I'm very lucky to have my sister. The wedding is in 45 days...and time is really starting to fly. I'm getting RSVP's in the mail or through my website http://nelsonandlevato.weddings.com, which is really awesome and a great way for me to track the guest list. Some friends are also signing the guest book there and sending their best wishes, which is awesome! Technology is a beautiful thing. We've been able to post pictures from the events like the engagement party & bridal shower and details for places to stay, etc for the out of towners! Chris has also been able to tend to a lot of the details that require local attention, along with planning the bachelorette party.
In the next week or so I'll need to send the dj a finalized music list, make sure mom has paid the florist the remaining balance, ensure that Kirk has the men's gifts under control and gotten his tux measurements. I'll also need to send the signed updated contract for the reception hall.
It's funny because as I look back into our childhood I'm reminded of how Chris and I used to torment each other. I used to be the older sister who wanted to experiment on things that she was curious about...like if you punch someone in the stomach--does it really hurt? So I'd use her as a guinea pig...and she'd be cool with it until it actually hurt. Then she'd cry and tell on me. Or as we got older, if I'd be talking on the phone to a boy, she'd be driving me crazy either trying to distract me or listening in until I'd have to chase her down and threaten her with bodily harm. I was always the more physical one...LOL!
Now that we're older I crack up...she's always got a friend she is dying for me to meet when I come to town. Someone who feels they know me already. And it never fails...she's always telling me how they remind her so much of ME! Some of her best friends now that she's an adult are people that remind her of me. Of course my best friend is a nurse like her! So what does that tell you? LOL!
Mom with Judy's daughter!
Sis (Maid-of-honor), Kurt (Step-dad), Tux the cat, Mom, Me, Aunt Norma & Phyllis (cousin)
....my life as Kat Nelson will end and I will officially become a member of the Levato family. What does that mean for me? Probably not a lot in the day to day of my life. But as a whole? Everything will change.
No longer will I be a single unit, but I will be a partner, a help mate. Decisions will no longer be made solely with me in mind, but will now be looked at from the aspect of what's best for US. It's not that I wasn't already doing this subconsciously. Let's face it, we've been living together for 15 years. You don't survive that kind of relationship without learning a thing or two. But now it will be based on a vow we'll be making in the eyes of God, our families and friends, each other and the law.
Several people who've known me for a while have asked if I'm getting nervous yet. If I'm getting cold feet. If I'm starting to freak out. I mean let's face it, I've had committment issues. Whether it's due to the relationship I witnessed from the parental units or not, it's the truth.
But the funny thing is, I'm steady as could be right now. I'm feeling rock solid. Calm, even. Because I feel like this is where I'm meant to be and this is the right time. The truth is that I love Kirk. I couldn't picture spending my life with anyone else! And I trust him.
The real reason behind my committment issues before was always misunderstood. It wasn't because I was afraid to make a committment. It was because I believe in marriage vows and that they should last forever. I don't take that lightly. I don't rush into things thinking about the "outs". When I make that committment and give myself 100%, that's IT for me. I throw myself wholeheartedly into everything I do. I don't know how to hold myself back. So I took a while to get to here. And there's no doubt in my mind that the party's just beginning.
Next come children... My family's taking bets on how quickly we can make that happen. LOL! I think my sister's hoping for a honeymoon niece or nephew.
Only God knows...because we're leaving that in his hands.
Today I came home to a delivery sitting at our front door. Kirk's cousins sent some gifts from our registry. I can't believe how quickly time has been flying! Our wedding is in 87 days. It seems like only yesterday we got engaged, yet it was actually more than a year ago!I'm excited right now because I'm headed out to Chicago in 7 days. I'll be arriving in town on my sister's birthday. I'm sure that will mean going out to dinner with the P's and Rich. It'll be a lot of fun being around for her birthday again! Then on Friday we have an appointment with the cake lady, lunch with an old friend and an evening tasting for the reception's menu. Saturday we pick my cousin up from the airport and then head to my sister's concert. Sunday is my bridal shower. Monday is my birthday. I also have a meeting with the minister about the wedding that morning. Tuesday I head back home.
Oddly enough, as busy as the weekend sounds, I think it will be a fun and refreshing change. Work has been one challenge after another lately and it'll be nice to be able to shut off my phones for a while. :-)
It's the little things that help me measure my success. This morning I began my day with a 7 am conference call. Well, ok, I guess it was yesterday morning since it's 1:30 am as I'm writing this. On our call my team decided on a name. We are now called "the Regulators". I'm not really thrilled with the title. It makes me think of Metamucil or menstrual cycles. But...they voted and decided on it themselves. It's the first step in building a foundation of a solid team. The second step will happen next Friday as the team brainstorms to come up with what a "Regulator" stands for.
