The Purpose

I decided to write this blog, as a way to look back and see where I was, where I am, What i've changed, and where i'm going to go on this crazy journey I've started.  I felt that with all the bad news bears out there who have nothing good to say about the company I work with, it was time to get some good news about Primerica and the Opportunity they offer. Where else in today's society can you be handed such an incredible opportunity and gift. I mean it really is a gift. When so many hate their day to day lives because they cannot afford to live them, it is a gift to be given the chance to change that, to make your dream reality. I for one will not be passing up this chance that's been given me!

    The posts previous to this, are all the posts from my old journal about my experiences and thoughts since coming into Primerica. Though they were set up through my regular day by day journaling, I wanted to concentrate them all into one place for me to look back on, and I hope you'll enjoy reading them, and maybe get yourself inspired to attempt greatness for yourself!
   This is my account of my journey to the American Dream through the Primerican Dream!
  Keep Dreaming!!

A Letter To Myself ..10 yrs from now

*orig.Date 7/2/13

*we were discussing a book on becoming successful at work, and one of the action plans it says to do, is to write a letter to someone 5 -10 years into the future detailing the successful life you have had. This is my letter to my future friend. I went with 10 yrs*


My Dear Friend,
    I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by! I feel like it was just yesterday that we sat down for a dream session over cappuccino's. How are your plans going?
      I have had so much success in my business with Primerica! I am now an RVP and have the most wonderful team working with me! We just got back from a wonderful company trip to Hawaii! They are always the best! Chilling on a beach in Waikiki with some of the biggest names in Primerica drinking by the ocean talking shop with these people only drives my desire to become great! I am so happy I was introduced to this company!
      Looking back i laugh, because i remembered trying to figure out where the loop hole was for 6 months after signing on. I was just waiting for the scam to rear it's ugly head and it never did.  What a fool i was to waste that time on my business. It made my life that much more difficult to get things going. I thought i'd never see my first recruit, never see my district promotion. I was only doing it as a part time, spare cash thing. How silly I was. The effort i put into this work, have left me openings to pursue what I have always wanted, a music teaching career.
       Remember that Music school I was talking about starting? I did it!  There was a building downtown that was for sale, so i went to check it out, and it is PERFECT!!! Plenty of space to put in an auditorium and several smaller rooms for classrooms, a shop for material, and maybe even a little coffee shop for musicians to perform! We are starting small, there are 5 of us on the payroll. A Strings teacher, a piano teacher, a drum guy, Brass player, and my good friend came on board as our house woodwind instructor! We haven't reached the point where I can provide students with ownership of instruments, but we are able to provide free lessons as long as parents put a deposit on the instruments! It's not exactly what i had planned, but it is a start. A few years down the road it will continue to grow into greatness i'm sure! One day, I will be able to offer lessons, and students can own their instruments for whatever their parents can afford to donate. No child will be left without music in their lives for want of money as far as i'm concerned.
       I finally made it to Ireland! I met those cousins of my grandparents, and they were wonderful!! I decided on my visit, that I would dearly love to own property there, now i do! I got my dual citizenship in place last summer and Recently purchased 10 acres of land.One day I will build a home there, but for now, i have  a wee piece of the emerald Isle to call my own, and that, is lucky enough!.\ You should come to Ireland with me some day, it is incredible!
       I have a house now!!! I moved to Pennsylvania near my family, and purchased a nice 4 bedroom home on 2 acres with an in-ground pool, in a beautiful area with lots of woods and a beautiful view of the mountains! I love being near my family! It's a different world! I'm the cool cousin still ( a title i have managed to maintain since getting my liscense and driving down there on my own at 18yrs old) I can take my younger cousins out to lunch, and i'm going to be taking my cousin Grace out for her prom dress tomorrow! I cannot believe she is going to PROM!? I remember when she was born! This is the way God intended life to be! Being able to provide for my family, living worry free and enjoying life to the fullest!
           I can't believe that 10 years ago, I was drowning in student loans and credit card debt, living with my parents,working 3 jobs to make ends meet! Today, I sit here in front of my fireplace writing to you, debt free, with so many of my dreams coming true! I would never have believed there was a way to be a music teacher and make a 6 figure income! I am so incredibly blessed to be here, to have been given the opportunities I have, to have had the support of friends and colleagues when it seemed impossible, and to have people like you, to dream with! I hope to hear from you soon, and hear about all the dreams and things going on with you!!
  
