Do you ever look at someone and think… “Man, she has it all.”
Or “I wish I could be that together”?
That recently happened to me at a network marketing event I was at.
You see, this person was relatively new to the organization. And when she saw how high up I was, she instantly thought I had it all together.
What’s funny is, if you know me and my story, you know just how untrue this was for me when I was at her stage.
But she also got me thinking…
Does your story REALLY matter in business?
In all honesty, it depends.
If you plan to spend your career working for someone else, it may not be necessary to weave it into what I call your “personal brand.”
But if you’re an entrepreneur like me, it’s definitely vital.
Here’s the story this sweet woman didn’t know when she saw me as “together.”
I’ll give you the CliffsNotes version.
PS: is that even still a thing?
Wow, that brings back (not so great) memories.
Like, I get that The Grapes of Wrath is an American classic but OMGGGGGG, the writing is just as dry and dusty as the Dust Bowl setting. #EnglishLitPTSD #alsowhydoirememberthisbutnotwheremyglassesare
Where was I going with this?
Oh yeah, my holistic health origin story.
Specifically, the fact that when I started out, I most certainly did NOT have my shiz together. So the fact that this woman assumed I’ve always been this paragon of health threw me for a MFin’ loop.
The truth is, I started getting into health because I literally HAD to.
I was in a high pressure job where I was completely miserable – and feeling STUCK.
I was constantly sick from stress… and didn’t know HOW to actually take care of my body.
Without going into the gory details, let’s just say I couldn’t keep food down. I was weak AF. TBH, I was a crappy mom… and crappy wife… crappy at ev-er-y-thiiiiiiing.
Literally couldn’t even carry my then 2-year-old daughter up a friggin flight of stairs.
My priorities were all over the place… and lemme tell ya, clearly NONE of them were in the correct order.
But you know something?
Sometimes the darkest moments are what helps us rise to the top.
That moment I was sobbing on the stairs, scared out of my freaking mind that I couldn’t even take care of my daughter… it was what I now see as my origin story.
Hayley 2.0.
After a lifetime of following someone else’s path – doing what I had been conditioned to think was the “right thing” – I got desperate enough to call an Eastern medicine doctor in my area.
After running tests, he told me my body was literally shutting down.
All the toxicity from my stressful go-go-go lifestyle… not resting properly… getting the proper nutrition… and reaching for prescriptions to deal with the symptoms...
Had my body in full blown inflammation overload.
And for some reason, this time I was ready to hear the truth.
I needed to make a dramatic change.
And ya know what?
It was scary AF.
At first, that change involved:
- Learning yoga.
- Eating whole foods.
- Going plant-based.
- Exercising regularly.
- Meditating.
- Designing my day with REST as a priority (so I could sleep without popping sleep aids nightly).
That’s right, Jean Ralphio was my spirit animal in those days. And still my fav Parks & Rec character, if ya wanna know the truth.
He’s the best/worst.
Anywho.
Over time, I healed.
I saw a new path where I felt better... I WAS better.
Then I had this crazy thought…
What if I could make this be my JOB?
So I did some digging. Talking with people I knew in the wellness space… and I discovered affiliate marketing.
Which was a way to create passive income selling products I absolutely LOVED. Which has been essential oils for OVER NINE FREAKING YEARS.
So how DO you make your story part of your business success?
Well, for me, I started talking about my story. And how EOs were part of my healing journey.
And I did this all day, erry day.
Over time, I started being known in the space – both within my organization and outside of it.
And opportunities came my way.
In fact, they still do. Because nearly a decade later, I’m still chattin’ about my story and using it as a key part of my biz.
Yes, the crappy parts and all.
Because here’s the truth:
People resonate with your WHOLE story.
Not the fake glossy Instagram posts or pretending like you know everything…
Nope. In fact, that sort of vibe is totally passé now.
For me, I was able to achieve success through a combination of:
- Hard work.
