Norwex AUS NZ LifeStyle Magazine october_lifestyle_flip | Page 15

Back from the recent Hamilton
Island 3-night Leadership Retreat,
Executive Sales Leader Samantha
Colledge from New Zealand shares
her experience and what it meant
to her to achieve.
How did I achieve Hamilton Island? I
honestly believe it was because I took
a ‘Leap of Faith’ in the first place and
said ‘Yes’ to a risk-free opportunity
to join the business. The result of that
‘Yes’ led me on a journey where as each
day passed, I fell more in love with the
products, the people, and the mission.
So when I saw there was an opportunity
within reach, to earn a trip to Hamilton
Island, I had to give it a go. My thinking
obviously was, it will go either way – I
either earn it or I don’t, but if I don’t try,
then there is no opportunity for me. So
I decided to give it a good crack! What
did I have to lose? Nothing!
One year ago, I knew absolutely nothing
about Norwex-had not even heard
of the name! I had been working as a
Classroom Teacher for seven years and
had recently gone onto maternity leave
with my second child. I had my life
all mapped out (or so I thought) - but
then Norwex came into to my life and
opened my eyes to another world I
couldn’t have imagined.
For me to earn this trip, I needed to
promote to either Executive Sales
Leader or promote three Team
Coordinators. Initially when I thought
about this opportunity, I did think it
was a big feat, but I really wanted to give
it a shot. The thought of being able to
travel to a beautiful place, to enjoy some
‘time for myself ’, and to be given the
opportunity to network with inspiring,
like-minded people - would be a dream
come true.
Deep down I didn’t really think it could
be possible, it was after a conversation
with Trina Stewart, our Regional Sales
Manager, who changed my perspective
and helped me to see it really was
achievable. I walked away from that
Coffee Chat, knowing that if I was to
look at it seriously, then I needed to
have a plan, and I could do it if I set my
mind to it.
I decided to make my goal public, and
I honestly believe that by doing this, it
helped me to commit myself to this goal
– and on reflection, contributed a lot
to earning this Incentive trip. All those
people around me that knew about my
goal held me accountable, and in those
many moments of feeling like I wasn’t
going to get there, it was those people
who gave me strength and encouraged
me to keep going.
Now that I have returned from
Hamilton Island, how has this impacted
myself and my business?
Well, earning this trip was one thing,
but then actually going through with
it was another! Travelling to another
country without my family was a
‘first’ for me - so that presented a few
of its own challenges, like leaving my
15 month old (who doesn’t yet sleep
through the night) for the first time.
Whilst that part of this journey was not
all plain sailing so to speak, as a family
we all stepped out of our comfort zone
and this paid dividends to us all.
My husband’s confidence as a Dad
has grown, because he was left in
charge - he did such an amazing job
at ‘running the house’ and taking care
of the children. Consequently, the
children absolutely loved that one-on-
one time with ‘Daddy’, and for me, the
opportunity gave me time to give back
to myself, so I came home feeling like a
better Mum and a better wife.
This experience also gave me the time
to think about my vision and future
for my business, and it helped me to
affirm the direction I am now taking my
business - onwards and upwards, Red
Jacket here I come! I came home with
new goals around how I want to focus
my time and energy, and that is into
developing Leaders in my Team and
continuing to offer this amazing life-
changing opportunity to others. I am
excited about developing and nurturing
those relationships and building a
strong, cohesive Team everyone can
flourish in and achieve goals they didn’t
think were possible.
I have come back to New Zealand
having genuinely made new friends,
and that opportunity to spend
time with those other Leaders was
invaluable. I learnt so much from
each and every person who was there,
just by networking and sharing our
stories and experiences. It really is a
‘Norwex Family’ when you get to share
experiences like this together.
And that is not all of it! There were
more ‘firsts’ than just travelling to
another country without my family
for me. I was so fortunate to snorkel
with turtles and try stand up paddle
boarding, eat my breakfast with koalas
and saw wallabies for the first time. We
had so much fun zipping around the
island on our golf buggy and enjoying
cocktails at sunset.
Life is busy when you become a parent,
and there has certainly been alot of
adjustment - getting used to juggling
children, a working life, as well as a
family life! So trying to find a routine
and manage all of these responsibilities
can be tricky, let alone have any time to
yourself - yet Norwex makes that all so
much easier, because it fits into our lives
rather than the other way around.
My advice to you – when you see an
opportunity like this arise, don’t let
the FUD factor (Fear, Uncertainty, or
Doubt) get in the way of your hopes
and dreams. If you want it, you can
achieve it. Set yourself the goal, share
that goal with others, make a plan, and
in the words of Brian O’Callaghan, stick
to it with ‘sticktoitness’. You will reap
the benefits and the rewards two-fold!
“Dream it, believe it, achieve it”
Photo gallery to follow >