This week's assignment was to watch a TED Talk video of neuroscientist, David Rock. In his video, he talks about 'Provocateurs.'
He goes on to define a Provocateur as the following:
1. One who can notice subtle changes.
2. One who is okay with uncertainty.
3. One who knows how to be an agent of change.
We were then asked to think of someone from history, a current figure, or someone we know personally who is a provocateur.
My provocateur is a close family friend, Debbie Warren.
Debbie and my Mom have been friends since high school. They are so close, Debbie's daughter and myself were born nine days apart. (I'm pretty sure it wasn't planned that way but I wouldn't put it past those two.)
Debbie is what I like to call a Mary Kay lady. Mary Kay is a company the 'Enriches Women's Lives.' They do it through both their products and their partnerships with organizations that work to improve the lives of women everywhere.
Debbie became a Mary Kay lady in 1986. She did well in her early years. However, like always, life kicked in. She and her husband own their own business, of which she is the office manager. They also have a daughter my age and son who is a little younger. Basically, life soon took over and Mary Kay fell to the wayside.
In the past couple of years, Debbie and her family have gone through some events that required them to rethink some things. Debbie soon met another Mary Kay lady, Cecilia James.
Cecilia started in Mary Kay when she was 18. She had to get a loan to purchase her Starter Kit which she says was one of her biggest motivator to sell and excel at Mary Kay. She has been with it more years than she would probably want me to say since I've mentioned her name but this past year she has made it to the position of National Sales Director, the highest position you can achieve.
After meeting Cecilia and hearing her story of success, Debbie recommitted to Mary Kay. She wanted to change her circumstances and she was going to 'Make It Happen,' the motto of her unit.
Debbie then proceeded to sell and recruit and sell some more to earn her first car, a brand spanking new Chevy Cruze, and earn the position of Director in one month, an unprecedented achievement.
She is the definition of a provocateur.
As a Mary Kay lady, you have to be able to tell the subtle differences between a person's skin color and the shade of make up you're about to use on them. Beyond that, she can tell when someone is really committed to making a difference not only in their own lives but the lives of women everywhere.
While you can do VERY well selling Mary Kay, you don't have an hourly wage or a salary. Debbie doesn't know what her check will be each month but she knows she can work to make it whatever she wants it to be.
She changed her life with Mary Kay, as well as the life of her family and mine. Not to mention the lives she has changed through Mary Kay's partnerships with organizations that work to improve the lives of women everywhere.
