Getting over the Ickiness

I use to care what people thinkI have a confession to make. There’s something in my work that made me feel icky when I first started doing it. I did not know I was feeling icky about it until someone asked me about it and I struggled to explain it. I knew there was an energy block and when I had a chat with myself about it, I realized that I was letting other people’s opinions (OPOs) control how I felt about what I was doing. For goodness sakes … I’m a Leo and that is never acceptable!! So I decided to venture out to help myself get over the ickiness being caused by OPOs.

So what was making me feel so icky? The concept of network marketing, otherwise known as multi-level marketing (MLM). Let me explain. I am totally addicted to and in love with Young Living essential oils. They have changed my life, the life of my cats, my family and friends. Maybe you’ve heard about Young Living and you love them too, or maybe you’re with another oil company, or maybe you don’t like Young Living or essential oils at all. All of that is beside the point. If you’re in a MLM, or if you’ve been thinking about joining one, you may have felt this ickiness at some point. So I am writing this blog to help you get beyond OPOs so that you can create financial stability.

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MLM structure

What is a MLM? It’s a business model that relies on people sharing the product via word of mouth rather than the company spending money on advertising. One person joins, they love the product and rave about it and others start to join and use the products and share, and so on. You earn a monthly check based on the volume of your group’s orders. Some people call it a pyramid scheme and that sends me over the edge because of the complete and utter ignorance in that belief.

A pyramid scheme is illegal and it’s nothing more than someone getting people to pay them money with the promise that if they sign up other people they will get a return on their investment. There are no products whatsoever involved. It’s simply people giving money to someone above them in hopes that they will make more than they invested. That’s a pyramid scheme and it’s illegal in the U.S. MLMs or Network Marketing companies with a product are reputable and NOT pyramid schemes.

Here’s why. Some people think that if a company is built like a pyramid with one person at the top who recruits a level of people who then recruit levels of people below them that it is a pyramid scheme. Think about it … what model is that? CEO, then Vice Presidents, then Management, then Employees? It’s called business. IBM, Apple, Ford and every other business on the planet has a CEO who has a level of executives who have a level of managers who hire workers. It’s shaped like a pyramid, just like a MLM, but it is not a pyramid scheme other than it’s shaped like a pyramid.

So here’s what I know about MLM businesses:

  • you are your own boss
  • you decide when you work
  • you decide who you work with
  • you decide how you want to work
  • you decide if it’s a home-based business (you can be at home with your kids and pets)
  • you decide how much income you will make
  • you get pay raises based on your hard work (not the same percentage that everyone gets whether they work hard or not)
  • you do not need any special education, degrees or expertise
  • you will earn money even if you are sick, on vacation or taking a break
  • you will never have a fixed income and can earn as much as you want
  • you will be rewarded for your hard work with incentive trips, retreats, gifts, free products as a thank you from the company for helping them avoid costly traditional advertising
  • you spend your time sharing passionately about products that have changed your life for the better and you want others to benefit
  • you get unlimited support from your upline (the people who came before you) because you only grow in MLM when you help others grow (name me another industry that does that?)
  • and you can truly achieve financial security based on your passion, dedication and work ethic.

Dir of my lifeNow, who would ever turn down any of those benefits? No one. But when I say the words Multi-Level Marketing or Network Marketing, people cringe. And I was one of those people. Why? Why was I cringing over a business model that I knew nothing about? It was because of OPOs. Once I figured that out, I was mad. Mad at people making judgments about a business model that they also knew nothing about, but most importantly mad at myself for letting OPOs control me. Grrrr……

So what did I do? I launched myself into massive education about MLMs and decided that if I still felt icky after learning all that I could, then I would know it was not right for me. But guess what? I’ve learned a ton about MLM (and still have more to learn) and I now feel AWESOME about the business model. Here’s why:

