I always think of February (and especially Valentine's Day) as my backup plan if I miss getting all my cards, letters, gifts and gratitude out to my Young Living friends and family. I did pretty well over the holidays so I don't have to "say I'm sorry!" Because, love means never having to say your sorry, right?

There are very few people who feel the need to say they're sorry after discovering essential oils and Young Living! However and whoever, has set you on this journey of wellness, purpose and abundance, there is some gratitude to be expressed and you can do it any time of year. It's just nice to have holidays to become conscious of all the good things in life and to express it to all  we have connected with, because of essential oils or a nutritional path that brought us together.

Dave coined an acronym for me over twenty years ago, TSIO: The Search Is Over! We had no idea how many years we would be involved in Young Living or to what extent. We had no idea what a few tiny little bottles of oil had in store for us. My story actually started with the Christmas holidays when I came across an add for the Ancient Oils of Scripture. I bought them for myself! Years later I bought rose essential oil and felt like royalty.

Even though I have never been concerned with "rank" in my journey, I am always concerned about helping others achieve their dreams. Some people start with a simple goal of buying rose oil or any special blend that is beyond their budget when they first enroll. Some people set a goal toward affording an AromaComplete Kit, winning a Young Living Cruise or achieving a higher level of compensations. A few people work really hard to reach the level of a Royal Crown Diamond. That is a huge commitment, but very doable!

Any successful entrepreneur will tell you the same thing, "You have to be passionate about your work. You have to love what you do and you have to treat your business like a business, not a hobby." The great thing is, you get to treat people with love and kindness while you grow. Our products are "infused with the love of oils and the love of plants!" We're way ahead of the curve as a fair, generous, organic, and conscious company. The next generation is looking for that platform.

I may not get my Valentine's cards out (I'm in Florida), but it's a good time to let your friends and family know you love them. It's a good time to gift yourself some roses (if your BFF doesn't) or some rose oil, because you're worth it! It won't be long before spring arrives so use these last few weeks of winter to Share Your Passion for Young Living!

The year 2020 has arrived! Is anyone else old enough to think, "wow - this date held so many projections from so many walks of life: science, medicine, economy, religion, politics, world views, what ifs?" Some people think we haven't come far enough and should have flying cars, while others think we've gone too far and should stop the technology madness-machine!

I certainly don't have the answers about where we should be at the start of a new decade, but January always feels like an opportunity to do new things, get better at old things and stay optimistic as the days get longer and brighter! Every New Year makes me reflect on the past year, and when a decade passes, I gather some overall lists of difficult times, changing relationships, personal and business successes and errors to correct for the next ten years. If you're a positive person.... It's All Good! It's life, and we're all practicing being human together!

I love my Young Living family and all the "practicing" we do! This company gives us unlimited categories to practice in: health and Wellness, finding our Purpose and sharing the Abundance. Our mission statement includes Education. I feel like we had to step back from educating others about essential oils and nutritional supplements. We did have to adjust our language so we don't set up anyone's expectations that we can diagnose, prescribe or cure any health condition. That's not our role and it's not something we should do for a variety of reasons. The best way to grow, personally and as a Young Living member is to be a role model.... a product of the product.

Reduce the toxins in your home and in your body. Clear the clutter and open your mind so you can see things through a more natural and untainted lens. Every time I  reduce or eliminate something that is filled with ingredients I can't pronounce, or that I find through research may be effecting my health, I improve the clarity necessary to keep going! Education is always at the source of improving our lives!

We hope to rekindle a format to educate others with all the positive things we know that can help others "stay above the wellness line!" We are fortunate that we can prove "clean living" brings a whole lot of results! I'm getting ready to expand my office space to include classroom space so we can teach others what we know, and why we choose natural products and why we love Young Living!

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December always effects our feelings and emotions. There's something about snow and long winter nights that truly does help settle our thoughts and gives us time to reflect. We also may have family coming to visit and we begin to reminisce on past holidays of being together. Short movies start to play out in our heads of old memories of friends, siblings and cousins sledding, skating and laughing. I see myself (and my family) skating on lake ice with the sun setting way off to the south horizon. Followed by pictures of hot cocoa, red cheeks and white dots of marshmallows on our noses. I can see simple Christmases with little decor when we come inside to thaw, as well as extravagant table settings, sparkling trees in the background, loaded underneath with lots of gifts waiting to be shared as each year we have expanded our goals.

The reminiscing isn't always perfect, but it is always an opportunity to learn who we are and make it brighter for someone else. I try to shop with generosity in my heart, with a dose of practicality for what someone might actually need. This year, we have helped a lot of people through some trying times. And anyone who says "money isn't love" might feel a little different when Mary Young's quote comes to life, "more money in the hands of good people, will do more good in the world."

