10 Show Week!

"I know some of you heard this remarkable story at the Leaders Summit last weekend. But I wanted all of you to see it in print. I just shared it with 5 of my National friends that are here at NSD Cheryl Warfield's home and they are speechless. They have emailed it out to their National Areas as a source of inspiration. Thank you Julie Thomas. You do make a difference! Your story is touching so many lives across the nation. Who would have thought that your 10 show week could do that!" - (Carol Anton NSD)

Hi Carol - I thought you might be interested in a journal of my 10 Show week. Sorry it's so long. At Leadership I committed to doing it when I got home. I have done that in years past: got motivated to do a 10 Show week and came back home to get into action. Inevitably, something would always come up to stop my action - and it would go by the wayside. Julius is so right when he says there is a missing step. After motivation comes a DECISION, then you take action. I never realized how essential that would be. Here's my journey: I called Norman from Houston and told him about my idea - I asked him if he could be supportive of it. (He always says "yes" if I am considerate enough to consult him - he would resist if I made the same decision on my own.) Arrived home from Leadership that Saturday with 6 Shows on my books - by Monday, 3 had cancelled - the other 3 I had guest lists for and were confirmed. TUESDAY: went to my meeting without my Director suit on. I announced my goal to my unit and told them I would reearn all my accolades in front of them (PS, Pearls, Sr.Cons, Red Jacket) and be back in my Director's suit by Seminar. I told them that I would not ask them to do anything I was not willing to do myself and that I would jump start this by holding a 10 Show week. I had my Team Leader pin me with a new consultant pin and asked my consultants for advice. I told them I was new, extremely committed and wanted to move very fast. I had them tell me what I needed to do - not gloss over anything, but give me the straight truth about what I would need to do (or not do) to have a $1-$2,000 week my first week, hit all my new consultant goals, and be in my Red Jacket my first month. I told them they could cheer me on but what I was hoping for was that some would choose to run along side me. I took out a piece of paper and started making a contact list to call for bookings (suggesting they do the same). I then took my cell phone and started calling my contact list to book the other Shows I needed. I did this in front of my unit - getting no's, no answers, didn't get any bookings. It didn't matter, I had made a decision. I told them the following week's meeting would be me holding a Beauty Show because it is in the middle of my 10 Show week - it would be a great opportunity for them to bring guests so I could work for them as well. My 10 Show week officially starts with 3 solid Shows on Thursday, Friday, & Saturday. Norman comes to me on Friday and announces that we can travel to his family in Fresno after my Saturday Show and spend all day Sunday there for the Superbowl and his sister's birthday. I control myself so I don't misdirect my panic onto him. I know it takes more than one Show on a weekend to complete a 10 Show week. It's not his fault - he has no clue what it takes. The most I ever held was 10 Shows in a month - and that was before we were married. I immediately go into creation mode and make calls. I get a pre-game Beauty Show booked for Sunday with the one customer in Fresno I had (that hadn't bought from me in 4 years and was allergic to the product). Years back I had sent her a card and Mary Kay's "with Hope & Courage" video when she was diagnosed with cancer. She never forgot it and didn't hesitate to have me over. On Friday, my mom (who had been feeling dizzy and getting headaches) called me after her Dr. appt. and said they found 2 of something on her brain and needed to take further tests. I told her to tell me when the appt. was and i would go with her - I then made a conscious choice to delay thinking any more about it. I hold the Show on Saturday, we make the 3 hour drive and I make calls. My 20 year old niece offers to have me come over that same night before she and her girlfriends go out dancing. Can I come over at 9pm? After the 1 show held and the long drive, I am tired but there is no hesitance in my voice "Sure!" The Show actually starts at 10pm that same night. By the time I get home, I was so exhausted I was tempted to sleep in my Beauty coat even though I had been wearing it now for over 12 hours. It didn't matter, I had made a decision. On Sunday, I hold the pre-game show (my 5th Show) at my customers - it wasn't pretty, it was seriously done "so it could count". But I had $30 from it and was half-way to my goal. At Norman's sister's house, I created another show with her and her nieces. It was her birthday and she deserved some pampering why