Yes, Mother.

There are things that moms say. Your mom said it, my mom said it, as moms we'll probably say it, and I bet for the last hundred years we can look back and see moms through history saying pretty much the exact same things:

Brush your teeth

Take your vitamins

Wash your face

And for goodness' sake, clean this room!


Maybe your mom didn't have to belabor her points as much as my mom did. I'm stubborn. But all of our moms have said these things at one point or another in their lives and I think most of us didn't listen. I know I didn't! Instead of brushing my teeth two to three times a day, I fell into a habit of once a day...unless I forgot. Instead of taking my vitamins as the bottle says to every day, I fell into every other day...maybe...because I usually forgot. And instead of cleaning I fell into a habit of saying "it's not that bad." And then when it did get bad it still got put off, because I would forget.

The fact is that it just wasn't important enough to me. For some reason, in the midst of all the warnings about not getting gingivitis and not getting sick, I just tuned out. Brushing my teeth became a courtesy to other people thing but otherwise wasn't important to me. Taking vitamins became a fun thing to boast about now and then - nobody had to know I wasn't taking them every day.

I didn't realize it was related at the time, but my life was also a wreck. I was always stressed out, always sick, always feeling poorly about myself, and always caught at the end of the day wishing there was more to life - by which I mostly meant more time and relaxation!

A few years ago I started partnering with Nutrilite, and that's what finally made me develop a vitamins habit. I figured, I'm partnered with the biggest and best supplement company in the world...I should start taking supplements. My life hasn't been the same since!

Now, I rarely get sick - when I do it's usually because I did something stupid like go out in the cold with wet hair and no coat. I have a busy lifestyle and I sometimes eat like a four year old but I haven't dealt with any malnutrition issues. At worst I'll sometimes have an iron deficiency (I inherited a touch of anemia from my mom) but I've got a supplement for that too! I'm feeling better and more alive than I remember ever feeling, even as a kid!

My partnerships are actually the reason I started taking care of my skin, too. Before partnering with Artistry, I didn't give a hoot about my skin. I thought it was a genetic game of chance: Some people had good skin and some people didn't. I didn't.

But then I started working with Artistry and learning the truth about skin, and how to take care of mine, and what kind of a difference that really makes. I started taking care of my skin and wearing makeup for much the same reason that I had started taking vitamins: I was partnered with one of the top companies in the world in this industry, why not start using the products? And it's another set of products that completely changed my life. With my face taken care of, I've been able to work on my self confidence. Starting from a base founded in my faith ("God values me and has destined me for greatness") and adding just the smallest touch of deserved vanity ("And whoa baby, do I look the part!"). This self confidence, combined with the fact that I do actually look healthier now, has helped us to meet with success in our businesses and we've begun to create an amazing life for ourselves because of the doors of opportunity that we've been able to reach out and open for ourselves.

The truth is that there's a lot of truth in the things our moms used to pester us about.

You do need to brush your teeth - and floss and use mouthwash! - to avoid mouth diseases that can actually disrupt more than just your teeth and gums. A lot of stomach and digestive problems can be linked to too much bad bacteria in your digestive tract (everyone needs a little bit of the good bacteria to help break stuff down). The number one place we get that bad bacteria from is actually our own mouths! Bacteria builds up and becomes a problem in our mouth, and the whole time we're swallowing and eating and drinking things, getting that bacteria from our teeth and gum further and further into our system - where it can cause some pretty big problems! Not to mention that even if you catch it early, problems like gum disease can cost thousands of dollars and a lot of time and pain to correct.

You do need to take care of your skin - whether you're a man or a woman - to prevent the signs of aging like wrinkles and dull skin. And you may just think this is a vanity thing, but it's also important for your health. Nobody wants extra bacteria in their skin, but an epidermis that is rough and wrinkled (which are actually both signs of some pretty serious damage) can become even dryer and more wrinkled, which could lead to cracking and bleeding skin on your face! Also, skin gets rough because the epidermis - which is a collections of dead skin cells that protects the live ones - has too much dead skin there. Some of that top layer needs to be taken off (as it is in regular proper skin care) so it doesn't harbor bacteria and it can continue to protect the healthy, live cells underneath.

You do need to take your vitamins because our food doesn't possess the nutrients it once did and many health problems can be linked to a plain and simple lack of essential vitamins and minerals. You can't possibly eat all the food it would take to get the level of nutrition your body needs, so pills and other supplements are a godsend to keep you healthy and living happily for a long time.

You do need to clean your living space because a cleaner living space has less of a terrorist-like threat potential. Our bodies aren't prepared to handle the bacteria and viruses that get into dirty places, and our minds aren't capable of efficiently doing away with the stress of clutter. Studies even show that people who live in clutter and disorder at home don't live as long as people who keep their homes neat and clean!

And, just as our moms suggested, when you do these things all together you can reach an emotional state of peace that you just can't get all the time otherwise.

I may have a busy schedule and some days may be so busy I barely have time to think! But if I make time for the things that are going to benefit me in the long run, I can handle anything! I have find time to finish cleaning last night's dishes, to make the bed before we leave, to wash my face and set out my task list for the morning before I go to sleep. And when I do everything just seems to go more smoothly. Even traffic doesn't bother me when I know that I don't have a mess to come home to. I get to spend a wonderful, whirlwind day taking care of our businesses with my husband, and then come home to a clean and peaceful environment so I can rest. I walk in my door and I can't help but take a deep breath and smile.

And with my body being properly taken care of - from my skin to my physical inner workings to my mental health - I'm more capable of handling what stress may come our way. And in a life like ours that's important because the unexpected is always just around the corner!