I am a procrastinator by nature. It's who I am. I enjoy the thrill of working under pressure. In fact, I have done some of my best work as a creative person, as a student, as an adult with responsibilities under the gun. I have always been this way. I am great at multi-tasking. I am great and pulling things out of thin air. So why, then, do I find myself so stressed out lately? Why do i suddenly feel  like I am spiraling out of control, losing a grip on each slender stick that holds a spinning plate?

Maybe I am just getting old. Maybe I can't hack it anymore. Maybe I need a little motivation. Yeah...that's it. I need motivation. So I tell the powers that Be that I need motivation. I speak it out into the vastness of space with no intention behind it, as if simply speaking something makes it so. As days go on and these words I speak under my breath or in conversation begin to become more and frequent, I take notice. How many times must I ask for something before I get it? When will someone...God...the universe...cut me some slack? It's not like I'm asking for a handout here. I WANT to do my part. I just need some motivation. 

God, give me some motivation. That's all I need.

And tonight it hits me. I understand. I understand that if it were patience I was asking for, I would not receive a big ol' bucket of patience at my doorstep. Rather, I would be given opportunities to practice my patience...to develop patience. So by the same token, in the case of this motivation I seek, I suppose that each time I asked for motivation, half-heartedly or otherwise, I was not handed a pre-paid gift card in the amount of "unlimited motivation" to use at my disposal. So how was I being answered? How had my request been met? I think it may have looked something like this:

Me: "Man, I am so unmotivated. I could use something to get me goin."
God: Despite my lack of actual, intentional asking, adds another responsibility to my schedule.
Me: "Gee I seem to have a lot to do. I need to get motivated...."
God: Again, I never really asked, but he hears my unspoken prayers and provides me with another task.
Me: "Wow, I am getting so busy! How am I ever going to get everything done?! If only I had a little motivation..."
God: Hands me another challenge.
Me: "My life is completely out of control! God! grant me the desire to do something about it! Motivate me! I am waiting!"
God: "I have heard your need for motivation and so I have provided opportunity after opportunity for you to get started. You ask for motivation...I give you an opportunity."

So here I stand...spinning a thousand plates...juggling a thousand balls. I have been given every opportunity to get going. And I will. Because I believe that God has prompted me and once prompted, It is my job to do all that is in my power to meet my responsibilities. When I fall short...and I WILL fall short...God will pick up where I left off. He always does. But he expects me to give it my best effort first. When I have exhausted myself, my resources, and my abilities, then He takes over. And for that I am grateful...because with all this asking for motivation that I have been doing, I have ended up with a very full plate!

Why on earth am I so excited about this bamboopink thing? When will I stop posting about it on FB? Why did I decide to sign up? Why do I want you to sign up?

I am getting a thousand questions a day about bamboopink! There's a ton of buzz nationwide and beyond about this brand new company.  So...why AM I so excited?? Because this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me to create the lifestyle I have worked so hard for through other avenues. 

Why did I sign up? What pushed me over the edge to convince me? 
I received an email introducing the idea to me from someone I know and trust. And in his emails to follow, there was another name on there...his sponsor's name..I recognized it. I knew her. I trusted her as well. Because I knew that both of these friends were very smart businesspeople, and I already understood the significance of 'ground floor in MLM' I KNEW that signing up was the one thing I could do for my family. And because it was free and no obligation, i OWED it to my family to put in a little bit of effort and try this thing out.

I understand that I can make a nice part-time living from the retail sales of this bamboopink thing along. My plan though has been to build a fabulous working team and help them get set up for success as well. As a reward for my efforts, I receive a commission off of 8 generations below me. It's the same concept we have seen in direct sales companies like Mary Kay, Pampered Chef, Tuperware, etc. Can you imagine being in on one of the first few generations of one of those highly successful companies?! I guarantee those who did are more than comfortable.

That's exactly where we are. We are at ground floor of a brand new company that has EXPLODED with consultants. In a few weeks, we signed on over 20,000 people nationwide. That's HUGE! This company is unprecedented in both format and pre-launch success. What JudeFrances (parent company) has done is create a hybrid working platform that uses both in-home shows in conjunction with online shows to maximize it's consultants' efforts. And because of this unique layout, a wonderfully generous compensation plan, and a way to start for free, it's no wonder the buzz this company has created. That is how bamboopink generated 20,000 consultant IDs in mere weeks WITHOUT a product! 

Now...don't go panicking. We DO have a product. We just don't have it in-hand yet. This company is so new (dreamt up just recently in October '10!) that the items have been in production as we have been team building. We are looking at the product launch right on the horizon and I urge you to give this a shot. For my family and for yours. It's free. It's no obligation.  It takes 30 seconds. They won't even ask for a CC# or SNN. Just sign up for me...trust me...and watch this company make history as it launches!

www.bamboopink.net/jaimefleming

Having a lot of random thoughts today...like "why do I often start a sentence without a subject?"

