Multi Level Marketing – Stop the Nay Saying

A bit of an unusual rant from me but I truly felt that I had to speak up on behalf of women.

I recently watched a YouTube clip about a product a friend of mine had started selling. The commentator in the video was against my friends product. His only reason for being against the product is that it was multi-level marketing (MLM). Nothing about the integrity of the company or the quality of the product. Just against it because of the way you buy it.

Let me tell you about MLM and I why I do it and thousands of others do it too. Now, I agree, there are some unscrupulous companies out their, but mostly the MLM products that are lasting and that have successful sales consultants are good products from good companies that chose a specific growth path. And it is a path that empowers its consultants, most of whom are women.

I love MLM. I am not hugely active as for me it is a side line. I have two MLM products that I sell because I absolutely believe in or love the product. I am well rewarded, can work the hours I want and I have fun. I also get to work with some amazing people who bring joy to my life. Most of the women I work with have MLM as their main source of income. They are able to work around children, family commitments and their own commitments. I work with mums of young children, university students, upcoming brides, and women with older children. All express how much they enjoy being able to pick their own hours.

I have heard people comment that I am making money off my friends. Yes, I did, they welcomed me into my home to hear what I had to say. The same as if you bought a product from a friend that worked in a shop or owned the shop. Other critics point to the rewards that can include holidays locally and overseas. My son works for a multi-national company and regularly goes on holidays that he has won on bonuses, or he travels for conferences, planning retreats and any number of activities. This is how businesses in sales work. They reward their top sales people. And that is what MLM does too.

Put simply, MLM is just one of a number of different business models, one that enables women to work part time or full time, when it suits them and their families, and gives them financial independence, boosts their confidence, and in many many cases builds strong lasting friendships.

Edit – links to MLM pages deleted as I no longer maintain my role in these companies.

I still call him Bruce!?! Excuse me? The ignorance of some people …

Warning! May contain a bit of a Rant!!

The arrogance of some people to say that they will continue to call Caitlyn Jenner “Bruce”. To me this shows all sorts of disrespect to others and to yourself. It shows me that you not only have low self-esteem but a serious lacking in self-worth. Your statement clearly reflects that you live in a world where you are too scared to be true to yourself and so you seek to keep others down or to pull them down when they stick there head up and try to shine. Your words show that the people around you would not respect any choices that you made, and so because you want to stay being a sheep you mimic those words. Who are you that you feel so threatened by the courage of Caitlyn? Who are you that cannot smile happily and with joy at seeing a person take steps to be the person that they truly are? Why are you so unable to let go of your bitter and twisted views and be the best person that you can be?

I think Caitlyn is a role model for everyone. Not just those of us living with transgender feelings. What a path Caitlyn has wandered? So many decades living within false constraints. I show Caitlyn’s steps to my daughters to say that no matter what the odds are in life you must always be true to yourself. Yes you will be scared, yes you will be frightened, and yes you may lose some people that you thought loved you. All those feelings will be worth it. Once you realise who you are and live true to yourself, good people surround you, you feel empowered, your life has meaning and you discover joy. Living true to yourself brings balance.

A big cheer for Vanity Fair for publishing Caitlyn’s debut on their front cover.

And Caitlyn, I am honoured that I lived at a time that allowed you to find yourself inside and out.

**LoveAndLight**

Be the reason someone soars!

So often we see people crippling loved ones, especially their children; making them dependent on a toxic drama filled relationship. Turning them into people unable to function as grown ups. Lacking in self worth, lacking in confidence. Filled with so much fear they can’t pursue their dreams. Sometimes they have no dreams because all resilience has been broken down and no skills were ever built to make a PACT with themselves and the universe for a truly meaningful life. 

These children grow big not knowing they need to find their Passion and Purpose. Unable to ACT as all Ambition Courage and Tenacity has been stripped from them by vicious tongues that denigrate, belittle and wound; words that should be loving are instead used as weapons, emotional blackmail to manipulate accompanied in a package of twisted love so that the person subjected to it has difficulty in finding good healthy friendships and relationships; and if they do manage, they behave so appallingly that the relationship dies or becomes toxic replicating what they grew big with.

How wondrous is it when you selflessly love and strengthen another person and they choose to stay in your life? And if they spread their wings and fly, you find joy in knowing that a little bit of your loving kindness is soaring with them. 

