Gosh. I am trying to put what I just experienced into words and it’s a challenge!

I had no idea what to expect from this trip other than it would be amazing and life changing.

Over 20,000 people, under one roof, all passionate about health and wellness. Everyone is at a different place in their journey, but what we all have in common is we are willing to share our own journey with others in the hope that we can inspire them to take positive steps towards their own health and wellness.

I was thinking about what this would be like if there were 20,000 medical professionals attending a conference on the obesity epidemic. I’m sure they all feel equally passionate about making a difference, but their challenge is they get 20 minutes with their patients every few months.

The reality is that change is a result of small, seemingly insignificant choices. As a coach, we get to hold our customers’ hand every single day, all throughout the day, as they make small, seemingly insignificant choices. Coaches have the ability to remind their customers throughout the day WHY they want to make one decision versus the other, and to provide encouragement and inspiration every single hour. The power of peer to peer support is just AMAZING! Coaches sharing their struggles and vulnerabilities, helping others realize they are not alone, and that TOGETHER we can achieve our goals.

This week I heard stories of pounds lost, diseases like hypertension and prediabetes REVERSED, daily aches and pains eliminated, and quality of life RESTORED.

What does that mean?

The ability to play WITH a person’s kids because a person now has more energy and mobility…. willingness to connect more with significant others, family members, and friends because of increased self confidence….the ability to LIVE life fully rather than watch from the sidelines.

These external changes all occur because INTERNAL changes took place. What kind of internal change? It really comes down to one thing.

BELIEF.

Belief that you can do something differently. That you can work hard, you can handle challenges, you can persist over time, you can do the opposite of what you have done in the past, with every little choice, all day long.

The topic of FEAR came up over and over again. No successful person has dodged fears. We all have them. But successful people make the choice to face and overcome fears. To look them right in the eye and move forward anyway. To work every single day to manage fear and create a mindset to overcome them. Successful people surround themselves with positive people who also believe anything is possible if you work hard to achieve your goal.

This theme was so timely for me. I came to Summit on the heals of 6 weeks of HELL. Lyme Disease hell. Lyme Disease is a mysterious illness, and what many don’t know is that it invades your central nervous system, which can affect everything and anything in your body. In addition to the typical lyme headaches, fatigue, and aches and pains, Lyme gave me MASSIVE anxiety. It overtook my brain, created scary thoughts I have never had before, made me physically shake with anxiety, and made me think I was losing my mind. I didn’t work for 3 weeks; at one point I thought I had to be hospitalized and could not function.

Thankfully, I was treated early on, and the meds started to work, and I put together a team of professionals including traditional and nontraditional healers. Several weeks ago I thought there was NO WAY I was going to Summit, a trip I have been anticipating for an entire year. I thought there was no way I could get on a plane, stay in a hotel by myself, attend a huge social event where I knew no one, and navigate a new city alone.

Fortunately, a lot changed, and my health improved tremendously in the weeks leading up to Summit. When the time came to prepare for my trip, I was nervous, but decided I would go. I would face my lingering fears. I held on to the words of some key people who told me I could do it, who helped me plan for what I feared, and helped me realize I could tolerate my anxiety.

So off I went, on the biggest adventure I have had in a long time.

I met up with members of my team with whom I have interacted on Facebook and team calls, but never met in person. And I made new friends who share my passion for helping others while we progress on our own personal journeys. And I had the experience of feeling part of something BIGGER. A company comprised of truly AMAZING leaders and coaches, who work tirelessly to fight this obesity epidemic. Who bring business savvy to an ever-changing world, and know that they have to adapt their business model to changes in how people interact with eachother and how they live their daily lives. They are constantly evaluating how effective our products and services are, and fill in the gaps when a new solution is needed.

I learned what is so remarkable about a Network Marketing Company. Everyone supports one another’s success. When one of us succeeds, we ALL succeed, and we further our mission of helping more people take charge of their health. We are all ONE, working towards a critical goal.

I’ve never experienced anything like the magic I felt in the New Orleans Superdome. I was brought to tears so many times by the stories of personal lives changed because of this coaching network. And I was stunned by the presence of world renown speakers like Darren Hardy and Brendon Buchard and Chalene Johnson. I will remember their words, their stories of BELIEF, DETERMINATION, and COURAGE TO FACE FEARS.

But most of all, I’ll remember sobbing through the closing ceremony. Watching the top coach who I respect and admire and learn from receive a moving tribute in thanks for all the lives she has changed. She’s a mom, a wife, a daughter, a sister, just like me….. showing all of us that ANYONE can accomplish great things. You just have to believe in yourself and believe that you can.

This was the song they played to close out the weekend. The words say it all.

The Climb by by Miley Cyrus

I can almost see it
That dream I am dreaming
But there’s a voice inside my head saying
You’ll never reach it

Every step I’m taking
Every move I make feels
Lost with no directions
My faith is shaking

But I gotta keep trying
Gotta keep my head held high
There’s always gonna be another mountain
I’m always gonna want to make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I’m gonna have to lose

Ain’t about how fast I got there
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side
It’s the climb

The struggles I’m facing
The chances I’m taking
Sometimes might knock me down
But no, I’m not breaking

I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I’m gonna remember most, yeah
Just gotta keep going

And I, I got to be strong
Just keep on pushing on
……..

Keep on moving, keep climbing
Keep the faith, baby
It’s all about, it’s all about the climb
Keep the faith, keep your faith…….