  • Well-respected business leaders say that MLMs are the most stable and sustainable business model if you want current, long term and permanent financial stability. Who are those people? Tony RobbinsWarren Buffet (who actually owns several MLMs), Sir Richard Branson, Donald Trump, Robert Kiyosaki (Rich Dad, Poor Dad best selling author) just to name a few.
  • The Wall Street Journal calls MLM’s The Ultimate Social Business Model.
  • Forbes magazine proclaimed MLMs as providing financial stability in retirement. Robert Laura, author of the article, stated, “I believe that the entire industry is poised for explosive growth and can be one of the most significant solutions to America’s current retirement savings crisis.” Read it here.
  • Forbes magazine also called MLMs a successful business model in this article. I love how the article ends, “So, the next time you meet someone who runs a “home business” or “MLM” give them a high five for taking their career and life into their own hands and becoming an entrepreneur.”
  • There’s typically a very low investment to get started (usually under $200).
  • And at least for me and Young Living … we don’t sell, we share. (I still have a mini-block when it comes to “selling” … I’m working on it).
  • You attract people who have a need that you can meet. For me, it’s the wellness aspect of essential oils for people and pets in balancing the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual energies!
  • If just a few people sign up under you (become a part of your downline), you may earn a monthly check to pay for your product purchases.
  • If you get a few more people who love the products like you and they begin to sign up people, you may earn a monthly check to give you extra spending money each month (to pay monthly bills, to set aside for vacation or college education or retirement)
  • If you go all in you could replace your current income and potentially earn more than you’ve ever made (no matter what your career has been)
  • And I could go on and on, but I think you get the point. This is legitimate stuff.

So I’ve taken classes, attended conferences and read books on MLMs. I really recommend these 3 books (two of which are very short and easy to read).

51FYqkcd-EL._SX324_BO1,204,203,200_  fyc-yl-book-cover2   GoProBook

The more I learn, the more I realize how shaky the American and world economy is; that people do not have sufficient (or sometimes any) savings; that there is no such thing as job security and you could lose your job at any moment; that if a financial crisis hits (a healthcare crisis that could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to treat, a weather disaster destroys your home) you could lose everything; that too many people are in constant financial fear about tomorrow.
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The Oil Fairy spreads wellness while on travel!

 

Although I am in the beginning stages of the MLM business to compliment Manifested Harmony, I can already tell you that IT’S TOTALLY WORTH IT! I love the people who have joined my Young Living team, I love the people in my upline who help and support me, I love sharing and teaching about the oils, I love interacting with new people and hearing how amazed they are at the results from using the oils, I love changing the lives of people and pets who are struggling with wellness and finances. I go about my day like an Oil Fairy dropping little samples here and there to people who are visibly struggling and need a boost (I do this a lot on airplanes). And after all of that, I love my monthly check … it subsidizes my oil habit and more as it grows.

And I chose Young Living because of its mission.

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So whether it’s Young Living or another MLM, I really encourage you to take your financial present and future into your hands and seriously consider why you are spending your days in a job (that maybe you don’t really like) helping someone else achieve their financial goals while you trade your time for dollars for a fixed income. You can start your MLM business while you still have your job and start to create residual income and a sustainable future.

And for me, I no longer feel icky.

As always, if you want to learn more or have an online or phone chat with me about the business potential of Young Living, just drop me an email and I’d be super excited to explain even more.

About Allie Phillips:

Me Aug 2014Allie is a unique combination of self-empowerment coach (Certified Law of Attraction Counselor and Life Coach), energy therapist (Usui Reiki Master-Teacher, Integrated Energy Therapy Master-Instructor, and Advanced Crystal Master), award-winning book author, attorney and nationally-recognized animal advocate. Whether it’s wanting more freedom, creativity, loving relationships, financial security, wellbeing, relaxation, or adjusting to the energy of our new world … she looks at each person and animal holistically and creates a well-being plan. She holistically combines these methods to help people gain control of their lives and to help animals live with comfort in our hectic world. It worked for her and will work for you! She particularly loves helping our animal companions because for those of us who have them grace our worlds, they are our soul mates.
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The Concern with Other People’s Money

We live in a society where everyone wants to have financial abundance, right? The phrase financial freedom is now common and is often the most requested wish in prayers, affirmations, vision boards and intention setting. Everyone, no matter where they live, their education, their culture, wants to live without money worries. We live in a money driven world and having money provides security and safety. But most people have money blocks.

What is a money block? It’s a belief system that is stored in your energy field that holds your true un-politically correct belief about money. If you are praying, visualizing and intending for financial freedom/abundance but you have a core belief that is the opposite, the core belief wins out every time.

So why I am talking about this today? It’s because I am seeing more and more social media posts where people are shaming others for making large sums of money. In particular, a post is making the rounds again about large annual salaries of non-profit organization CEOs. And recently I learned that one of my business mentors has been publicly shamed for what she charges for her services; amazing services that have given her financial freedom to do the work that she loves. Don’t you want to be paid to do the work that you love?

