Nutrition – Page 2

ARBONNE REVIEW

If you read my prior blog and article published by Prsuit: “DEALING WITH JUDGEMENT OF YOUR ASPIRATIONS BY OTHERS” then you will know that part of this experience had to do with my joining Arbonne International as an Independent Consultant, so I wanted to share my experiences with you about what it’s been like for me since I joined this past October 2016. This is a network marketing company and many are skeptical of those type of companies, I was too, until I opened my mind to learn more about it and dispelled the myths. The truth is nothing happens overnight and it requires dedication and perseverance to build a business, so as long as people know that, they will not be misled. The reality about reputation is, when a company is growing, some people who affiliate themselves with the company may not reflect the company very well and that of course damages a reputation. Arbonne International is not a new business, but is 35 plus years and growing. Reputation is a concern for every growing business because as a company grows, the people in front of us represent the company, and if those people don’t make a good impression, the company is then tied to that impression.

REFLECTION OF OUR VALUES

My opinion and experience throughout my life is that we should not get involved with a company unless it truly mirrors our values and purpose in life, because we become a reflection of the company and the company becomes a reflection of us. If a company changes and no longer reflects the values and purpose that drew us to the company, we should end our relationship with that company. As in life, nothing is perfect, a company is the makeup of its affiliates or employees, and likewise if a person no longer reflects the core values and purpose of a company, they are usually terminated.

ARBONNE: PURE, SAFE, BENEFICIAL

Arbonne has done a great job of summarizing in the three words: Pure, Safe and Beneficial, the inspiration behind their products. When I joined Arbonne, I had done a little research on my own on nutrition, but nothing on cosmetics or skincare, that was something I didn’t think about. What impacted me most of all was the statement that our skin is the largest organ of our body and absorbs what we put on it, which affects us and our health. It does matter what we use for skincare and obviously, our nutrition too. I’ve researched more since joining because I wanted to verify statements and there was so much I didn’t know, and I’ve learned a lot already. I encourage you to research on your own too, not necessarily blogs, but medical research clinics and hospitals, such as Mayo Clinic or Johns Hopkins on various topics that we may question.

ARBONNE: MANIFESTO

This is what I connected with and related to when I made the decision to align with the company, it matched my core values:

ARBONNE: THE PRODUCTS: NUTRITION, SKINCARE, COSMETICS, BATH/BODY

Before I would recommend any products to my friends or family, I wanted to try them myself. That is just who I am, I can’t stand behind something I don’t believe in. My experiences with Arbonne are in process and being reflected on my Facebook Page: annm2705 but truly I haven’t used something I didn’t like, I do have favorites and products that maybe are not necessary for me personally, but they still are high quality, effective plus I feel comfortable using them or recommending them because of my experience as well as Arbonne’s stated product purpose: PURE, SAFE, BENEFICIAL.

NUTRITION

In January 2017, I started the 30 Days to Healthy Living and Beyond Program and I am so impressed by the resources offered to those who participate. Of course, we buy a 30-day supply of Arbonne products that may seem expensive at first, because we are buying a 30-day supply, but when you break it down to a per meal cost, you can get the products, for less than the cost of a muffin and cup of coffee. When you participate in the program, you will also receive the resources of Nutritionists who provide a weekly grocery list, recipes for nutritious meals, as well as suggestions for challenges we face in our eating habits, cravings etc. I’ve found that my grocery bills are less, but I’m eating healthier. My shopping cart is primarily filled with organic vegetables, some fruits and protein: lean meat: chicken, turkey, grass fed beef, and fish. And yes, organic is more expensive, but I’m eliminating the sugar and not so good for you type of carbohydrates, so that offsets the organic cost. And when I thought about what I’m feeding myself and my family and how it so greatly affects our health, this will likely offset medical bills in the future, by taking a vested interest in healthy eating! Not all medical bills of course, but this is something we should all consider with the rising cost of healthcare: taking better care of ourselves and our family. I have met people who changed their diets and then no longer needed medications. Medications are expensive and some of the side effects are destructive too. Take some time to think about that. If you want to join a future 30 Days to Healthy Living program with Arbonne, I provide my contact information at the end of this article.

