinancing my home at a lower interest rate, selling a vehicle that was no longer being used, and by putting all of my extra Monat income towards my debt (using Dave Ramsey’s debt snowball plan). I feel like my life purpose has been renewed by helping others to find their own “something more”.

For anyone who is interested in learning more about this opportunity, please ask any questions or feel free to send me a private message. And for anyone wanting to try free samples of my products, I would also welcome you to send me a comment or a private message as well.

If you’ve made it all the way to the end of this long post, then maybe this is YOUR sign!

Thanks to all of you for all your support and friendship,

-Penny

Day 1

Yesterday I posted on my Facebook fan page about detoxing our lives. I spent the day thinking about the different things I could start with, but landed on the one thing that I know will make the biggest impact. Plus, It is something I have been putting off for way too long.

So, starting today, I am giving up sweets. I’m talking about candy, sodas, treats, and desserts. I know there are lots of other foods that either contain or convert to sugar, but I’m starting with these little devils, as they have been my downfall for my entire life. I’ve stopped them before, and have loved how much more energy I had, along with the quick weight loss associated with giving up sugar. But like any other addiction, one little slip up would put me back into the downward spiral of rolling in the sugar again.

Day 2

This last September, I faced a BIG fear of mine – driving in the mountains. Just to be clear, I’ve driven in the mountains before. However, I’ve done it on my own terms, at my own speed, and I’ve turned around to go back when I started to get uneasy and queasy. But this time, I was a passenger to a man who knows NO fear (aka Blaine).

We had been looking forward to this trip to Steamboat Springs, Colorado for a long time, and had picked out several “must do” activities during our stay. One of the items on our list of things to do while there was to visit the Strawberry Park Hot Springs. The park has several hot mineral springs that are approximately 104 degrees in temperature, and surrounded by a forest. He assured me that it would be something I would really love. I thought it sounded amazing and couldn’t wait to go. However, what he didn’t tell me was that the springs were located up the mountain, on low-maintenance roads, and only 4-wheel drive vehicles were allowed to make the trek to the Springs.

As we were climbing in elevation, there were several times that I almost chickened out and asked to go back into town. There were times that the road was so steep that I could no longer see it over the hood of the truck. And if another car happened to be going down at the same time as we were going up, there was a very small amount of space to pull over to let the other get past. My stomach was in knots the entire time. My fists and armpits were full of sweat. If Blaine would try to look at the scenery, or over at me to make sure I was ok, or reach over to comfort me, I would yell at him to keep his hands on the steering wheel and his eyes on the road. He was so good to me. He knew I was scared to death, so he drove extra slow, pulled off to the side a few times, and made sure that he didn’t go even one half of a mile over the posted speed limits. Even so, I was still scared to death.

When we finally reached our destination, my legs were weak and I felt pure exhaustion. It was even a challenge for me to walk my rubbery legs down the hill to the changing rooms. But as soon as I saw the Springs, all of those fears were forgotten. I’ve attached the video of the Springs, but no video or words can even begin to do explain how beautiful, relaxing, and peaceful it was. Even with other people enjoying the Springs, I felt that we were in our own little world. We immediately got into the water, and I honestly forgot about everything else. After soaking for a couple of hours, we climbed back into the truck to make our way back down the mountain. I’m not going to say I wasn’t still nervous and scared of the drive back down, but it was nothing in comparison the ride there.

On our drive back home a few days later, we talked about all the things we had done while on our trip. Interestingly, the trip to the Springs was my favorite experience. It was certainly not something I would have done in the past. It does make me feel regretful that I have missed out on so many amazing experiences due to my many fears, but also, so very thankful to have found someone I can trust and who seems to have limitless understanding and patience with me.

While I cannot change the things I’ve missed out on in the past, my goal going forward is to acknowledge my unfounded fears and take them on like my life depends on it. Because nobody goes to their grave saying, “I’m glad I played it safe.”