Here’s what I think when I see people sharing money shaming posts and expressing outrage about the money that other people make:

  1. Is the information actually accurate? It amazes me how people are quick to forward something without verifying that it’s true. So much online information is not accurate. So by sharing, you are making an assumption on a false belief that it’s true. And when you then attach your negative opinion (your energy) about how much money other people make, it sends out an energy wave of negativity that will come back on you but will also impact those around you. That’s just a bad move, so don’t do it!
  2. Even if the information is true about other people’s money, who are we to judge what another high-level leader makes in a salary? Businesses and non-profits have boards of directors who have approved a CEO’s salary. And we do not know what the CEO has to do for that salary (e.g., the number of hours worked each week, the stress of holding a business on his/her shoulders, etc.) or whether the CEO donates a large portion of the salary back to the company. But the instant assumption is negative (e.g., the CEO is greedy so don’t donate to that non-profit) rather than positive (e.g., the CEO has donated a portion of the salary to building an animal sanctuary or a children’s hospital). When people react negatively about other people’s money, this is a core belief that money is evil and you cannot do good things or be a good person if you have a 7-figure or higher salary.
  3. When you privately, and publicly, criticize another person for achieving financial freedom, that solely speaks to your insecurity, jealousy, and recognition that you do not have the right vibration or energy to draw in financial freedom. Misery loves company, right? So you shame the other person for making good money. The first response is to attack the person rather than celebrate the person for achieving financial abundance.

There is more than enough money and stuff to go around for everyone. There is no shortage of money but there is a shortage of the money mindset. If you have a shortage of money, this is directly related to your money vibe. Your reaction relates to your core belief around money. If you cannot be happy for others who are financially thriving, then you have a money block and you will not thrive. You cannot speak negatively about someone (even someone you don’t know) and expect to have good things happen. Your reaction has nothing to do with the other person’s money and everything to do with your poverty mindset, the “why don’t I have money” mindset. If you were offered a 7-figure income as the CEO of a nonprofit organization that could change the world, would you turn it down? Of course not. That may sound harsh but I feel that it’s a message that everyone needs to hear.

When we are so quick to condemn people for making good money, it is an emotional attack (often from behind the safety of your computer) that was not caused by the other person; it was totally set in motion by you. And when you share a post, it has the same energy as if you initiated the post. As I was writing that sentence, this article on emotional attacks came into my inbox and it’s totally worth reading. Now that’s serendipity.

ThinkingSo what can you do to raise your money vibe and stop worrying about other people’s money?

    • Be grateful that others are making a good living doing the work that they love because they are giving you a road map to show that it can be done! Be grateful for those teachers, figure out what makes them successful, and then model what they do! Of course, make sure that they are a person of integrity. There are so many integrity money makers out there that it will not be difficult to find a mentor.
    • Work with these crystals: Carnelian, Citrine, Green Aventurine, Malachite and Pyrite.

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  • And my personal favorite are these essential oils: Abundance, Gratitude, Oola Faith, Oola Field, Oola Finance all enhanced with Oola Grow! I love to diffuse Abundance and Gratitude (separately) and then I combine the 4 Oola oils in my hand and cup my palm over my nose and inhale the energy while reciting money vibe affirmations (e.g., I am financially free and working/contributing to society in a positive way). I do this 3 times per day until I no longer worry about money. It really works!

When you can be grateful for what you have and spend less time focusing on what other’s have, you will quickly see how things will change for the better. Thoughts create things … so make sure you have good thoughts!

About Allie Phillips:

Me Aug 2014Allie is a unique combination of self-empowerment coach (Certified Law of Attraction Counselor and Life Coach), energy therapist (Usui Reiki Master-Teacher, Integrated Energy Therapy Master-Instructor, and Advanced Crystal Master), award-winning book author, attorney and nationally-recognized animal advocate. Whether it’s wanting more freedom, creativity, loving relationships, financial security, wellbeing, relaxation, or adjusting to the energy of our new world … she looks at each person and animal holistically and creates a well-being plan. She holistically combines these methods to help people gain control of their lives and to help animals live with comfort in our hectic world. It worked for her and will work for you! She particularly loves helping our animal companions because for those of us who have them grace our worlds, they are our soul mates.
YL 1414338
Join in on the fun!

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I have added more stuff to my Members Only page!! Click here for instant access to essential oil videos, a “New Energy Business & Abundance Grid” booklet, free articles, and more!