No really. It's bit deeper than that. I have been pondering how things happen. Why things happen. What makes one worthy of fortunate happenings. I have had conversations with friends I have recently reconnected with that both excite and depress me at the same time. I find myself asking "How did I get here from there?" while rejoicing in rekindled friendship. 

Ya know... I NEVER expected my life to look like this. This wasn't the life I dreamt about as a child. I was supposed to be happily married to Prince Charming with 2.5 kids and the white picket fence and a pony in the back yard. This life of mine isn't how it looked in my descriptive writings in my journal from middle school. I blame my lack of preparation. Lack of self-confidence. Lack of self-worth. Once thing I can't blame is circumstance. I have really..in all honesty...lead a greatly opportunity-filled life. Big picture? I am very fortunate. Do I feel like I have maximized my potential. Not even close. In fact, I think I am just getting started on ME.

I have spent most of my life living according to someone else's expectations and standards. I have spent most of my last 15 years maximizing everyone else's potential and attempted to apply it to ME. I reached a point one day about a year and a half ago where I stood....in tears (consider yourself lucky. it's not that often that I admit to crying)...wondering who on Earth I was. Who had I become? I didn't even recognize myself anymore. I didn't do the things I loved to do. I had completely lost touch with ME.

I decided to work on discovering myself since that day. I began taking steps to achieve the life I always dreamt of as a child. No...it will never look like that original picture. But the big elements are attainable. As I began this journey of self discovery, i began struggling again. Why was I feeling guilty for the things I was experiencing? Why did I have this conflicted feeling within? I felt like the life I suddenly began living didn't mesh with who I had always been my whole life.

 But that's just it. 

My new experiences in life DIDN'T mesh with who I had been my whole life...and that, simply said, was because my whole life was spent being someone else. Even as I tried to "find myself" I realized there is nothing there to find. If I sought to find myself, I'd only continue to find who I WAS...not who I AM. There's a difference. Who I AM can't be found. It must be created. 

So here I am. Allowing opportunity to find me. Allowing circumstance to guide me. Allowing happening to bless me. I believe in myself even when no one else does. I create the person I want to be by the choices I make daily. 

Today...I choose to be. 

Yep...it's true. Many of you have seen and inquired about my new business venture. And not surprisingly, almost everyone that has inquired has joined my team! Amazing!  But that's to be expected with such a reputable company like JudeFrances.

JudeFrances is a well-established jewelry maker started by Jude Steele and Frances Gadbois. They are based in Southern California and retail to Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Fred Segal, and high-end boutiques across the country. JudeFrances's celebrity clients include Oprah, Kristin Chenoweth, and Paris Hilton. Pretty impressive, no?

Here's the kicker...
Jude & Frances began in October creating a line of products to be sold by consultants via Home Trunk Shows and Virtual Trunk Shows! These high-quality products are now going to be available for purchase from your friendly neighborhood stay-at-home-mom. And let me tell ya...It's your lucky day! You are being handed an opportunity to get in on what is being called the fastest growing women's internet business of 2011 literally AT GROUND FLOOR LEVEL. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I can, with near 100% certainty say you will probably never get a chance at something like this at this level again in your lifetime. 

The key to success in this business relies on two things..
The first being your motivation to sell the product. This is going to be a piece of cake. These products will speak for themselves. The quality and reputation of JudeFrances pieces will make your job easy. Simply make the products available to people through your Home Trunk Shows as well as your Virtual Trunk Shows, which will take place on your own little website generated by the company.  The second key is your motivation to build your team. Right now, we have been blessed with a fabulous opportunity to enroll for free! Each friend you personally enroll becomes your first generation in your downline. The people they enroll become your second generation. BambooPink allows you to make a profit for 8 generations in your downline! Most companies with a similar format are 2 or 3 generations. So we should really take advantage of the next few days while we are in the free enrollment period to get our 1st level below us nice and "wide" if you will. The wider you build your team (the more personals you enlist), the more potential you have allotted for exponential growth.

I've included some samples of JudeFrances pieces from other collections. The bamboopink line hasn't been launches yet, and I am *SO* excited to see what products they have for us. I just know they're going to be GREAT!

If you'd like more information or would like to sign up for free/no obligation, please visit www.bamboopink.net/jaimefleming
Also take a moment to visit the JudeFrances website for a look at some of their other pieces  www.judefrances.com

**This is a 'People's Choice' week, so you will be able to vote for my entry when submissions are closed. Please...don't just vote because you are my friend...vote for the one(s) you like best. I can't stand rally voting that ends in an unfair win. Thanks!

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I had a hard time picking my favorite face of February. This little girlie's session alone had several shots that I could have easily used. There were also a handful from my trip to St. Louis for my grandmother's funeral...oddly enough. Of course this photographer couldn't stand the thought of not taking pictures...not documenting...the heartbreak our family was going through. So yes...I have some great shots of faces, happy and sad alike from the trip, but instead i decided to go with happy little Sarah. This is a feel-good shot. She's just coming up on 10 weeks in this image,  and already has such a playful spirit about her. To see more images from Sarah's session, visit my Facebook page.

Head over to I HEART FACES to see lots n lots of other entries :)