Photocredit: Amy Bell of Modern Nest Photography. Follow her on Instagram @modern_nest_photography
In all my working days, I have never been able to say, “I love my job”. If you asked me 7 months ago if I even thought that was possible, I would have said “no”. Work is work. There are good days and bad days, but you just get it done with slight indifference and live it up on the weekend. This pretty much summed up my attitude toward work life.
But all of that changed 7 months ago. Tara from @Topknotmommy saw something in me. She saw what I couldn’t see – she saw a beauty that wanted change. Change in my country, change in the industry, change in my community. I also wanted change for my family – I wanted to contribute to our bottom line in an economy that has been very challenging (#recession sucks) and I also wanted to be happy with my work so that I could be fuelled and refilled as a mother of young children.
“If you see something beautiful in someone, speak it.” – Jenna Kutcher
My girl Tara and I, for example, have a ton of fun. And maybe a few tears (life has both so I’m glad those aren’t excluded). We hit up cafes and farmers markets, we bring in like-minded industry shakers (like @abeego and @routinecream), we drink wine and iced tea. We take road trips and jump on airplanes … and we even sit down once in a while!
I legit have the best job in the world. Why do I love it so much? Because I control how I want to run it. It doesn’t have to fit a set structure, which can be terrifying yet wonderfully freeing!
Ways my job is different:
COLLABORATION AND COMMUNITY. I’m a lover of developing and combining skills and talents. We all have them and if you need help finding them, let’s chat. Because you are beautiful. And we are all able to make this puzzle of life work together. I don’t just do “make up parties”. (Why does this make me want to hurl?? This ain’t yo’ grandma’s business! Except if your grandma was awesome like mine, then let’s take that back…)
- Masking events where we get to pamper each other and hear each other’s stories; meet ups to network, laugh, exchange, and hang; 5-minute faces for those who don’t think they have time but whom we get to speak truth and tell them they are worth the time (amazing, right?!); fitness and food, because life is about balance and what we put on and in our bodies matter.
MISSION. We have purpose beyond sales. And in fact, I’m a terrible sales person. But you know what? I’m a wonderful mission-ist who just so happens to have a solution. AKA amazing products without 1,500 toxic chemicals. Even if I don’t have “amazing” sales, I have purpose.
- I’m an educator (did you know what you put on your skin is absorbed into your blood stream within ~26 seconds?).
- I’m an activist (I actively work toward change with government and industry for stronger and better regulation for you, me and our families).
- I’m confidant (I want to hear your story and help you make the changes you want and need.)
IMPACT AND SUCCESS. For me, success isn’t built upon the old world of “just think about the number you want to earn in your head. You deserve this. You need this. Now you will go and get 100 billion dollars!”. This is very unfulfilling for me. If I wanted this, I’d study to be an astronaut or plastic surgeon. But I would hate every minute whilst making millions upon millions of dollars. Instead, I love the how this opportunity allows me fulfillment through two laws of what I consider success:
- Law of Value: Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment.
- Law of Compensation.Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them.
I work for a start-up out of Santa Monica called, BeautyCounter. They’ve been active in Canada for about a year and I had to join this awesome mission . (You can read more about my journey here). You’ve probably heard me rant and rave about my love for activated charcoal and my need for intensive eye cream that hides the bags under my eyes from these wonderfully-intense mothering years. BeautyCounter not only produces a product that is counter cultural (we ban over 1,500 toxins!), we act counter culturally, too. In my world, actions speak louder than words. We are active in the communities in which we live and work and we visibly lobby for change. Our CEO has worked hard to secure a seat in Congress (USA) and Canada isn’t far behind as we march forth this past March to meet with local members of Parliament to voice our need for stronger regulation in the beauty industry.
“Decades of studies indicate that serious health issues (including, but not limited to, asthma, cancer, and infertility) are on the rise, due in some part to our ongoing exposure to toxic chemicals—whether it’s in the shower, on our commute, while we eat lunch at a local restaurant, or when we clean our kitchens at home.”
What’s holding you back? Let’s jump in!