I also snuck in some creative visualization with my guys today. I made today a theme day. I called it Fantasy Friday. I set the stage by sending out an email to the group telling them to imagine that the year was 2010 and that they'd just received their W-2's. On the form it said they made $100,000. The goal of today was to send a shout out to the team with every feature and device they sold that made them money. In their shout out they were to picture how they would put that $100,000 to use. At the end of the day I'd compile a list of the top 10 plans on how to spend the money and send it out the following morning. The team will vote on their favorite idea and the winner would get a free lunch on me, with me.
It probably doesn't sound like much, but in reality it's a pretty big deal. The reality is that if a person can visualize being successful and making that kind of money, they are more likely to make it happen. If you can visualize spending the money, you can visualize earning the money, which means you can make your success happen. So as they came up with ideas...and the more detailed they got, the more they bought into their own success.
Later in the day I got to spend some quality time coaching the team members in one of my newer locations. I got them bought into improving their salesmanship through the tips and pointers I gave them. I helped improve the attitude and approaches that the reps had. It felt like I made a difference, so I felt really good about the day.
This evening I had more good news. My second recruit went active, my third is on her way to becoming active. If she goes active along with 2 other women I'll go on target for my first Mary Kay car and be well on my way to going for director! After talking to my director I realized that this is immensely doable. So tomorrow I'm going to be working on doing exactly that by 5 pm tomorrow. At 6 I have a skin care class with a colleague and some of her girl friends. This is so exciting!
If you want to know more about Mary Kay or how I'm making a success of it, give me a call! If you want to help my business as a customer, feel free to go to my website at http://www.marykay.com/klevato. Either way, any help anyone wants to give towards my success, whether it be support, advice, purchases, or a request for more information...I'd love that. If you don't know how to reach me, go to my site...there's a link to my email.
I'm passionate about both my careers and my success. God has really been able to help with my clarity and vision, and as a result, I've been attaining success! I just keep doing my daily devotionals and talking to God for guidance and I can feel a difference in how centered I am. It's like the lyrics of an old Amy Grant Song called All I Ever Have To Be:
When the weight of all my dreams
Is resting heavy on my headAnd the thoughtful words of help and hopeHave all been nicely saidBut I'm still hurting, wondring if I'll ever be the oneI think I am...I think I am...Then you daily re-remind meThat you've made me from the firstAnd the more I try to be the bestThe more I get the worst.And I realize the good in me
Is only there because of who you areWho you are...
Refrain:
And all I ever have to be is what you've made me
Any more or less would be a step
Out of your plan
As you daily re-create me help me always keep in mind
That I only have to do what I can find
And all I ever have to be
All I ever have to be
All I ever have to be
Is what you've made me.
Doesn't that promise just take all the pressure off? It opens me up to being able to focus simply on what he wants for my life and not to worry because my direction is in his hands. He can be trusted.
This last week was difficult at best. I've been busy closing down the last of my Circuit City stores, been dealing with the instability that was created prior to my taking over my new group. With all the changes my location group changed from Fort Myers to Naples to Sarasota to Naples. Two of my new locations had one manager, the furthest north had another one. This means that there's a bit of an adjustment that needs to happen with management style changes and team visions.
I've been working long hours closing down my last Circuit, which meant I couldn't do all the visits that I wanted to do this week. I worked several 12 hour shifts closing down one location, then spent the rest of the week trying to gauge my new team member's knowledge and skill set levels.
In exchange for all my hard work my manager called me to the carpet for the numbers of my newly formed team of 1.5 weeks. He didn't feel our key performance indicators were good enough and he wanted instant change. Never mind that we were killing it in our activations/upgrade numbers overall. His concern was that some of the other stuff wasn't fixed overnight. (My team had always been good at these categories) Because of our "lack of performance" in this area he chose to get on the phone with me and tell me that he had concerns about our performance (hinting at my ability, etc). He wanted me to go home that evening and think long and hard at myself and my team and write him an action plan on what I was going to do for the rest of the month to improve this number. He also wanted me write down what areas I needed his and his floating manager's help in. He said it all in a very negative and condescending way. It was insulting...but not nearly as insulting as him telling me that he was going to be sending his floating manager down to shadow me for the next week to see what it is I do on a daily basis and critique my every move. It was a slap in my face and the ultimate in micromanaging.