ARBONNE INDEPENDENT CONSULTANTS

I decided to become an Independent Consultant to get the greatest product discount after using a few skincare sample products, because I liked the products and knew I would be buying more. It wasn’t a significant upfront cost, so I could justify it. I wanted to learn more before I suggested the products to anyone else, which is what I’ve been doing these past several months. When I joined Arbonne, the products and the company reflected something important to me: a healthy life style and improvement, so I decided to do it; there was no downside. Becoming an Independent Consultant has its advantages: a discount on the products plus we can make income from products that others buy through our introduction, so why not? Especially if we like the products and will be using them ourselves. If others like the products and want to join as Independent Consultants, they can too, there is no competition here, this is a team and growing! The more products I tried and the more people I met through Arbonne, my thoughts on this expanded. I saw this as such a great business opportunity for motivated individuals, who have a passion for the products: the freedom and personal development it offers too. The improvement side of Arbonne is amazing! Not only do the products help improve others, but the Independent Consultants are provided with such great positivity, motivation, self-improvement, personal development from what I’ve experienced. I have never met so many positive uplifting people in one place, the positive energy/vibes from the people are the best I’ve ever been around. So vibrant, supportive, welcoming, fun, dedicated, ambitious, motivating, positive people who want to help others too. We all have seen quotes that say we become what we surround ourselves with, right? And I must say, this truly describes the ensemble of Arbonne Independent Consultants whom I’ve met personally. It wasn’t long after joining that we were making plans socially, outside of the business, to have get togethers.

I met Independent Consultants who have had their lives changed by embracing this as a business and from the nutritional aspect; this certainly doesn’t happen without efforts, but, it is possible for anyone motivated to build success and willing to work for it. And the great thing about it, our team can be our friends, family, or anyone around the world, all we need is internet access to connect! The success is not overnight like so many may be led to believe with online business promotions, it takes years of dedication and staying with it, but it is a possibility. You truly get what you give to others…you will be improving yourself and improving the lives of others!

SIDE OBSERVATION

I have not seen this emphasized in the company, but after hearing from or talking to Independent Consultants with Arbonne, I noticed there is a tremendous amount who openly talk about their faith in God (as you may know, I am Christian; however, it doesn’t matter if others believe in something different, I have respect for all. We each choose our belief based on our culture, experiences and connection with something Greater than us.) Anyway, this faith component is important to me personally and I wonder if there is more purpose here than what is initially seen, especially because the core is all about improvement and giving back? There are some amazing heartwarming stories that have happened as a result of someone’s Arbonne business success. Truly inspiring!

If you are interested in anything I’ve shared, joining my team, or have questions, you can reach me as follows:

Facebook at: annm2705 (Ann Dulle- Arbonne Independent Consultant Page, on this account, my purpose is posting beneficial and informative information about the products, how I’m using them, health and nutrition, my personal experiences or promoting upcoming informative events (which I have yet to do!)– so “Like” my page and follow if you are interested in receiving updates)

or Instagram: annm2705 (this is my personal account where I post anything related to Faith, Family, Friends, Travel, Fitness, Improvement = My passions in life)

or my Arbonne Independent Consultant Page (where you can shop Arbonne Products): www.anndulle.arbonne.com

Wishing you success in 2017! I hope it is a great year for you!

