answer their call can they just go ahead and order from someone else? Absolutely. And Disney’s the same way. Can they book with someone other than Wish Upon A Star With Karen? Sure. Can they book their own reservations? Yep. Can they decide they want to call Disney direct, instead of working with me? Sure, although I really hope and pray they call me.
So what do my various career hats have to do with being discouraged?
In all of my social circles, I am blessed to have many friends. But every now and then someone lets it slip that “hey, we just had a 31 party, and so and so was a great consultant, we had so much fun!” (so and so, of COURSE, not being me) orrrr, “look at our pictures from Orlando, aren’t they fab?!” and I KNOW I did not book their trip for them. Or the worst of the worst, when someone comments on a social group that I am in “hey, you should go see Sally, she can hook you up with her fantastic Disney knowledge!” – knowing full well that I’m in that group! It’s the closest thing I can possibly imagine to public flogging or a good old fashioned tar and feathering. At the very least, it can leave a girl disheartened, discouraged, and downright wondering “what did I do wrong that she chose – and even recommended – someone other than me to help her? I thought we were friends.”
At this point, I go ahead and dial up my heavenly father who is in fact, on speed dial – not because I like to whine to him a lot, but because I really do love to talk to and hear from him that much. (Thankfully I don’t just call him to whine or I believe he’d be screening my calls!) So I start out like a little bit like my 6 yr old twins when one gets something that the other doesn’t: “But Jesus, I wanted that for me! How come they can have that and I can’t? And why would my friend do that to me?”
That Jesus, you gotta love him. He’s really such a trooper when He gets to deal with me. I just imagine a big heavenly sigh, and then I hear it. Have you been faithful with what I’ve given you already? Have you given your very best? And were these really your friends giving referrals? And then I realize, yes, I have given my very best but I have a few things that need closing up, like a lady that needs a return phone call, and three others that need to go ahead and put their deposit down on their vacation, and a 31 order being delivered today that I will need to follow up on tonight. So yes, it really is my very best, but I also realize that my plate is… balanced, at the moment. In a good way. Not overflowingly so, like some moms you hear saying “my plate is sooo full!”, but satiatingly full. The kind of plate where if you stopped eating when it was empty, you’d feel fine afterwards, but if you asked for a second helping you’d be wearing stretchy pants and feeling miserable the entire evening. Satiating. Meaning, I have exactly what I need to give great service to those I DO have, and I will let them give the referrals, whereas if I tried to take on more, I may miss something and end up with unhappy 31 customers or Disney clients. And I don’t want either of those. And I stop to think, were these really friends? No, not really. They were friends of friends. Acquaintances. And I am instantly reminded of three verses that shows me exactly why it’s okay to be happy for those people who DID do those 31 parties, or book those vacations for my (let’s be real here) acquaintances.
Verse 1 – Be thankful for everything, and be anxious for nothing. – Psalm 107:8 “Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!” I don’t know about you, but I think hostesses, customers, and clients really are a blessing from God. And hopefully, I’m not the only one who thinks so. Maybe those consultants were really looking for extra business and had prayed for that business. Maybe that business to them, was an answer to prayer. And really, what woman doesn’t carry a pocketbook around? There are only 70,000 consultants – many of whom are hobbyists, not aspiring career women. With an estimated 180 million women in the US, there’s certainly a low enough woman-to-purse-lady ratio, I think. I will be thankful for what I have, knowing that God will provide for my every need, and knowing that God has not only provided for my needs, but for consultant X’s needs as well.
Verse 2 – Take nothing for granted, and know that he will provide for you. In his perfect timing. Proverbs 27:23-27 says “Know your sheep by name; carefully attend to your flocks; (Don’t take them for granted; possessions don’t last forever, you know.) And then, when the crops are in and the harvest is stored in the barns, You can knit sweaters from lambs’ wool, and sell your goats for a profit; There will be plenty of milk and meat to last your family through the winter.” For me, this means delight in those that I DO have, whether it’s my children, my travel clients, or my customers. Know them by name, and attend to them, and God will provide in the future. Imagine sitting in a stylist’s chair at the hair salon, and having her, with her fingers in your hair, worried about another lady in a different chair. Or tending to something else altogether. You wouldn’t feel very valued would you? My last stylist, after I’d gone to her for years, had a set of Yorkshire Terriers that she kept as pets at her salon. Half of my appointment would be spent doing my hair, while the other half would be spent picking the dogs up, moving them to their kennel, moving them back out to the main area, taking them out for bathroom breaks, talking to them… you get the idea. She’d cut my hair for years, but all of the sudden, I’d felt neglected and taken for granted. While she always did a fantastic job on my hair, her last visit really was the last visit, because I didn’t feel as if she was truly giving me what I needed in a hair stylist. And it makes me evaluate my own services. Yes, you could say the same about any profession – hairstyling, photography, and even purses and travel – did I do my very best, and if I were this client, would I recommend me. If we are doing our very best at whatever profession we choose, our clients will know it, and God will allow our businesses to bloom. It also means if we are truly thankful for what we have, don’t take it for granted, and are attentive to their needs, we won’t feel a bit of jealousy or be discouraged when another business person is granted just a sliver of business – that just may be the answer to prayer she needed as well.
Verse 3 – He – or in my case, she – who is faithful with little will be given much. Luke 16:10 says “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.”… and those who cannot be trusted with little won’t be given any more! I think I’m okay with what I’ve been entrusted with so far, faithful with the little I’ve been entrusted with, and ready to handle it when God gives me more. Thankfulness also implies trust that God has given us what we need, AND that he also knows what business someone else needs.
And really, shouldn’t I be trusting GOD to fulfill my needs anyway, not a friend group? (Insert tiny little light bulb moment here.)
Be thankful for all. Be faithful with little, so that you can be trusted with more. And trust God – not acquaintances – to fulfill our needs. Sounds like a great formula for any business growth, don’t you agree?
~xoxo, Karen
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