        Until our next dream session
           Your Kindred Friend
                     Mary
   

Reflecting on the Weekend Dreaming of the Future

*Orig.Date 6/16/13

I'm riding on a bus, somewhere in Maryland, 15 hrs into a 20 hr bus ride, reflecting on the many things that happened in the past week....

    Monday morning, I found myself staring at a one-way bus ticket to Atlanta for that night, a bill for a hotel I couldn't figure out how to pay for, and a bank account that reflected it all. The only thing I knew was, I was getting on the bus, and I would figure it out.

      Over the course of 36hrs, I left Hartford CT and arrived in Atlanta GA. Checked into my hotel at 12pm, explored a little HOTlanta, and decided to get myself psyched for the awesome day ahead of me.

     Over the last 3 days, I have attended some of the most moving, motivating, and encouraging workshops and lectures I have ever Heard. Men and women who have risked everything they had at the chance to make something of themselves and to build a legacy for their families in the future. Hearing all these people (hundreds of them) who have been able to make wonderful lives, who do what they want, when they want and who do not have to request time off, or worry about getting back by work on Monday. It was inspiring. To me though, the even more inspiring part was listening to the beginnings they started with. Having no others in their business, having few people involved, problems that arose along the way. I felt like some of their stories reflected my current situation, some even worse. 

     One thing that I realized while I was there was that I was in Primerica, but not really IN Primerica. I showed up when I could, I asked people I knew, but didn't really break out of my comfort zone. I don't think I had really allowed myself to believe in my own possibilities. If I believed in my own possibility, there would be no comfort zone, no boundary between me and my gaol. How is it different today than last Monday when I boarded a bus bound for Atlanta? Why is it going to be different back home? How do I know I will keep this fire burning? Because, there was a point this conference where I actually allowed myself to imagine the possibility of being one of these wealthy people. So much so that I cried at the feeling of being on the stage, of being the person my family can come to in need, of being able to provide a better life for my future family then my current one. One of the speakers asked " if you could pick a job for your children, would you want them to have yours?" I don't have children, but if I did, I would not want them seeing my pharmacy job as the way things should be, I would want them to see endless possibility, with no debt, and the freedom to control their own lives. When they did the hall of fame inductees at the end of the conference, I imagined myself there one day, I then painted myself into that situation, and completely felt it. From the joy, the pride in my team and myself, knowing where I started to where I came to, and finally knowing, I had made it.

That is why I'm here, that is why I will fight for this, that is why I WILL SUCCEED.

THIS IS MY MOMENT.

" the goal was impossible to reach, but we did it anyway"-Arthur Williams

Why Quitting isn't an option

*orig.date 5/6/13

 A few weeks ago, I was asked to write down 10 reasons why I'll do what it takes to become successful.
   I can honestly say that making this list was harder then i thought it would be.

   10 Reasons why I'll Do What it takes

1. I don't want my future to be like my past and I want my financial future to be better then my parents was.

2. I won't miss out on being with my family because my boss won't give me time off.

3. I want to be able to live in Pennsylvania and provide for my parents and grandparents.

4. I want to open a community music school with free tuition and instrument ownership.

5. I need to prove to myself and my family that this is possible and that I WILL be successful.

6. There are too many people I care about who are headed for financial disaster.

7. I don't want to be restricted by a boss other than myself

8. I want to teach music and still be able to live a comfortable Life.

9. I want to travel through Europe for a year and need to be bill free and debt free to do it,

10. Because I've already given up too many hopes and dreams to quit on myself again.

 Come hell or high water, whether it takes me another year, or five, I am tired of failure, I am fed up with losing. I have an opportunity to make an incredible living for myself and i'm going to take this!!

