Never settle for second best

Our background is in the NHS. I had been a paramedic for eighteen years and my husband had been in the ambulance service for ten. We only had three days off each month as a family, and times were hard. Although we earned a decent wage, we had no life and we missed having valuable time with our daughter, who was five years old at the time. It was evident that working twelve- to fourteen-hour shifts, seven days a week, was taking its toll on us as a family.

We became deeply unhappy in our circumstances and I got to a point where I’d actually cry before going to work. We just couldn't see a way out. Then, in October 2013, when I was working solo in the rapid response car, I got assaulted at work for the second time that year. This time it scared me. I was pinned against a wall by my throat, and my shoulder was damaged as he ripped the emergency radio from my hand; I was terrified for my life, particularly when the man wouldn't let me leave the flat.

After this incident I took sick leave to have physio and it was during this time that I decided we needed to change our lives. It was December 2013 when we sat at our dining room table and tried to think of what else we could do. I hadn’t done anything else since leaving school so I was unsure of myself and my skills; how could I start something new?

Then, in January 2014, I saw an advert for the C9. Since I’m an avid dieter, I decided to buy the C9 from a stranger via Facebook, and I was so pleased with the results that I asked to look at the business opportunity as well. I met up with Katie – now my sponsor – and I decided to join the same day.

My husband was very sceptical and had no interest for the first six weeks (in which time I progressed up to Supervisor). But I knew from day one that this was my way out of the ambulance service, and his negativity only drove me more. I made Assistant Manager in nine weeks and Manager in eleven; by this time he was 100% on board and supporting me in my new venture.

I returned back to work in March 2014 but I was only back for two weeks when the person that assaulted me decided he would put in a complaint about me, claiming that I assaulted him. This was the final nail in the coffin.

In October 2014 we both handed in our notices to focus on Forever full-time. This was the scariest thing we had ever done, but also the most exciting. We realised that this had to work for us so we put every single available minute into it, banishing the negativity we faced from family. Promotions and incentives were all written down and dated so we knew that they would be achieved, and sure enough we started to tick them off one by one. It’s definitely true that if you write goals down they will be achieved. My husband used to write daily affirmations in a journal and at first I thought he was mad – but it worked. We also had to carefully consider our time management by segregating our time and using it wisely.

Before Forever we were led to believe that life is about going to work for a set wage each month and spending more time in the office than with your family. But I’ve learnt you should never settle for second best. Now we are Soaring Managers and Senior Eagle Managers earning an income that we never believed possible. Instead we spend every minute of our time with our daughter – who is our world – and now we will never miss a single moment.

**The achievements expressed in this testimonial are the individual’s personal opinion and subjective experience. Individual results may vary. Forever makes no guarantees on income or success. Your success depends on your effort, commitment, skill, and leadership abilities, and how effectively you exercise those qualities. Please see Forever’s Income Disclosure Statement at foreverliving.com/income for more information.**