Looking back on 20 years…

I can’t believe how much time has flown by since I started my company in 1997!
My oldest son is now 24 and I remember dreaming about starting my business when he was just 3.

Life happened anyway and time marched on no matter if there were good times or bad. And through it all I never gave up on my dream to launch and grow a profitable business that would give me the luxury of time.

There were many times when I questioned my choices, and started to doubt myself, and even if I deserved to be successful. Those self-defeating thoughts can really be a challenge to overcome.

I decided that whenever that would happen I would control my thoughts and try to reprogram my thinking. I would instead envision my future and describe the life I wanted to live.

I would tell myself… “it was ok to want more, it was ok to want better, and it was ok to want the best for myself and my family.”

Why I didn’t already know that is still a mystery to me. But I’m thankful I didn’t let those negative self doubts hold me back and stop me from taking action to pursue my dream.

If it wasn’t my own self doubts it sometimes came from others. I had many people close to me challenge me, and tell me I was going to fail, or I should just quit, or it’s never going to happen.

I had others take advantage, or act as if they were on my side to find out later they never were. One time, I even had a competitor send one of their employee’s to work inside my company as a spy. “You know who you are.”

I want to thank them all. Your challenges helped me to learn,

get wiser, and grow stronger.

“Every entrepreneur needs a team and even a cheerleader in their corner.”

I am grateful for the amazing people I call Team Lovegevity who make all the wheels turn to make it all happen across 166 countries. Where I am weak…they are strong. Where I am good, they are better and make us great…and together we create our journey.

I especially appreciate my cheerleader and lifelong mentor, my mother. She is the strongest person I know, and she has given me the greatest gifts of strength, confidence, resilience, and believing in myself. Without her, I would not be who I am today or going to be in the future.

Twenty years later and I am living my dream…

I am so thankful I didn’t let 20 years go by while I did nothing because those negative self-doubts held me back.

“So believe in yourself and pursue your passion.
Don’t stand in your own way of fulfilling your life’s work.
Only you can make that happen.
And if you’re afraid of failure, then you’re in luck.”

“Because people don’t fail, people quit.
So don’t be a quitter and you’ll be great!
You got this!”

Cho Phillips
Founder/CEO, Lovegevity, Inc.

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