 

Sitting in judgement

Listening to some new and newish mums talking today I am feeling frustrated. Why are women so ready to sit in judgement of other women? So willing to participate in their own subjugation and of others? All three women are committed to bringing up their children with love and respect. Instead of loving kindness and support they are awash in a sea of judgement.

The judgements that fell harshly on them? One co-sleeps, one had such a difficult time and lack of support breast feeding that she changed to bottle and the other likes to still work part time.

What do I see? Three amazingly strong women juggling children; managing parents, in-laws, friends and “well”-meaning bystanders telling them how they “should” be doing things; coping with sleepless nights; meeting partners needs and wants; all while trying to keep just a little bit of sanity.

What do I think? It’ll take 25 years to know who raised their kids the “right” way. And who are we to judge or wish for a definitive. Think about it. In wanting to be right that means a child is going to grow up unable to function in society. In wanting “your” way to be the “right” way (the only correct way) you are wishing an unhappy life full of suffering on a child.

I co slept, bottle fed, and worked. I was the original party girl too. Dragged my kids from pillar to post pursuing my career. Everyone tut tutted me. My kids have turned out fine. So if you are struggling with people passing judgement on you, ask them to come back in 30 years. Inside yourself lock away the knowledge that you are being the best parent you can be. This is your journey, your path. So long as you make conscious choices, STEPUP when required and own all consequences then you will live a life with meaning and you will pass this attitude and skill on to your children. And that is the greatest gift you can give.

Disgusting diet pill scam

I am so angry. A friend posted a link showing appalling marketing practices on my personal facebook wall today. That disgusting PureGarcinia company has taken to faking endorsement using the beloved Australian magazine, The Women’s Weekly. These “Skinny” pills have been proven to not work. Do a quick Google search adding “Pure Garcinia reviews”. People are losing money, not weight. In a double blind study the group taking the supplement lost less weight than the group taking it.

Women, and men should love their bodies. Not fall into this trap of unrealistic body images. The only diet you should ever undertake is a lifestyle eating path that brings you to good health. If you are in good health then your body will find its own natural weight. I do encourage organic, high raw, gluten free, vegan/vegetarian lifestyles from my own personal experience. I would never recommend a magic pill. None exist. And yes, sadly, I know that from personal experience too.

So that you don’t get caught out I have posted links to the real and the fake sites.

REAL: Australian Women’s Weekly
http://www.aww.com.au/

FAKE: Australian Women’s Weekly
http://www.womenshealthymagazine.com/controversial-belly-buster-hits-the-australian-market/?c=three&ad=

Baring the Female Breasts: Beyond Objectification

So many of our “health” issues actually have their root cause in an emotional off-balance. These 3 stories highlight our changes in almost perfect alignment with maiden, mother and crone. I remember my maiden years (albeit brief, as I was always adventurous) … I loved beautiful undergarments. They always had to be silky and lacy, matching and race! As I entered my mother years the women surrounding me were so anti breastfeeding that I gave up. They could not grasp multiple concepts of the breast. It was purely a sexual object not to be shown in public. Thank goodness my daughter is more supported and able to feed in public. Although she does buy in to the “discrete” school which sees her having to go somewher uncomfortable to make sure narrow minded people are comfortable. And now I am entering the crone years. Scary thought. Not yet 50. My breasts still love a nice bra. And I confess to adding a bit of padding now and then. A recent weight loss of many kilos saw them shrink. But deep down I love them. I always have. Big, small, full of milk, showing cleavage … After all they are a part of me.

Stories From the Belly

There is so much more to a woman’s relationship to her breasts than meets the naked eye. In this post, I am thrilled to have two of my favorite bloggers, KS of Kosher Adobo and Jennifer Berney of Goodnight Already, joining me as we pay homage to this most famous of feminine body parts.

http://tinyurl.com/ocvkvkc
Two Tahitian Women by Paul Gauguin

CHERRY

I am a junior in boarding school. Behind me is a “Save Sex” poster and a perfume ad: “Femme Fatale: When the female of the species is more dangerous than the male.” It’s the night before the first day of school. I am tugging on the neck of my shirt, admiring my bra strap. Every bra I owned just a year before was white or beige, looking more like bandages for my then AA breasts. But this 36B brassiere, red and lined with lace, which I bought…

View original post 915 more words