January 16, 2017 by annm2705 Categories: entrepreneur, FAITH, FAMILY, FITNESS, Following Passions, HAPPINESS, Health and Beauty, Improvement, Make It Count, Nutrition, RELATIONSHIPS, TRAVEL, WellnessTags: ANNM2705, ARBONNE, ARBONNE INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT, ARBONNE REVIEW, AUTHENTIC, BE REAL, COLLABORATIONCOMMUNITY, FAITH, FAMILY, FITNESS, FOLLOW YOUR PASSION, FRIENDS, GRATITUDE, HAPPINESS, HEALTH, HONESTY, Improvement, INSPIRATION, MAKEITCOUNT, NETWORK MARKETING, POSITIVITY, RELATIONSHIPS, SELF-IMPROVEMENT, SUCCESS, TEAMWORK, TRAVEL Leave a comment

DEALING WITH JUDGEMENT OF YOUR ASPIRATIONS BY OTHERS

I wanted to share my article published last week by Prsuit, click on this link to read my article. It’s about my own experiences and realizations with judgement.

Life doesn’t always follow the path we expect; the only thing constant is change. And when there is change, I’ve experienced judgement as a side effect: sometimes good, sometimes bad, but other people always have an opinion, only some voice it.

Secondly there will be a forthcoming related article about my experiences with my new venture mentioned in the article, near the end of January or early February.

CREDITS:

If you arrived at this article from Instagram @annm2705, then you’ve already seen this, but if you found this article in another way, I should recognize a few who are making a meaningful contribution to entrepreneurship and creators, if you don’t know them already, you should check them out and get to know them on Instagram @prsuit @hdfmagazine, or their websites: PRSUIT, HDFMAGAZINE, podcasts: The Hustle Sold Separately

If you read my very first blog, you will see how I found them in the spring of 2016 on Instagram and since then have seen so much growth from their companies. Matt Gottesman and Case Kenny have an incredible drive and are helping others: great resources for entrepreneurs and creators!

January 11, 2017 by annm2705 Categories: Careers, Face Fear, FAITH, FAMILY, Following Passions, FRIENDSHIP, HAPPINESS, Improvement, Make It Count, Nutrition, RELATIONSHIPS, TRAVEL, WellnessTags: ANNM2705, AUTHENTIC, BE REAL, BRAND LOYALTY, COLLABORATIONCOMMUNITY, DESIGN, FAITH, FAMILY, FITNESS, FOLLOW YOUR PASSION, FRIENDS, GRATITUDE, HAPPINESS, HONESTY, Improvement, INNOVATION, INSPIRATION, MAKEITCOUNT, POSITIVITY, RELATIONSHIPS, SELF-IMPROVEMENT, TEAMWORK, TRAVEL 1 Comment

2017?

So what will 2017 be like?

Reflecting on what happened in 2016 helps me focus on how to make 2017 better, below is an outline of my end of year thoughts and action plans (the first chart is blank, if anyone wants to use it for themselves, and the second one is filled out- hopefully the filled-out version will motivate me to follow through, after publicly stating this):

2016 Reflection	My Thoughts	2017 Plans	2017 Specific Actions
For what am I grateful?		Make plans to do something that enhances, improves, what I am grateful for: Make It Count, Make a Difference.
What did I enjoy most?		Spend more time and energy on what I am passionate about and identify ways my actions will benefit others: create purpose!
What did I do to benefit, give back to others who are important to me?		This is success. Continue with more and if something is lacking make specific plans to elevate this action.
What improvements did I make from the prior year?		This is success. Continue with more, what else can be done? Change is constant, keep it up, find ways to improve more, or lose it; complacency will lose it.
What didn’t work out?		This is failure, but temporary, because I will learn from it and make changes.
What were the challenges?		List them along with what I learned from it.
What did I want to do, but didn’t get around to doing it?		Schedule it in 2017.