2019 kept our "donating to others" budget closer to home than ever before. And as we wrap up the year, we are thankful the we are in a position to help friends and family get through a rough spot. We always want people to succeed, reach their goals and follow their dreams. Life's events can sometimes get in the way of our plans and as a leader, who wants everyone to be a "Rising Star, and for everyone to have a blessed holiday,  I want to be a role model for our team!

A decade is coming to an end and it feels good to look back at our progress as a family and as a Young Living leader. We have secured a stepping stone to Florida where we can get away from the long, cold nights and freezing days of Minnesota winters. That was the gift my spirit really needed this year.... and I will find a way to share my heart with people, wherever I am!

What does it mean to Be Vibrant?

Those two words together just make me feel "happy and alive!" I remember my early Passion for Wellness and my desire to be an educator. Saying those words brings back memories of my first days in Young Living and getting connected with my sponsor's Nancy and Allen of Vitality Consulting out of Arizona.

I have always loved having the words "Vibrant and Vitality" in my life! In honor of my sponsor's business name, my website was originally "vitalhealthline.com" and my email address had "vital health" at the beginning of it.

Being Vibrant means to be able to live life with Wellness, Passion and Purpose! The Abundance is the bonus that we receive by being committed to helping others live their best life and by sharing the "pearls of wisdom and positive experiences" we find along the way.

My desire to be an educator will never end! There is always something new to learn and apply to the wellness industry, Young Living and my family's lives, too. Sharing "what works" will always motivate me to help others. As we start the month of October with one of my favorite people, Dr. Dan Purser, I am re-inspired to join forces with some great scientists and medical professionals to teach  natural ways to recoup or rekindle  our energy.

As autumn peaks, surround yourself with the beauty that nature puts before our eyes! Take note of the vibrant and various colors of the landscape and breathe in the cool, crisp air. Throw your hands into the air and smile.... or shout, "I am a Vibrant Human Being!" Add a batch of leaves to your hands. Hold a child to the sky. Hold hands with your partner. Take a moment to embrace life with Wellness, Purpose, Abundance and help Educate others so they can feel the same way!

Your True Colors are the only ones worth wearing. They are the Most Vibrant of by far!

Young Living just celebrated 25 years of Gary's dream with 32,000 people at Convention, and over 6,000,000 members world wide! Gary is a role model for "Dream Big!" And Young Living is a corporate role model for sharing his and Mary's dream in a big way. The bounty of their collective thoughts, words and actions have created a company that has changed millions of lives and will continue to do more!

Every moment of convention was a reminder of the abundance Young Living has brought to the world. Imagine all the people behind the scenes of a convention: workshops, book stores, Expo, AromaSharing, Farm Day, Kids Club, New Headquarters, hotels and restaurants, corporate staff, all the leaders, seasoned members and new members that are all interconnected in support of Gary's dream!

It's easy to forget that "interconnectedness" when we're at home. It's easy to forget that there are millions of people sharing something from One Great Source and we can even forget the people close to us that help keep our businesses growing. Using the metaphor of a garden, in Minnesota - it's a short season:) We can get trapped in our own limitations and size of our gardens. There are some healthy producers and a few weeds out there.

Young Living has a much farther reach. At the heart of it all.... it's a Really Big Garden! God's abundant bounty that we receive in the form of essential oils and nutritional supplements, products that hold the integrity of what a healthy world should look and feel like, from thousands of acres under the stewardship of hard working, honorable people, we are blessed.

Gary told a story of a Melissa harvest one year, where no oil was expressed. It had been harvested under stressful conditions and underlying tension of the workers. The next year he made a point of sending women out to participate. They laughed and sang and shared the experience with joy. The plant gave an abundance of oil, under an abundance of love! It's a good lesson to keep in mind when we're feeling stressed out and nothing seems to be going in a positive direction. Sometimes the "weeds and crop failures" are in our attitude.

If you're planning fall classes, plan to be generous with your bounty! Don't worry about money as a return on your investment. Instead, throw all the LOVE you can at people and see how LOVE returns tenfold back to you! If you don't have enough inventory for a successful DIY or swag bags and prizes, call your Upline for support. Partner with other people to make each event look like a banquet of sharing a garden's bounty! (Include some locally grown produce to eat or decorate. Use oils to enhance a dish, spread fruit or herbs across the table with bottles of essential oils to remind people.... "where everything came from!"