A weekend to remember

*orig.date 4-29-13

   " WHen you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen"-Emerson

 My weekend went as follows:

    Friday:

     5:30am- get up, pack, go to school

     9:25am- class

     10:30-P.R meeting for band

     1:00- Percussion Dress rehearsal

      3:30- Percussion concert ( which made me lose a ride to cape cod because they changed it)

      6:00- get home, find out that i can get a ride to cape cod-more to come

Saturday:

     2:45am- Get in the car to drive to cape cod

      5:30am- Arrive at hotel, admire ocean, 

      7:00- Get up, get dressed, and go to meeting

      3:00pm DRIVE LIKE MAD to make it home in time to get changed and be at dress rehearsal for 6

      6:15- Run to dress rehearsal

      7:30- Concert of epic proportions

      11pm- CRASH

Sunday:

      8:30am- for some god forsaken reason awake

      11- Church

       1:00- drive to west hartford to meet friend for carpool

       3:00- CTNAFME state council meeting 1

       4-6 CTNAFME state council meeting 2

       

 " When you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen" These words have always sounded great, but i have often doubted their truth, that is until this weekend. You see, there was a work event in cape cod this friday-saturday, and i was desperately trying to get there.  That being said, i had a concert on friday, and a dress rehearsal saturday morning. this was not going to work out for me. Well, Thursday night, my choral director said he was cancelling our AM dress rehearsal. WAHOO.  Well, my car is messed up, and was certainly not making it to Cape Cod and back, so I was attempting to get a ride from someone else going who could go after my concert, Until they moved the concert to 3:30 instead of 3 and then added another ensemble.  When i realized that i would not make it out of school in time to catch a ride, i was so frustrated and cursing fate in my head.  I sent the messages telling my uplines that I was not going to make it down and I was sorry, and then messaged the girl i was sharing a room with.  This is where my weekend turned around! She told me that she had to come back this way and could pick me up and bring me to the event.! " When you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen" I was overjoyed. I haven't missed one of these events since i started with this company last june, and was not ok with missing it.  Well, she came back for me, but got here at 2:45am, we got in the car, somehow managed to stay awake, and made it back to Cape Cod in time to see the sun begin to rise over the ocean

As soon as i shut my eyes, i was up again at 7am and it was time to get dressed, and head down to the Saturday events ( which were incredible)

We are launching a new product at the end of the year, and I was literally salivating at the concept and the success i'm sure it is going to have! I cannot wait to be able to offer this service to my clients!

Our team won attendance awards in all but 1 category, which is amazing! i am so proud of these people, and so proud to be working with them on their team. I hope that in the near future, my actions will make them as proud of me as i am of them!

Then of course, after miraculously making it home without me or my friend falling asleep, it was another dress rehearsal and a concert that went so amazingly well! It's a great life when you can go from an awesome weekend of learning to an awesome night of singing!!!!

Today was much more low key, just some studying, and a 2 meetings with the CTNAfME collegiate council.

I'm still not sure how this weekend worked out so well from beginning so horribly, but it is true, so often in this endevour i have taken up, i feel like i was constantly coming up against road blocks, this weekend, the universe let me have my meager success, and i look forward to the future success that awaits.

" When you make a decision, the Universe conspires to make it happen"- Emerson

New Year, New me

*original date written 1-6-13

Last night I came home from a work conference in Cape Cod. It was incredible!! One of those refreshing moments, where you hear other people who were just like you, who hit a rough patch, who didn't think they'd ever be successful, and now are top representatives in the company, and helping out the new people. Love it.  It's like a family.
    Team 180 ( our team) swept the floor this time around! It was great!! We won top attendance, # 3 office in the region for the year, and others. It was awesome! I see these guys working so hard and tirelessly, and when we won attendance i literally flew out of my seat hooting and hollering! I haven't put the numbers on i wanted to the past few months, but it's a new year, and things can change. This really is a great opportunity, and I look forward to my future here.





