I spent 10 years as a Sales Director with Mary Kay Cosmetics. During my time as a consultant (before becoming a Sales Director), I had many successes and many more failures. I sometimes questioned if I was good enough to reach my goal and often prayed that God would just give me a pass on all of the hard work and simply let me achieve the goal right then.
I know He heard me but He chose to not grant my request. I’m glad He didn’t.
I hit a major low point in my business around the 3 year mark. I had tried on multiple occasions to meet the qualifications to become a Sales Director, but was not successful. A recent transplant to a new city, I was also struggling to rebuild my business in an area where I knew no one. I was frustrated and disillusioned and way out of my comfort zone. I was beginning to believe I would never reach my goal.
Back then, Mary Kay used Olympic-like medals to reward team building efforts. If a consultant added 3 team members in a month they received a bronze medal, 4 new team members yielded a silver medal and those team builders who added 5 new team members in a month received the coveted gold medal. During the first 3 years of my Mary Kay career, I earned over 20 medals.
Typically on a training night, I would wear one of my gold medals. One night however, I decided to wear ALL of my medals. I looked and felt like the female version of Mr. T. The medals were heavy and they made a ton of noise when I walked. But I wore them anyway.
The next week, I did the same thing and soon people expected to see me with my medals each week. Over time, I slowly found my groove again and began to add to the number of medals around my neck.
A few weeks later, a Sales Director and I were standing off to the side of the room. I was about to be recognized as the sales leader and she was managing recognition for the evening. In a moment of transparency, she asked me why I wore all of my medals. I thought about it for a moment and said
“because I need to be reminded of what I’m capable of.”
Have you been there? Have you ever forgotten all that you are capable of? Have you ever been so bogged down by life or debt or the expectations of yourself (or others) that you lost sight of exactly what you have already accomplished? I have a secret to tell you…
YOU…ARE…CAPABLE!
You are capable of owning your own business. You are capable of leading your family members to Christ. You are capable of getting out of debt. You are capable of going to college debt free. You are capable of leading a ministry. You…are…capable!
“Don’t buy into the negative self-talk that tells you otherwise. You...are...capable!”
Don't believe anything else. Don't buy into the negative self-talk that tells you otherwise. You...are...capable!
Wearing all of my medals during that phase of my career was one of the best things I’ve ever done. It taught me to persevere. It taught me to believe in my abilities. It taught me to trust God’s plan for my life and not give up on the dream I knew had come from Him.
I am certain that what I learned from wearing those medals is part of the reason Keith and I have been able to make such great strides in becoming debt free and living a life of Christ-Centered Financial Wellness. Every time we paid off a debt it was like winning a medal. Every time we chose to create and follow a new monthly budget, we were reminding ourselves that we were capable of discipline.
So what's your story? What are you capable of doing that you're shying away from? What untruth are you telling yourself? Examine your thought life and evict any thoughts that are keeping you from doing what you know you are capable of.
Don't let another day pass with you not fully embracing all that you're capable of!
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See you next week! In the meantime...be well...be encouraged.