Needless to say I was furious at first. Tears of impotent rage in my eyes. But I knew I was of no use to my team in that condition so I took some deep breaths. I calmed myself. I prayed. And then I remembered that later that evening I had a facial set up with my old friend, Shannon, for Mary Kay.
I came home and started preparing, much to Kirk's surprise. He knew that I was in a snit. He figured I'd probably want to reschedule or just curl up in a ball for a while. He knows me well. Much as I wanted to just hide and lick my wounds somewhere I knew it wasn't the right thing to do.
So I got dressed up, I packed up my gear and I went to Shannon's house. In my CD player I listened to one of my training CD's from Lisa Madson's Pacesetter's call and let it fill me up with positive thoughts and reinforcements. I looked forward to seeing my old friend and hearing about how her new baby was doing! I had some cool things to show her and I was being given an opportunity to pamper her and help her look and feel good!
When I got to Shannon's I gave her a big hug. We sat down and did her facial. I showed her how to get a great "Dash Out The Door" look and showed her how proper skin care could help improve the signs of aging around her mouth and eyes! She loved it! She bought a bunch of product from me and scheduled an appointment for her "advanced glamour" look where she planned on inviting a couple of friends!
As I got back into my car I began to think about my day and how my Mary Kay appointment really turned it around. When I left for Shannon's house I had a huge knot behind my shoulder blade and felt like a punching bag for my boss, leaving me feeling a bit out of sorts and without control. But after being at Shannon's and sharing Mary Kay with her and taking time to watch her videos of baby Tony, I felt GREAT!
I realized one thing then and there. As much as I love my job, I don't really love my boss. I'd prefer to be my own boss, control my own destiny. It seems to me that the more time I spend learning about the Mary Kay opportunity, the more it seems God is pointing me in this direction. As long as I keep working my business I'll be able to supplement my income until I can match what I make at my current career. My goal is to make this work the way I've made my other careers work so that I'm successful enough to be able to leave my other job...something I never thought I'd consider doing.
In the end, it comes down to what I've always told my team...the only thing I can control is my attitude. So for now I'm going to give 100% to my job and 100% to my Mary Kay career when I'm not working. And I'm going to continue to ask for God's guidance and direction and plan my wedding!
There's something about Mary Kay's Golden Rule motto along with her "God First, Family Second and Career Third" that really speaks to me. It's helped me realize that I'm glad and grateful to have the job I have even when I'm not thrilled with my boss because it's motivation to do great things with the Mary Kay business I own so that I can leave soon...and on my own terms!
Hey, God really DOES help those who help themselves!
Since joining Mary Kay I've come to really admire my recruiter and director...Robbie Brannon. She recruited me with a CD & DVD called "Your Future Is Now". This cd has helped me recruit my first team members. So far I have 3 new team members using that same CD. The speaker is an amazing woman named Lisa Madison. She's my National Sales Director. What an incredible success story she has! In my starter packet were some CD's by Lisa called "Keep It Simple".
Robbie challenged us to write affirmation statements to start off this new year. Then I heard Lisa's first affirmation statement she made in the '80's...and how she discussed the power of making an affirmation tape or cd. That's what she did back in the day...and 13 years later all her affirmations came true! I figured I'd try my hand at it.
"Kat's Affirmation"I am a skilled, talented, dynamic leader. I create opportunities to talk about Mary Kay and build my business. I am earning the use of my first Mary Kay career car in the next 4 months. I am on my way to Dallas this July as a sales director. Lisa Madison will be at my debut to introduce me. I am utilizing the talents and creativity that God has blessed me with to generate and build business opportunties. I make time to exercise every day because I know that my body is a temple and that balance between mind, body and spirit is key to my well being. I am eating healthier. Junk food is not a temptation for me. I have time to cook and enjoy my meals.
I lead a balanced, happy life and inspire those around me to do the same. When someone positively comments on my life or my confidence I take it as an opportunity to share my faith and my Mary Kay success story with them. I feel great about myself and find ways to help those around me feel great about themselves. I have a magnetic personality that draws people to me.
People are dying to help me in my Mary Kay business. They are thrilled to book parties with me and join my team! I am a PRO at selling "I Want It All"! Where other people see problems and crises I see challenges and opportunities waiting to be discovered.