2016 Reflection	My Thoughts	2017 Plans	2017 Specific Actions
For what am I grateful?	· Faith · Family · Friends · Health/Fitness · Music · Nature/Outdoors · Travel Opportunities · Business Opportunities · People who have supported/mentored me throughout my life	Make plans to do something that enhances, improves, what I am grateful for: Make It Count, Make a Difference.	· Get involved in a helpful way with church to contribute/give back with my time · Plan and Spend quality time with Family and Friends · Research and Improve Nutrition through better meal planning · Schedule 3-4 days of workouts per week and stick to it · Support Musical Artists by attending concerts, buying music, blogging · Nature/Outdoors/Travel: plan trips and share experiences and resources with others · Make weekly goals and follow through to grow business · Find an organization that helps people act and improve themselves; I’m not much a believer that “just dumping gifts in someone’s lap is the best way to make a long-term difference (if they are not trying to improve themselves on their own), but I want to help people who are trying
What did I enjoy most?	· Time spent with those I care about · Music · Traveling · Improving via Design or Personal Fitness	Spend more time and energy on what I am passionate about and identify ways my actions will benefit others: create purpose!	My Lifetime Goal/Dream: I have a grandiose dream of creating or being involved with a luxury get away place that provides a place for people to get healthy, relax, work on fitness and enjoy music – all without leaving the getaway place. A place for others to recharge, reflect, improve.
What did I do to benefit, give back to others who are important to me?	· Time spent with those I care about, I tried to be present whenever someone needed it. · 2016 I probably spent more time than ever before reflecting, so next year I want to increase the time spent in action.	This is success. Continue with more and if something is lacking make specific plans to elevate this action.	· Increase time spent on actively giving back to others – this area needs improvement for me.
What improvements did I make from the prior year?	· Stayed physically active throughout the year · Attended more often at Church · Acted to improve my situation, rather than complaining about it · Acted on Real Estate renovations	This is success. Continue with more, what else can be done? Change is constant, keep it up, find ways to improve more, or lose it; complacency will lose it.	· Continue plans and focus on health and fitness · Get more involved with church · Find other opportunities to renovate real estate · Continue focus on self-improvement/purpose
What didn’t work out?	· Failed relationship · Relationship damage with others	This is failure, but temporary, because I will learn from it and make changes.	· Try to keep interactions peaceful · Make efforts to repair relationship damage with others
What were the challenges?	· Stress · Turmoil · Negativity · Disrespect · De-valued self-worth · Flight · Escape · Sadness · Emptiness · Simply existing, not living · Fallout	List them along with what I learned from it.	· I learned to Let Go. · I learned not to let significant time pass without positive action and improvement in any given situation. · Improved Independence · Let go of stress related to unimportant/insignificant events · Remove myself from turmoil and surround myself with positive people · Exercise relieves stress · All people deserve respectful interactions, even if there is something bad happening · Self-worth: continually work on self-improvement and don’t be affected by others who de-value that self-worth- ignore it · Fleeing from a problem doesn’t solve it; it must be tackled head on · Get away from environments that can’t be improved and cause sadness · Improving my relationship with God and following what I am passionate about removes emptiness · Pursing a passion with a purpose leads to happiness and is living, not simply existing · Change will create fallout; that is a tradeoff unfortunately and will require more effort to improve but if not; let it go; nothing forced works in the long term. · Finding forgiveness for “wrongs” because they fueled improvement, so the “wrongs” turned into a positive outcome.
What did I want to do, but didn’t get around to doing it?	· I wasn’t as affective as I wanted to be in 2016, because I didn’t spend enough time on it.	Schedule it in 2017.

It is important to me to live life the way it matters most: TODAY. When I look back on 2016, I can’t really say that it was a good year, or a bad year, because there were both experiences, almost to the extreme at each end, and somewhat surreal in retrospect. So many disruptive changes occurred all at once (my dad’s death, a new business venture, loss of employee benefits at my current job but at the same time, my best year ever there, a divorce, giving up a condo on a lake, moving into a new home, renovations, challenges with my kids brought on by the divorce; it’s just been busy); so, I’m hoping that 2017 will be a little bit calmer. I welcome change, just not as much disruption all at one time, it was an emotional roller coaster year for me and a bit of a blur with so much happening.

I plan to make 2017 a better, calmer year.