  ^ This is the view from my hotel room window at the hotel. Right on the BEACH!




 Very early morning at the hotel, yes that is indeed the moon



 Since I was on the beach, i had to hit the water! I decided i'd roll my jeans up and head in up to my knees for a picture, well, that nice little wave behind me had other ideas and drenched me to my waist!! It was super chilly, but well worth it!!!!

I love this life, I love this company, and i am so glad i was introduced to it!  Nothing can touch me this year! ;-D

The beginning

*orig date 7-29-12*

ohh.. let's see where to start...
  I guess the good first.
 
     I just got back from THE MOST AWESOME weekend of work related incredible!!
  I started back in June working with Primerica. When i signed on i remember thinking on the ride home "WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING?" Which very soon after turned to hell bent determination as i listened to my father tell me how i was going to fail ( odd considering his own life insurance policy was through primerica.. oh well)  I have been going to training at primerica 8a-10am working at my fulltime job 10:30a-7pm then either working at CVS, or doing appointments with people in need of life, home, auto insurance or interested in some investments for retirement.  Until this past weekend, my driving force was proving the people who said it wont work wrong.
  Well anyway, at this convention i went to near boston, one of the speakers was like the regional manager for the area, and he was telling his story, he was a carpenter making 25k a year when he started, he now makes like 60k a MONTH and hasn't gone out on a single appointment in over 4 years, it is all from his team of people or investments he has sold people in his career. It was really inspiring to think this dyslexic italian carpenter, who never finished school could make it, maybe i have a chance. As the weekend went on, I cannot even express the excitement, enthusiasm, and simply joyful attitude i had! My teamates were interested in what i thought, what my favorite part was, etc.
   Then.. The changing moment, Where the dynamic changed AGAIN. They had an award ceremony on Friday night, and when I say awards, i mean AWARDS!! They handed out recognition from something as simple as passing your licensing exam, to most recruits, and biggest earners.  Everyone was high fiving the winners as they went on stage, and there was music, and everyone was clapping and it was awesome!  The only thing that sucked, and this is where my view really changed, was that I kept seeing other base shops having people up there for every category, and I saw my base leaders face, and the hint of disapointment every time one of our guys wasn't called up, but he was still there high fiving them and cheering them on.  Then after the awards ceremony, my Base shop leader Bought pizza and wings and we had a pow-wow, everyone sum up the night for them, chit chat meeting in his hotel room.  It was awesome because the team is made up of people who have been there 7 days to like 7 years.  It's like a family.  Everyone is encouraging you to succeed, and when you are frustrated with your work or your progress, they are there with a high five, an encouraging word, or a congrats on your sale! Then saturday was the clincher, they had attendance awards for most people there, and we were so close!! And even though you could tell he was disappointed, he still turned around, smiled, and said, WE got this next time around! The dynamic changed for me yet again. When I signed up, it was subconscious desperation that had me signing on to make money and pay bills,  then it became an i told you so battle to prove my dad wrong, and now, while making money is of course a plus, I want to be successful for my teamates, I want us to sweep the floor at the awards ceremony next year, I want to hoot and holler for MY Base leader and MY teamates. It isn't so much about beating the world, as it is, the urge to not disappoint the people who have helped me so much and have worked with me and believed in me so much. It really feels like a family.
    If everyone could have this job, if everyone could feel the comradery and respect that I felt from my teamates and for my teamates, there would be many more happy and cheerful workers in the world.  I have never felt so content in a money making, and working environment in my life. Our Team is team 180, and it could not be better named, because this is a complete opposite of my current experience in the working world. With these people helping me, nothing is stopping me from success in this business.