August reminds us of how things grow and reach their peak. Seasons go through cycles, just like people. You can count on Young Living to maintain the soil - our foundation, while we experiment with growing our businesses and families. Trust me. If you are a Young Living member, you are surrounded by Abundance. The more you Give and Share the Bounty (and your Love), the more you will receive!

There's something exiting about fireworks that light up the sky in a spectacular fall of colors and stars! As a metaphor, we can all relate to their burst of light, energy and our internal excitement. We love the anticipation and thrill of the reward(s). We share it with a crowd and then sigh as we wait for the next one to launch. Life can be like this. Relationships can be like this and so can business.

I started a blog the first of July, then got busy with family, friends and holiday fun. The fireworks are still ringing in my ears as a symbol to share with the Rising Stars. We're heading off for Young Living's 25th Anniversary. It is truly something to celebrate and there are so many people that deserve our respect and honor that have made this a great company with a bright future.

Wow! I just felt Gary's presence as he smiles over my shoulder. He would have been a great pyrotechnic, because he would never run out of fireworks. The sky would never go dark if he had his way! No one ever had to light a fire under him to stay motivated and inspired and he was a great coach and mentor for others to pursue and achieve their dreams.

I don't have the statistics for all the Young Living members and ranks, but we represent millions of stars right here on Earth and billions of dollars doing good things in the world. (Mary said, "More money in the hands of good people, will do more good in the world." And that is truly happening, all over the world, because of Young Living Members. (Is there a firework that says: THANK YOU!?)

No matter how small or big of a "star" you are, your light is significant. You are part of a big, big Universe. You may have bright days and powerful moments or dark days and low energy where you just don't feel your best. With Young Living, you have essential oils (that always raise your vibrational energy and light) and supplements to help bring your physical body into balance. You have relationships that are like minded and are also pursuing wellness, purpose and abundance. When we keep that in mind, it's okay to let others shine and it's fabulous to see you shine, too!

This is how I see things in July of 2019. Fireworks are a fun metaphor for how we might enjoy each others achievements and successes, and how we can support each other during those momentary pauses or even rush to help, if there's an accidental explosion! We are all Rising Stars and if you see me smiling in a slightly weird way, I'm just picturing all your explosive colors waiting to be lit or bursting across the sky (or stage) in a ray of light and colors!

Have fun at Convention or at home with your friends and families! Sparkle, Crackle, Burst, Boom and Light Up the Sky together!!!

I believe I got lost in the lilacs back in May! Something came over me as I waited for the first fragrant blossoms of spring. I impatiently watched green bushes slowly push out tight buds and finally saw the first hint of 'lavender' color finally pop. There were Facebook posts asking us about our favorite spring flowers. Lilacs were the number one answer, but they weren't blooming yet! Then someone shared a recipe to mimic their scent, and we ended up spending hours at the office playing around with it. I'll share the recipe at the end of the blog, but want to share a few more thoughts in bloom.

There are days that we "love to hate" Social Media and Facebook, then there are days that we really engage and take time to not just LIKE each other, but genuinely exchange great ideas and support. Sometimes the right question or right moment allows us to freely express ourselves in a larger community! Some of us might have been a bit "Minnesotan" in our love for spring and our childish delight at the first signs of color and fragrance, but that means we play a role of deeper appreciation, that milder climates don't experience. I was struck by the different roles that people play, but more so, the comfort we feel to have fun, stay positive, and sprinkle purple sweetness on each other from different parts of the world.

May and June, for the parents of a graduating senior are hectic! Spring sports bring seasonal endings and figure skating requires rehearsals, practice, shows, costumes, props, pictures, driving (a lot of driving) along with tears of joy and sorrow as some things are coming to an end. Graduation doubles the intensity and necessity to organize and manage a busy skating and 'oily' family. We're watching our "little Maddy" get ready for college and leave the nest to be a Rising Star!

June came so fast. It is almost half over now. The lilac bouquets only lasted a week and Tom McDermott tried distilling some oil for us in hope that we could bottle the aroma of spring., He only managed to bottle some "floral water" and said it's not that great. Lilacs don't give up their oil and it is easily tainted by the smallest amount of branch and greenery. If you look it up, you'll find that most lilac oils are "fragrance oils." That means they are created synthetically or as an absolute.

It was a reminder about why I LOVE YOUNG LIVING! We can count on 100% pure essential oils and know that the farms and the distillation processes will never cheat or lie to us to bring us what we want. We all wanted lilac oil to contain the joy of May, but we were forced to make our own, with the sources we already have in Young Living!

If you're building a business, you need to stay tuned to nature's cycles and her truths! I try not to get lost in my own desires so I can watch all the possible Rising Stars continue to bloom.... in their own way and in their own time.