I also will pray for guidance, every day, in 2017, it can’t hurt, that’s for sure!

I hope to have the opportunity in 2017 to work with other motivated individuals, to pursue further success in life, because that aligns best with my passion: continued improvement. This is what I do in my current real estate career (help successful people become more financially successful) and my new business venture (which provides motivated people an avenue to become financially successful).

If you read the original reason, “ABOUT”, from the menu in my blog, which I just started three months ago, this is it: I am looking to connect with like-minded people and collaborate.

I realize the internet is filled with a lot of fake people and get rich quick schemes…and this is NOT me, nor what I’m pursing. I believe I put enough information out there about me, my thoughts, in my blogs, so you can get to know me and hopefully realize I’m a “normal” person, if there is such a thing. If you search social media (Twitter, FaceBook, Instagram): annm2705, you will find all my information. I’m simply at a point in life, ready for the next step in a new venture and excited about the possibilities and opportunities in life.

December 21, 2016January 31, 2017 by annm2705 Categories: Careers, Entertainment, FAITH, FAMILY, FITNESS, Following Passions, FRIENDSHIP, HAPPINESS, Improvement, Letting Go, Make It Count, MUSIC, Nutrition, RELATIONSHIPS, TRAVEL, WellnessTags: ANNM2705, AUTHENTIC, BE REAL, COLLABORATIONCOMMUNITY, CONCERTS, DESIGN, EXPLOREMO, FAITH, FAMILY, FITNESS, FOLLOW YOUR PASSION, FRIENDS, GRATITUDE, HAPPINESS, HONESTY, Improvement, INSPIRATION, MAKEITCOUNT, MUSIC, OUTDOOR CONCERTS, PASSIONFORMUSIC, photography, POSITIVITY, RELATIONSHIPS, SELF-IMPROVEMENT, TEAMWORK, TRAVEL 1 Comment

Career Paths We Choose

FOLLOWING A PASSION- MY STORY

Some people are lucky and know at a young age what they want to be. I, on the other hand, was not so lucky and when it came time for college, I had no clue what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to get a degree.

EARLY JOBS

Financially, the cost of college was my responsibility so had to figure how to cover that. My good fortune was having parents who were intelligent, so thankfully, some of that was passed down to me in the genes and I was able to get an academic scholarship along with a financial aid grant which enabled me to complete my first year of college. I don’t mind working, in fact, I started working when I was 12, first baby sitting then had various jobs once in high school: restaurant, movie theater, retail and life guard. During my first year of college I met a friend who worked as a bank teller part-time while attending college, so guess what my next job was…yes, a bank teller.

CAREER START- Architecture/Interior Design

My second year of college, I decided I wanted to be an architect, because I had a friend whose brother-in-law was an architect and I was intrigued by the projects he designed and the business of architecture and creating. So I pursued that and was able to get a job with a small architectural firm through my friend’s brother-in-law while attending college. In my third year of college, one of the professors suggested I join a larger firm to broaden my experience, so I did that. I found that architectural firms have good financial times and bad financial times depending on the market and saw layoffs a few times. It was tough going through those times because people you became really close to lost their jobs. It made me feel uncomfortable, so I thought it might be less risky to work for an Interior Design Firm where the business might remain more constant, by not depending on new building construction. This became my next job. I was always a dedicated employee and would work “all-nighters” as we called them, whenever it was needed to finish a project. Literally we would work all night long, blast the music, have pizza delivered and work all night long ‘til we finished! I put in tons of hours in architecture and interior design, made some great friends and enjoyed it, but knew this was not my final destination.