the guys watched the game. During that historical 4th quarter - all the Superbowl fans went wild as I was doing my class close. The Giants were surpassing the Patriots with amazing plays. I had a glimpse of the TV and knew I was missing something that everyone would be talking about - I refocused on my close - I had my own Superbowl to win - I had made a decision. We return home with me having held 6 Shows - I don't have any more booked. Yikes! That's OK - my sister is watching my 3 yr. old all day Monday and my daughter is in school - I plan to be a booking machine. When we wake up, my son wakes up with a fever - my sister has her own small children and cannot watch him. I make calls around bathing him and keeping his fever under 103 - he's lethargic and sleeping most of the time. I create a Show for tomorrow by calling a Law Office I worked at years ago. Explaining my goal, I offer to give each of the secretaries a gift card and bring them lunch. It was too good an offer for them to pass up. I then confirm my guests for my meeting tomorrow night. I have 3 confirmed but they are all cold leads so I also make up a "Panelists needed" flyer and have the hotel I meet at post it in the lobby, I email it out, and make more calls. As I wonder where the final 2 Shows will come from - I get a call from my mom that the Dr. wants to see her. I call Norman to come home early to be with our feverish son so I can be with my mom & dad. The Dr. says it is a cancer but they don't know if it is primarily in the brain or if it is secondary to a cancer elsewhere in the body. He can't really answer any of our questions until that is determined. I spend the rest of the day with my parents and realize that it is much easier to hold appointments that are already on your books in times of crisis than to have to create ones from scratch. That's a good lesson to always have them on your books to keep you working during these times. It doesn't matter: I had made a decision. I'll find the bookings. TUESDAY: My son is better but now my Kindergartener is coming down with something - they both have to stay home from school. I am discouraged - and I feel the devil smiling. I get mad at him, tell him off in my head, and put my power suit back on. I had made a decision. Fortunately, my office assistant comes in today. They are pretty bored as my office assistant and I plan the meeting - I run out and hold my lunch hour show - and we scramble for product & supplies. After 7 Shows I am running out of everything. ALL my color and custom compacts are sold - and my consultants are excited to provide me with some of their platinum color. That night I go to my meeting and only 2 guests show - I start walking the hall of the hotel asking the cleaning ladies if they get a lunch break and would like to come be pampered. Nothing comes from it but one says "I just got back from taking my break - I would have loved to!" I make a mental note to follow up on her and it doesn't escape me that I never would have asked if it wasn't for this challenge. It reaffirms my commitment to hold my consultants to Shows with 3 people rather than individual faces - otherwise I would have settled with only 2 guests. Fortunately, my other guests showed up late. Not one of my consultants came that night with a new appointment on their books (even though we had that training with me on the phone the week before) and none of them brought guests for the Beauty Show that night. Only one consultant had sales over $300 - and that was all reorders. Rather than feeling frustrated with them as in times past, I felt sympathy that they weren't taking advantage of the unbelievable opportunity they had. I got my Perfect Start pin that night, my 7 Day selling challenge ring, and had 5 personal guests. My week was well over $1,000 so far (haven't had time to stop and look). I come home - my sick children are tucked in bed and my tired husband looks at me with runny eyes and coughs - uh, oh - he has it too. . . WEDNESDAY: My son is getting over his cold/flu but now my daughter is feverish. They will both be home from school . . .again. I certainly hadn't planned for this to happen when committing to my 10 Show week but I had made a decision so there was no choice but to work around it. I am very grateful I choose to hold the first 5 shows before the weekend was over. I am on my own today and am unable to leave the house again. The day before, I had called all the neighbors I knew that didn't have small children and didn't work during the day in preparation for this situation. I had 2 retirees coming to my house at 10:30. . . 