- Goal setting.
- Authenticity.
- Actually caring about the people in my community and wanting to help them make their own lives better.
- Using my story as the foundation for why I got into oils – and how they help me to get where I am today.
Of course, this all took time.
It takes a long time to become an overnight success. LOL
But there’s ONE thing that helped me be successful… and you can steal it right now too.
I started before I was ready. I decided, “Ya know what… I’m gonna do this thing and figure it out along the way.”
What I absolutely knew was that what worked for everyone else didn’t always work for me.
So I gave myself permission and grace to start… make mistakes… and learn along the way.
AKA: imperfect action. THAT is the real secret to my success.
I set meaningful goals for myself… and actually used them. That helped me know whether I was making progress. Which honestly, is its own kind of motivation. #addictedtomomentum
And through it all, I’ve relied on my origin story – which BTW is still evolving, just like yours is – as the catalyst to move my way to the top…
And stay there.
So that’s what I really want to share with you today.
That person you admire… who you see as having it all? They probably have a lottttttt of story underneath what you see as a glossy veneer.
And to someone else… YOU could be an inspirational figure.
Lemme give ya the real deal truth here, ok?
We all have those moments of doubt… of imposter syndrome.
But ya gotta woman up… and be like: “YES! I AM an inspiration. I AM a badass. I’m a GD cheetah!” (You’ll get that one if you read Glennon Doyle. LOL)
Even if you’re this level of cheetah RN.
So my friend, whatever you’re setting out to do this year, whether it's to:
- Make more money…
- Finally get out of that soul-sucking job and step into your PASSION…
- To take better care of your body…
- Be more present for your family…
Just start.
Commit to imperfect action.
Set meaningful goals.
Use your story.
Give yourself grace.
You WILL fall off the bike… and you WILL get back on.
And ya know what?
You’ll be fine.
The universe has your back, as Gabby Bernstein says.
So let’s set the intention together today – right here, right now – to be gentle on ourselves.
To keep pushing for growth – not perfection.
To see challenges as stepping stones – not roadblocks – on your journey.
And to be ok with being YOU. Flaws and all.
You can’t go back in time to start when you were younger… thinner… or had bouncier hair.
(Although I 100% am going to use this move in an upcoming Live. LOL)
You can only go forward from here.
Don’t wait until you’re ready. That day won’t come.
You don’t have to be a victim to your circumstances.
You have everything you need right now to START.
And listen… I know where you are.
That first step is friggin HARD.
Which is why I wanna help ya create those meaningful goals. Shiz you actually care about.
Goals that’ll help you to break down your big dream… into totally doable mini wins.
So you can feel that momentum (it’s a serious high) and finally make the progress that’s eluded you for years.
And it’ll have you showin’ up like a boss in your work (not to mention struttin’ in your personal life)…
Yes, you can have a great time setting goals, I promise. This isn’t the stodgy boring corporate nonsense you’ve probably experienced in the past. #snoozefest
I mean, I should really call it a Goal Setting Fun-shop. LOL
So now that I’ve got you convinced, lemme break down what you're gonna learn in our 2 hours together.
- Which goals are the right ones for you (and your biz).
- How to create meaningful goals you’ll actually want to follow through on.
- The very best strategy for finally achieving those goals.
And you’re also gonna get two super handy “fun-books” (yep, I can do this alllll day LOL)...
…that’ll help you take everything you’re learning and turn it into practical (and imperfect) action.
Oh and did I mention?
It’s free to come.
All you need to do is provide your name and email (phone is optional, but if you want text reminders, drop me your digits).
Then you’re in.
You deserve to use your story to make an impact – not just for the people you want to help… but for yourself.
Your family. Your community. Whatever is important to you.
However you want to spread your abundance.
And the fastest way I know (and actually, how I did it myself) is through meaningful goals.
So I hope you sign up… and I’ll see ya online.
XO,
Hayley