How did Helen get here?
My journey really started a lifetime ago. Weeks after high school, I married my sweetheart. We got started right away chasing the American Dream. I worked full time while my husband went to school. We were really building something. After the birth of our third child, I became a stay at home mom and focused on being a homemaker. I did some in-home daycare to help make ends meet.
Life went on wonderfully for the most part. Every day seemed to be just like the last one. I would’ve loved to go back to school, but it just never seemed to be the right time. I was told we didn’t have the money “right now.” We never seemed to have enough to make it all happen. Eventually I delved into gardening , I worked outside to make lush gardens where there was nothing but an empty field before.
No obstacle is too big… or too heavy.
I once spent 4 years of my life building a pond with an elaborate waterfall. I found farmers that had beautiful rocks. Yes, that’s right. They were beautiful rocks! I would spend hours loading the bed of our pickup truck. My husband and kids would often laugh as I struggled to carry a boulder to the perfect place. Over those 4 years, I saw little goldfish turn into koi. My pond was beautiful. And then the blue herons started picking them off one at a time. I spent long hours building my dream yard.
My love for nature brought me to grow a vegetable garden that was the size of a little kids’ soccer field. I grew tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, peppers, squash, beans, and lettuce. If it could grow, I would find a way. I loved being outside. I found excuses to be out in the yard. I’d cut down trees (you guessed it; I had my own chainsaw), pull weeds, and make up any excuse to be outside. Outside I was surrounded by growth and constant change, and all so peaceful.
Cats helped change my world view.
One evening, my son called. He told me that he wouldn’t be home for dinner. He said he had stopped by to see some friends. He said they had the sweetest little cats. “Whaaaaat?”
I love cats and nothing is wrong with this story except my son is deathly allergic to cats. I thought for sure I’d be spending the rest of the evening in the emergency room. He went on to explain that they diffused essential oils and that was the beginning of a beautiful thing!
Just like those cats that began this new chapter of my life, curiosity did get the best of me. A few months down the road, my son had already mentioned time and time again that I needed to try this oil called Brain Power. It worked wonders! This set me on a quest to find all the wonderful oils that were available. I became a bit of an enthusiast. This obsession was much easier than lifting heavy rocks and more fun since I got to help other people I began to share these ideas with them. These were things I never dreamed about doing, but I had a fire lit inside me. Just like gardening, I had something that made a difference and that showed change.
Building a business?
Before I knew it, I was sharing my new found knowledge with everyone I knew I recall getting a nice sized ck in the mail. I thought that was great, but I didn’t really need the money. I was well taken care of and really just viewed this as a hobby.
Luckily, my years as a homemaker had taught me some great organization skills I had soon organized my little hobby into a small business.. It was never about money for me; it was about having something I was passionate about. I finally found something that embodied my love of nature and my desire for change.
A new chapter.
After 34 years of marriage, I decided that I needed to find peace. For years, I had ignored the emotional abuse I had suffered. I realized I had become an expert at making excuses and putting on facades. I never realized how much you could hurt from wounds that were inflicted inside yourself. I guess some scars aren’t on the outside.
I walked away with nothing but a fresh start. I never got that college education we talked about, so I didn’t have much of a resume either. I started to treat my hobby like a business for the first time. I had no job, but that didn’t seem to matter. I still had checks coming in!
Time for me.
I realized that I could take some time to figure out my life. I took a year off to focus on me. That turned into two years. I bought a rundown house and started rebuilding. I think it was a cleansing process. As I worked on the house, I worked on myself.
I loved this new chapter of my life. I found a new love for boats and I hired a life and business coach to help me with the final process. I had worked through years of emotional abuse that I didn’t realize I suffered through. I really started restoring myself, the same way I did that house. For the first time in my life, I was an independent and empowered woman. This took a long time but well worth it!
What’s next?
Now, I look back and realize that anyone can achieve their goals. You just have to look at your feelings of insecurity and doubt and weigh those against your goals in life. If your goals are not in line with the feelings, you just have to ignore those feelings. I have too much to accomplish. After all the years of building and changing, I’m still the same girl. I love animals, flowers, gardening, water, and all things nature. I use chainsaws, shoot guns, and build waterfalls. Most of all, I love me. And I guess I owe a little bit of that to Young Living.
Young Living Member #: 1237229