I've taken a break for a bit mostly because I haven't really had anything worthwhile to say. Those of you who know me well, know that I'm not one for small talk or idle chit-chat. This is one reason why I'm not good with large party situations or meeting people for the first time (or second, third, fourth or fifth time for that matter). I would like to be one of those people that can walk into a room full of strangers and strike up a conversation...it would make some parts of life so much easier and less stressful. Luckily for me, my husband is super chatty, so he gladly takes on the role of social butterfly while I either hang out at the food table or quietly sit in the corner with the resident cat or dog.
I did try to overcome my shyness a couple of years ago when I signed up to be a Mary Kay consultant. I thought it would help me get out of my comfort zone, and it did for a little while, but then I just spiralled into a stress-ball and the fun factor quickly dissipated. I made the huge mistake of, what I like to call, being "blinded by the bling". I could get prizes and gifts if I ordered certain amounts of inventory and this was the biggest mistake I made. I ended up ordering way more inventory than I could sell. I managed to get a few "parties" done, but unfortunately a lot of my inventory was not what people wanted, so I ended up ordering more stuff. I did end up with 2 sets of nice coffee mugs, a sparkly t-shirt and a pair of sunglasses though :)
When I first started out, I thought that I would be able to do about 3 parties a week, so with guidance from my director, I/we ordered the suggested inventory levels to accommodate the anticipated customer orders. Big mistake. I should have just ordered things on an "as needed" basis rather that stockpiling products. I used the products and thought they were great, but that wasn't enough. I learned that booking parties is not as easy as "they" make it seem and I didn't want to be that annoying Mary Kay lady; constantly harassing people to have parties or place orders...that's just not in my DNA. I also couldn't adopt that "Ra Ra Mary Kay" attitude that was so important to get people introduced to the products.
I quit selling Mary Kay about a year ago and felt such a relief when I finally made that decision. Believe it or not, up until a few weeks ago I still had items that I couldn't sell. I even tried to sell them at cost, but nobody was interested. I didn't want the products to go bad, so I decided to donate everything to the local Women's Transition House. They were very appreciative of everything and I felt really good about being able to help out such a great cause. To be totally honest, I felt way better about donating to them than I ever did about trying to sell the stuff. Some people are born salesmen and some aren't. I definitely am NOT a salesperson.
I don't look back on my brief time selling Mary Kay as a regret, but more of a learning experience and life lesson. I was able to step outside of my comfort zone for a little while and talk to strangers, and I learned that I never want to run my own business. I am very happy to get up and go to work for someone else and then at 5:00, my work day is over and the rest of my day is my time. That feels really good.
In the meantime, I'm going to a birthday gathering for a friend this afternoon. Wish me luck!