CAREER CHANGE – Real Estate and Development

I still loved real estate and was interested in the sales and leasing side of the business, but those were commission only based jobs, and I owned a house at that point, which made a commission only income a big risk. I ended up going to school to get my real estate license while I was working full time in design. I did this during off hours: on nights and weekends and then worked part-time at a residential real estate office, while still maintaining my full time job. I quickly realized that was not going to work out; I needed to work real estate full time to make a living doing this. I found a job opportunity by talking with a real estate client who was leaving her job, so I applied for that position and luckily was hired, becoming a property manager. One day, a mentor of mine and I were having lunch and he threw out the idea of a new position working for him on a redevelopment project where my responsibilities would be construction administration, leasing and property management. This was a dream come true and eventually, this is where I went. Sadly, we didn’t have much time in this business together, he passed away unexpectedly before I was there for a full year. This was a huge blow to me because not only was he my boss, but he was also a mentor whom I had known for many years; he had been like a father to me, so this was devastating to me. At that time, I felt like things couldn’t get any worse, so I decided to take a risk and get a job in the real estate sales and leasing side, with a company he respected from prior conversations we had. Once I was hired, it took a couple years to stabilize, but then it became the best job I ever had, one that I truly enjoyed and was successful with it and I will continue with this, but I think there is more to do in my life.

CHANGE IS THE ONLY CERTAIN THING IN LIFE

In life, there will always be change. That’s just a part of life, and knowing, accepting and embracing it leads to better things. I also know being open to opportunities and continual improvement because change always occurs. Businesses evolve and most of the time the changes that affect me are not ones I control, so to survive, I am open-minded to change.

REFLECTION

This past year in my life, I’ve reflected on where I’ve been, what I’ve done and what creates happiness in my life. I also questioned my purpose in life is? I believe we all have a purpose but I still don’t feel like I’m at my final destination; there is more that can be done and I want to make what I contribute more meaningful for others. If I look back at my path, what has motivated me most during my life has been “improvement”: spatially, physically, and helping others improve. I enjoy helping people reach their goals and that usually occurs through change! I’ve had a lot of change during my life, and this has led me to be confident and positive during change, because it’s always worked out in the past.

THE SOURCE OF NEW JOBS

When I look back on the jobs I’ve had, even though they are diverse, each job I ever had was one that a friend of mine told me about, my entire career! This proves to me the most important part of my life has always been my friends! I recognize this is truly incredible and look out for my friends as well, when I see an opportunity for them.

RECENT CHANGE

In August, I moved to a new home and met my neighbor, and we simply hit it off right away. I could tell that we would get along well very shortly after talking a few times. I was super busy with renovating my home and furnishing it through October, working on it until 1 am then waking up at 5am to start the day. It was intense. Anyway, it turned out that she works for Arbonne International, so we talked more and during one conversation, at the last minute, she invited me to a meeting she was hosting. I usually had a Bootcamp class, but wasn’t going that night, so I was available and attended the meeting. I was a little familiar with the company because several years ago, another friend of mine introduced me to Arbonne International, but it had been some time ago and I wanted to know more. After attending the meeting, I connected well with the company philosophy: “Pure, Safe and Beneficial” and liked their product line which are skin care, nutrition and cosmetics. What a perfect match for what I was seeking! It fit so well with what motivates me: “improvement” through nutrition, fitness and taking care of your skin. My neighbor gave me various product samples and after using them, I liked the products, so much that I decided to buy some for my own use. Usually when I find something I like; I tend to share that with others and the business side of the company is built around this! So, I decided to explore more about the company and believed in their brand, so I recently joined the company after about a month of thinking about this.

My website is now live: anndulle.arbonne.com and I’m on Facebook too: “Ann Dulle- Independent Arbonne Consultant” if you are interested in knowing more about the products, the company or opportunities; I’m happy to talk to you!

So, a new launch has just occurred for me and I’m excited about the direction because it’s all about health, wellness, nutrition, and organic products- improving my life and the lives of others!

October 29, 2016 by annm2705 Categories: Careers, Following Passions, Improvement, Nutrition, WellnessTags: FAMILY, FITNESS, FOLLOW YOUR PASSION, FRIENDS, Improvement, RELATIONSHIPS, SELF-IMPROVEMENT, TEAMWORK Leave a comment