I take ownership of all aspects of my career and my life. I do not accept excuses because I know that they are nothing but stumbling blocks to my growth and that accepting them from myself would be another way of saying that I'm not capable of more. I am the best me that I can possibly be every day.
God is the focal point in my life. I daily exemplify the values of God first, Family second and Career third. I make time for morning devotionals. I am constantly finding new ways to worship and praise God.
I am making $20,000 by the end of my 1st year with Mary Kay. I am a National Sales Director by 2017. Robbie and Lisa are at my debut and are celebrating my success with my friends and family. My family and I are living in a large 3 story house in Texas with a fenced in back yard for the dogs to run free, an office for my business and a pool and spa in the back yard. Kirk and I are able to enjoy our Dallas Cowboys season tickets along with our children. Our oldest child is 6 years old and our second is 4. Kirk has moved forward with his career and loves his job. Mary Kay has enabled me to be a stay-at-home mom and still thrive in my career beyond my wildest dreams.
I am so successful in my career that I now have an assistant to keep me organized in my business, a team I love and am helping grow the way Robbie helped me, a house keeper to maintain my home, and landscapers to keep my yard manicured as well as people to take care of my pool. We are able to do nice things for our friends and family and enjoy vacations all over the world. We thank God daily for giving me an outlet to utilize my talents and help build the life we've always wanted without compromising our values.And that's my affirmation statement. It enables me to visualize my success and make it happen. I figured writing it down where everyone can see will just hold me more accountable for making a success of my career.
I've made some changes in my life. With the upcoming wedding I've been thinking more and more about family and having children...and how that would work with my current career. My life is so fast paced. My work takes up so much of my time and energy.
And then I got the call that I think may have changed my life. A wonderful lady named Robbie Brannon called me and let me know that because I was a bride she wanted to offer me a free skin care class and makeover. She let me know that I was free to invite friends or bridesmaids.
I was a little skeptical of the product because 20 years ago I had been allergic to Mary Kay. But I was willing to give it a shot. I wanted my skin to be in perfect condition so that it would be a fabulous canvas for makeup on my wedding day. I figured...what could it hurt?
As she walked us through our facials and our "out the door" looks I was impressed with how well the products worked. My skin felt amazing! And then she rescheduled us for our "Advanced Glamour" class. As we were buying our merchandise after our first appointment she looked at Amber and myself and said..."Have you ever considered doing anything like this? I think you'd be GREAT at it!"
Cocky me. In my head I was thinking...I KNOW I'd be great at it. So I told her she could give me some information. She sent me home with a packet and CD & DVD by a lady named Lisa Madson. She is Robbie's National Sales director. I listened to the CD and found myself incredibly intrigued. There were so many money making opportunities...and I liked the product. And best of all...I loved their values! They believe in God First, Family Second, Career Third! Man, would I love to live my life that way. And they believed in praise. And building up and empowering women! These are all things that are nearest and dearest to my heart!
So I signed up. I kinda feel like God might be guiding me here. He knows how much family means to me. He knows that if I have children I'll want to slow down from my insanely hectic career path and be able to be there with my family. He knows that I thought my mom being a stay-at-home mom during my formative years was a great thing. And he also knows that in order to live my life this way I'd need to be able to supplement my income. Mary Kay gives me that ability. In fact, I decided that to be successful I'd need to have my own inventory...so I bought some. My goal this year till September is to pay off the credit card I used to purchase my inventory and to pay off my wedding.
I signed up in the last week or so of December. I had my first skin care class this last Saturday, my first recruit today & my first facial today. I'm off to a solid start! Here is my website: http://www,marykay.com/klevato. You can actually go on there and do virtual makeovers for yourself if you'd like. And you can also order merchandise... It really WAS easy.
And here are some of the first faces I've worked with. We only did the skincare portion on half the face & then some make up. Look at the difference, the healthiness that glows from their faces! Let me know what you think!
I'm very lucky to have my sister. The wedding is in 45 days...and time is really starting to fly. I'm getting RSVP's in the mail or through my website http://nelsonandlevato.weddings.com, which is really awesome and a great way for me to track the guest list. Some friends are also signing the guest book there and sending their best wishes, which is awesome! Technology is a beautiful thing. We've been able to post pictures from the events like the engagement party & bridal shower and details for places to stay, etc for the out of towners! Chris has also been able to tend to a lot of the details that require local attention, along with planning the bachelorette party.
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