My Journey with Arbonne

By Lucy, following on from her last blog on March 29th....

So, I initially said I’d write my next blog about my experience of Social Services & the aftermath of having my child taken away from me. However after the amazing response from my first blog, I just felt right now wasn’t the time for me personally, to write about how I experienced Social services - due to the present legal instructions & the place I am in now, I don’t want to write about that and not give it the justice it deserves by being in a place of negative thinking or only having experienced of one bad Social worker.

Instead I am going to write about how, I managed to pick myself up, in the aftermath of having my child taken away from me and how I found myself in the process. I promise this will not be as harrowing as my last blog! – but it might make you think, dig deep into yourself & tackle all the things you’ve been putting off.

At first, I was beyond embarrassed, I blamed myself, punished myself with self-harm & suicide plans. I withdrew into myself, and from the world, like everyone who saw me know what had happened. A heartbreak you can’t explain, it’s like having missing body part - a big black emptiness. I had no hope for the future, to be honest, my only thought was it would be better if I wasn’t around. I lost friends, who judged me for having my child taken away, friends who said they’d support me but disappeared or never responded back to messages, those who were even willing to put themselves forward, to have my son in their care and family who in all fairness didn’t know what to do or say. As a result, this just reinforced the negative thoughts I was having.

Then came along Arbonne…

I know this sounds totally stereo typical, but this company, this community, these products have changed my life.

This is my personal Arbonne Journey:

I was first introduced to Arbonne’s 30 days to healthy living back in January; I was on extremely high levels of medication, clinically obese, constantly sick & tired – I was having a toxic overload in my body!

At the end of the 30 days, I lost 1 stone, 9 inches of my waist but above all I halved my medication & felt amazing. I just couldn’t believe, that by working with health coaches I was able to cellular cleanse my body of excess fat, etc, whilst finding out what products serve my body. The results where beyond belief.

So, what is Arbonne I hear you say? Arbonne is plant-based products, that are swiss formulated - Vegan, Gluten-Free, kosha, cruelty free. It was founded by Petter Morck, a Norwegian Scientist, who for his time was a real visionary. He knew that the approach to anti-ageing and wellness wasn’t just what you put on your skin, but it was what you put in your body too. All the products are all pure, safe and beneficial, so you’re not going to see a lot of ingredients that you see in brands on the high street. For the 38 years they’ve been in business they do not tested on animals, don’t use chemical dyes or fragrances, you all know that if you have a product that’s let’s say pink - it’s a chemical that makes it that colour, or if you smell a heavy perfume that’s a chemical fragrance. They don’t use Mineral Oil, which I thought sounded nice until I realised it was a by-product of the crude oil! They also don’t use parabens - the chemical preservatives used to give a product a really long shelf life, linked with breast

and ovarian cancer and have been proven in clinical studies to exacerbate the growth of cancer cells. Scary right! and parabens are in 94% of US and European brands.

One of the most important things I love about Arbonne, is the community. I have become part of a truly inspiring group of people, who raise each other up & surround you in such a positive environment. To be honest I didn’t know anything about network marketing before I started my own business this year but I’m so glad I jumped on board as it has changed my life, my social life and my finances. I am able to be around for my family whilst still growing myself.

Personal development has been key to me finding myself & I wanted to share my top 10 tips, that have helped to transform me:

1. Writing down 30 positive beliefs & / or affirmations (i.e. I am Worthy, I have a voice, I am a good enough mum).

2. Taking time to write down my 10 reasons ‘WHY’ every month – I find this is a great way to remember & refocus on my goal/s.

3. Taking time for personal development everyday (i.e. reading a book, listening to an audio, watching a motivational video, or even a ted talk).

4. Reassess where you are, surround yourself with positivity & stop that comparison game – you control your own happiness!

5. Be proud of your journey – it’s never the end & each day is a blank page of your novel.

6. Stop saying yes to everything!!! – start by making small changes that will benefit your wellbeing, its ok to say no, we are not all the same.

7. Change is your friend, it helps you to grow & learn but above all let go of the old & stop being afraid, it will lead to amazing things.

8. Make your visons & goals a priority – don’t put off what you can do today – get those tasks we hate doing, done & dusted.

9. Make a vision board & get excited about your dreams, hopes, visons & goals – just become badass & take claim of your whole life.

10. Above all Love yourself – it all starts & ends with you.

Now, I am able to sit back & realise what a state I was in, I wasn’t living my live - rather just getting through it as best I could, even at times, minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day. I can now say I’m proud of where I am – I am not ashamed of my past, it has made me who I am, I am stringer, I am resilient, but above all I know my worth.

Just by making these initially changes to my health, my wellbeing has flourished. I now can speak in public places, go & do things by myself, I don’t hide or pretend

who I am or what I have been judge of doing. I chose who I surround myself with & I will always have great respect for those who are still in my life & have still been by my side even at the roughest of times.

These really took me a lot of time to answer by please go away & have a go at these questions for

yourself – the answers might shock you;

1. I love myself most when I spend time with ….

2. I feel best in the morning when ….

3. My top 3 Strengths are ….

4. My goal to get stronger at …. is ……

5. I love me because ….

Now, this definitely was not an easy process, I’ve had my days where I have down dragging my heels, battling with those negative beliefs & thoughts. However, it has been so far, one hell of a ride. I have been able to help Cancer patients, people who have had Strokes, have Diabetes, IBS, PSOS, Colitis, endometriosis, Acne, Psoriasis, Eczema, Rosacea, People wanting to get fit, have better skin care, Mental Health conditions. Being able to help others, is what makes what I do all the more worthwhile.

So, when I’m doing events, talks, presentations, parties, makeovers, pamper sessions, it really is fun & doesn’t feel like work. I can’t wait to see where I go next; hey, I might even write a book next – so watchout!

Follow my journey @lucygracew or at

https://m.facebook.com/groups/779074732471061?ref=bookmarks

Personal development books I recommend you read….

• “You are BADASS” by Jen Sincero.

• “Why moved my cheese?” By Dr Spencer Johnson.

• “Girl, wash your face” by Rachel Hollis.

• “The life changing magic of not giving a f**k” by Sarah Knight.

• “The Secret” & “The Magic” & “The power” by Rhona Byrne. (The Secret is currently available on

Netflix).

• “Eat that frog” by Ian Tracey.

• “Happy” by Fearne Cotton.

• “Start where you are: A Journal for Self-Exploration” by Meera Lee Patel.