After I walked away from that last company, I told myself I was done.

Done with the pressure.
Done with the politics.
Done chasing success that didn’t feel successful.

But the truth is… I wasn’t done at all.
Because that nudge never went away.

Over the next few years, I found myself saying “yes” again.
Not just once. Not twice.
Probably three or four different times.

Each one started the same:
A spark of hope.
A new opportunity.
The possibility that this one might be it.

And each one… fell flat.

Sometimes the product didn’t work for me.
Sometimes I didn’t feel aligned with the messaging.
Sometimes the culture just wasn’t there—the community, the connection, the belief.
It was like trying to make puzzle pieces fit in the wrong box.

And every time one of those didn’t work out, it chipped away a little more at my belief.
I started questioning everything.
Was I chasing something that didn’t exist anymore?
Was I really meant to keep doing this?

Then I was introduced to what people called a “high-ticket business.”

It was hyped up as the one.
The one that would change everything.
The one that was “too big to fail.”

It was a water-based product. The claims were huge. The commissions were bigger.
And the buy-in? Even bigger.

I spent $14,000 to get started.
Fourteen. Thousand. Dollars.

And I believed—I really did.
I brought in two people quickly. I made back maybe $5,000 to $7,000.
And then… nothing.

People couldn’t afford the price tag.
They weren’t willing to risk that much up front.
The product might have been good, in fact it was great and still is, but the barrier to entry? Too steep for most.

I tried to hang on. I showed up. I poured myself in.
But I was drained. Frustrated. Embarrassed.
And wondering if I’d just made a really expensive mistake.

And yet…

I still wouldn’t call it a failure.

Because here’s what that $14K taught me:

• I don’t need to spend more to be successful.
• I don’t need hype—I need alignment.
• And I don’t need to gamble on potential when I can build from purpose.

Looking back now, that investment wasn’t just financial.
It was emotional. Energetic. Spiritual.

It taught me that my gut was worth trusting.
And even though that company wasn’t the answer…
That part of the path absolutely led me to where I was supposed to go next.

Because sometimes, the biggest lessons come with the highest price tags.
And this one? It prepared me for the moment I’d finally stop searching…
And start building from true alignment.

XOXO ~Carrie ~ Life Lovin Mama