Jennifer Stroman

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Change Leads to Paradise

It’s ingrained in us not to give up or quit when things get tough. Because of this, a lot of us stay in a place we are miserable. 

We fight internally to make ourselves satisfied. We tell ourselves we are winning by staying and riding out the storm. We think it’s way too hard but tell ourselves it’s not supposed to be easy and we press on. 

In most cases, the bumps are temporary and can be overcome. In other cases, the path is extreme off road terrain with no end in sight. 

I want to share 3 major path changes in my life…my marriage, my health and my business.

The Broken Marriage

I don’t hide the fact that I am happily married to the man of my dreams and have been married for 16 years! I also don’t hide the fact that we separated for 6 months about 8 years ago. Although the separation was both of our faults, I learned a lot about myself and I changed into who I am today. During the split, I learned how selfless my husband truly was and is. I learned how selfish I could be and many unflattering traits I didn’t want to continue. So, when we made a decision to mend our marriage, I made the decision to overlook the bad, focus on the good and together we committed to always focusing on us first!! That was the turning point in our marriage and the bumpy road softened. I wish I could say it was smooth sailing from there. In fact, the worst was yet to come! We endured the most horrific tragedies AFTER we got back together and I am sure there will be many more in the future. The difference is we put God first, leaned on each other and never ran. We faced it head on together. We are on the right path and the overwhelming emotions I feel when I think of my husband tell me I made the right decision.

The Fat Girl

I began struggling with my weight while on birth control after my first child. I gained 30 lbs and got pregnant! What a way to go! After birthing my second child, I continued to struggle with weight. I had a hysterectomy, had hormone issues, thyroid problems and eventually discovered an auto-immune disease. I tried supplements, over the counter drugs, Dr.’s, prescription drugs and just about everything except hard core street drugs! I worked out with a personal trainer and did all the right things… IN MY HEAD! For years this continued until a year ago when I finally made the decision to rid my body of all the “things” I was taking and began eating the right way. I made the decision to not go back to that old person. I made the decision to stop seeing myself as a victim! I am not where I want to be, but I am not anywhere close to what I was. Down 60 lbs and continuing… it is possible, but you have to WANT change!!

The MLM Jumper

So, I have jumped a handful of times in my career. Not many can say they have been with the same company their entire adult lives and those that can aren’t the type of people who love adventure or spontaneous actions. I am a true adventurer and am always ready to get up and go! This is not what lead me to where I am today. I wish my adventurous free spirit was the reason I joined my current company.

I was with a health and wellness company and had left for good reason (that’s another blog for another day) and joined a beauty company. This beauty company was on a level all on it’s own. It was professional, top notch, amazing quality products. I was all in. I was so far in, I drank the Kool-aid, if you know what I mean! So when backorders began, I told myself it would get better. When shipping issues occurred, I said “well, we are new and need to adjust.” When they promised products that never came, I just let it go. I had faith that the company was my forever home and I would see a rainbow after the storm. The longer I held on, the more I hated what I was doing. I saw leaders trying to convince their teams that this was temporary. I saw them LIE to their teams about things corporate was doing. I watched top leaders try and explain how amazing changes were that actually hurt everyone in the company. I also realized my leaders were not what they appeared to be and although I was trying to see past that, it wasn't working. When I realized I was in a negative space, I began searching for something positive. I found a path and began to look into it when this company fell into my lap. I dropped everything and ran! I ran so fast and so hard that I barely remember the transition. I knew it was different. I felt it! Now, as I sit on the beaches of paradise, I look back and think how stupid I was to hold on for so long, but at the same time, it was necessary for my story. Without that off road terrain, I wouldn’t be as grateful for the smooth sailing I see today. We don’t have shipping issues… we ship same day and are faster than amazon. We don’t have backorders or inventory issues. We don’t lie to our teams. We only change things for the better not to hurt the company. We always do what we say we will do! We are a positive, uplifting environment that is more interested in seeing YOU win than making a buck themselves.

The Truth

Sometimes we THINK we are on the right path. We THINK if we fight through it, we will succeed. The TRUTH is we’re stuck where we don’t belong and we’re on the wrong path. It’s time for a smooth ride. It’s time to CHANGE!

In Closing

When you realize you’re on the wrong path, you’ll run the other way!  What you may not realize is you’re running straight into paradise! 

“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

   

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