Basic recipe that you can adjust for spritzers, roll-ons or add to a lotion base: 3-4 drops each of bergamot; lavender and ylang ylang. 2 drops of cedar wood or sandalwood. (Depending on your sense of smell, you may like one better than the other.) You can also download the handout on Lilacs: Keeping the Scent of Spring All Summer Long.

It's time to plant some seeds! Think about all the elements that go into having a successful garden. You need water, sunshine, fertilizer, tools, time and commitment. Without any one of those items, your garden is less likely to produce very little in the way of flowers, fruit, vegetables or grains that you wish to harvest and enjoy. It may even fail completely.

Without water, nothing lives. Without sunshine, very few plants survive. Without fertilizer, plants struggle. Without tools, it is hard work with impossible thoughts going through your head. Imagine not even having a shovel! Without time and energy to care for any garden plants, the weeds will take over. Weeds are like bad thoughts, negative voices and can take over to destroy your hope. Without commitment, a garden doesn't even get started and it definitely doesn't thrive.

We sometimes perceive that everything is against us, when we start something new, different or just plain hard, like a Young Living business. But if we put our business minds, into the context of a garden, whether we are new to gardening or a master, we can cultivate the right perception.

Young Living corporate is our water. It is deep, wide and flowing in a positive direction. We can trust the integrity of it's course. Our essential oils and nutritional supplements are our sunshine. Seriously! The sunshine is in every drop and capsule that a plant's life has transferred to us! The fertilizer we need are the people around us. They might be your Upline, a Diamond, a cross-line mentor, personal coach or anyone with a positive influence that will empower our success. The tools are abundant: books, videos, webinar, zoom, streaming, social media, classes, events, workshops, CONVENTION and can be as small and powerful as the phone you carry in your purse or pocket!

Your business success will start "growing" when you take the time and make a commitment to it every day. Just like gardeners, no two are alike. Some have a garden plan mapped out in January when the seed catalogs arrive. Some have been gardening long enough to follow a pattern, diligently selecting seeds, mindfully growing their own plants from a greenhouse. Some people wait until the last minute to buy plants, because they have organized their time differently. Can you see how personalities will always find their own path to their own goals?

In the middle of the season, you might feel like you could do things better or differently, because you learned something new. Late in the season, you might be the proud receiver of a bountiful harvest. (Are you preserving it and sharing it?) Remember there will always be weeds out there to distract you. Get them under control early on! In order to stay inspired and passionate, you still have to rotate your crops to avoid disease and nutrient depletion to maintain healthy soil - (can you see the metaphor here?)

It's officially spring. Things are growing! May is one of the most spectacular months of the year to show us how life continues to unfold and bring us hope. I Hope you have time to plant a garden and I Believe you can use the same fundamental principles in your Young Living businesses. Let's Dig In!

If anyone kept a journal for the winter of 2018/2019, Thank You! I didn't record this particular winter and all it's challenges, so if I need to reach out to you, to remind me why I'm looking for a place in Florida, Keep In Touch!

Every season has it's beauty and I'm pretty good at finding things to be Grateful for and I never forget, that I am living a life of Abundance! I was recently reminded about how "our feelings" are at the core of what we receive in life. If you express "Gratitude," more things will unfold to show you, you have much to be thankful for. If you are stuck on thinking that "Abundance" means financial security, you are missing the big picture of how blessed we all are, even during challenging times.

Close your eyes and open your arms out wide. Take a deep breath and create a mental picture of all the abundance in your life. It could be a wonderful family; large circle of friends; a great career; a deep spiritual practice; a healthy body; endless energy and inspired life. As you flip through all the images you came up with, take another deep breath and say, "Thank you!" You are abundant! You have much to be grateful for!

I could list dozens of Young Living blends to align with this season's emotions: Believe, Stress Away (stress gone:), Inspiration, Hope, Joy, etc. Don't forget to diffuse them. Put them on your feet, the back of your neck and over your heart. Remember that essential oils raise our vibrational frequencies. Thank the plants for sharing their energy with us.

New life is emerging from the soil, birds are singing in the trees and the first thunderstorm is on the horizon, waiting to saturate the earth with an electrical charge that life requires. Spring is an Awakening and an opportunity to see, hear and feel how we can be in Harmony with all living things. After a thunderstorm, go outside barefoot and fill up with energy! If a gentle rain is all you get, go outside and dance in it!

The Law of Attraction is at it's strongest. Meter your thoughts, words and actions. Cultivate lots of good feelings and watch everything you love, expand and grow.