Fine Line

There is a fine line between being pushy and being encouraging, sharing and forcing, being a salesman and being annoying.  I struggle to find that line sometimes.  There are specific things I interpret as being pushy, but in reality it is usually my own conviction that gets to me.   Sometimes what I find as pushy is simply someone sharing their passion with others because they want them to enjoy the success or benefit.  Being honest, I am not a good salesperson.  I feel like I am being pushy and annoying each time I mention something I am selling.  I also struggle sharing about something I believe in if it requires help from other people.  Heck, I even feel weird when I share posts about my latest blogs, and I am not even selling anything!  I know all of this about myself, and yet I keep finding myself in positions where I have to sell something or enlist the help of others or advertise something.

I have taken on tasks and responsibilities lately that are requiring me to do these things I am uncomfortable with.  I have signed up to lead two teams at church, both of which I am going to be required to recruit people to help me.  I am fortunate that I go to a church that makes this process relatively painless.  Once I enlist people though, I will be responsible for scheduling and holding these people accountable to the established standard.  I am really good at doing things myself—asking for help, however, is not one of my strong traits.  I know God purposefully called me to these two teams not only serve Him, but to grow me as well.  I am mentally preparing myself for this challenge and growth-opportunity.  I am relying on God for His strength and I know He will come through for me.  “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). I am actually looking forward to developing some new skills and creating a comfortable place within my discomfort.

Then…there is this other thing I have signed up for—this is the hard one for me!  I have signed up to sell a product called Plexus.  For those of you who don’t know, Plexus is a line of health and wellness products that is sold through independent distributors called Ambassadors.  Even telling you about this now, feels like a shameless plug. Some family members and my best friend have been using these products and selling them with improved health.  All of them have had great results with weight loss, pain reduction or elimination, stomach and gut issues subsiding, and some other general health issues that are improving or have completely been eliminated.  However, I was a little slow to get on the Plexus bandwagon.   Being a fairly healthy person, I do not typically battle with health issues or my weight, though in the past few years it is becoming more of a battle to manage my weight.  At first, I thought I didn’t need these products so I dismissed them.  While I conducted research and liked what I saw, I just wasn’t ready to dive in.

Well, a little over a month ago, I decided to start using Plexus.  I started with just one product,  gradually adding one at a time, and now I am using four and considering one more. Soon after I began using the products I decided to sign up to sell—I can’t believe I signed up to do this; this is so not me.  I am not one of those people who signs up to sell products.  But something here was different, I simply felt lead to sign up and the fact is, I truly believe in Plexus and all the things the products can and are doing for my health and the people I love.  Let me be clear, my struggle is not with what I am selling, it’s having the courage to sell the products to other people…especially people I know.  

I try to post things on social media because that is where I tend to share my life.  Plus, I know this is a great way to reach a large audience.  If Plexus can help even one more person to get healthy and maintain that health, then I just have to share about it, but each time I post something I feel guilty.  I stew and brew over the right wording and struggle with feeling like I am bothering people with these posts.  It’s like two forces pulling me in opposing directions.  On one hand, I love these products and truly want to share them with other people that I know can benefit.  On the other hand I don’t want to annoy people and make them feel like I am this crazy pushy sales woman that just won’t leave them alone.  In the end I just pray over my words, hit the “post” button, and hope for the best.  It is uncomfortable and weird, but I truly believe it is what I am supposed to be doing.

Now I am left wondering; why would God call me to things I am clearly uncomfortable with?  Why would He call me to something I absolutely know I am not good at?  Why would He call me to something that causes me such anxiety and stress? Perhaps all of that is the point.  To call me to the uncomfortable so I have to seek my comfort in Him.  To have me doing something I am not good at to develop new skills.  To teach me to give Him all of my anxieties, stress, and fears and allow Him to give me the strength I need for everything.  So, I am choosing to live out Psalm 56:3; “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”  I am feeling better already, maybe I will go type a post about Plexus…hmmm, perhaps I will pray first!  Such a fine line.

P.S.  As a side note, it took me about a week to stew and brew over these words to finally post it.  I am still a work in progress!