Roots and Wings

Last Wednesday we had ‘Baseball Day’ at work. Employees could wear shirts of their favorite baseball team to work. Stacy brought popcorn and peanuts to share and it looked like the Cubs won over the Sox! When Cari was getting ready to leave for work, she said goodbye to Joseph and he said, “Mommy, you need to get dressed!” Cari was in her Cubs T-shirt and ball cap and Joseph knows that she never wears that to work.

Our children observe everything we do and say. They watch our actions, they listen to our words and they even observe how we dress! Without saying a word to him at age three Joseph already understands that Mommy goes to work every day…and she doesn’t wear a T-shirt!

Role Models
When we have the monthly promotions where we call Hosts at their Shows, her children have overheard her on many calls. One evening as she called, I heard Emily saying word for word what Cari was speaking into the phone. “Hi, this is Cari from Signature HomeStyles”…in a very perky voice, of course! Cari’s children not only hear her words, see how she dresses, but also they observe her work ethic. Like all mothers, she is their role model.

Every Signature HomeStyles Representative who has children is a role model to them as they watch her drive to her Shows, go to meetings and make calls to her Hosts and Guests. They hear her words as she tells her story and why she loves her job to a potential Start-Up. They hear the conversations as the family discusses how the money will be spent or which trip Mom is working to earn. They get excited when they know they will be going on a family cruise that Mom earned!

And every step of the way they are learning things that are rarely taught in school. When you work hard, you reap the benefits. When you stay positive, a world of possibilities will open up around you. It’s okay to dream…for everybody!

Earlier this year Senior Executive Director Carol Romkema forwarded an e-mail to me that was sent by her daughter, Lisa. “I am writing my review for 2008 and thought of you…I sort of hit the ground running with TARGET like you did with Signature HomeStyles. I am looking at all the things I have done since last year and it feels GREAT! Thank you for giving me motivation to succeed and a sense of pride in that success! And thank you for taking me to all those leadership conferences and meetings, and for all of those books…I wouldn’t be where I am without you!”

We set the pace for our children. We influence how they feel about work, what they want to do with their lives, and most importantly how they feel about themselves. Our homes are the foundation for the cornerstones of their lives. It’s where they get their roots.

How we live our lives is where we give them wings!