1 short. I didn't have the phone number of the retired school teacher across the street although we waved and chatted often. I watched until the lights came on in her house at 7:30am and ran over in my robe to invite her to join us (I wanted to have as much time as possible to go to plan C or D to get my third if she said no.) I invited her to join us and before I could even go into my dialogue of "I am in a bind and you REALLY would be helping me out!" She responsed with "I would love to! Can I bring my pumpkin sweater so you can match a lipstick to it? Can I invite Arlene who lives on the next street to come to?" As the door closed and I heard her last words of "Julie, thank you so much for including me - I see ladies over your house all the time and it looks like so much fun." tears pricked my eyes. I walked slowly back the street - totally humbled with the knowledge that I had lived across from her for 5 years - driving my Cadillac back and forth - and had never asked her. It also once again reaffirms my commitment to hold my consultants to Shows with 3 people rather than individual faces - otherwise I would have settled with only 2 guests. Before the 10:30 Show I set my kids up with a fruit plate, pastries, water, juice, made sure they both went to the bathroom and popped in a favorite movie they haven't watched in a while. I made a deal with them that mommy would take the rest of the afternoon off once the ladies left if they behaved themselves. My daughter smiled through glazed eyes. Her temp. was 103 and I was praying the Motrin would kick in and let her sleep. My son responded to my offer with the type of sneeze that required a quick change of clothes. During the Show (my 9th Show) the phone kept ringing so I turned the ringer off. When the ladies left i had several urgent messages: my mom, my dad, my sister - all saying the same thing - get to the hospital . . . . . . mom's test results are in. There is a kidney cancer that metastized to her lymph nodes, lung, larynx and brain. They cannot operate - it is incurable. If she refuses treatment, the brain tumors will be the first to get her - growing and causing neurological damage, she'd be dead within months. The most we can hope for is that the injectible medicines and daily radiation treatments will keep the growth at bay. . . . . . mom is in denial saying "but I feel totally fine!" . . . . . . dad is beside himself, I am sure a part of him is in panic just due to the fact that his physical survivial depends on her (He is confined to a wheelchair as a quadrapeligic) . . . . . . my sister is sobbing . . . . . . I am looking down at my notebook - grateful that I was the one assigned to take notes on everything the doctor said so I had a project, a task, to focus on. I spend the rest of the day with them - I am the one asked to call my brother, get him over, and tell him the news. THURSDAY: today is the last day of my 10 Show week - I have 9 Shows in. I have been up since 3am between my daughter calling out "I need water", my son coughing uncontrollably, and my own inability to sleep. I am typing this as my daughter sits in a cold bath to reduce her fever. I am pretty numb. I can honestly say all excitement has left me about my goal however I have made a decision. As I battle the mind to compartmentalize and focus, I go to God and see mercy and am grateful. Why do I stay committed to this decision? Why is "Mary Kay" important? Of making a Mary Kay goal and sticking to it to achieve it? It's a way of life. It's who I be. And this has created the biggest blessings in the midst of this crazy, mind blowing week. In my refusal to give up, to say "no, it's not happening" to my goal - came all of my yeses. Even with the 10 Show week I was able to say "yes" to my mom for every single Doctor appointment. Even with the 10 Show week I was able to say "yes" to being here for my children this entire week of being off school sick. I may be on the phone, or holding a Show in the kitchen, but mommy is here to take their temperature, wipe thier noses, or hold them close. The close to $2,000 in sales and incalculatable leads, prospects, potential team members, etc. allow me to say yes financially to so many things where I couldn't otherwise and allows me to build something to support me and, now possibly, parents, etc. Now, what about the 10th Show? I booked a Show for later today from my office lunch appointment on Tuesday. I offered the hostess 30% off all her cosmetics for a year in addition to her hostess credit if she made it happen today and had 3 people. But we have to hold it before 7pm because that is when my week ends. I have a guest list of 5 people. I am tired. My kids are calling for me to come just cuddle. I would like nothing more. I take more Airborne to keep the tickle in my throat at bay. I start to cough. I can leave nothing to chance - I must make these coaching calls and ensure there are 3 people there. I call a couple of customers I have that live in the hostesses area to invite them to join us (just in case) - I will have a plan B in order to finish. I blow my nose and pray that the fever doesn't come to me before tonight. After everything else that has happened this week, the only thing that can stop me is physical incapacitation. I have made a decision.