The Lord prepares us. He prepared me for this — When my friends called me up and wanted to know “who is this guy on shark tank pitching the same belt idea that your son sells?” I was shocked but not angry. I googled Hulu, found the show and watched — my sister’s two sons had decided to go into direct competition with my son. There he was, my nephew, just a few years older than my son, claiming he had come up with this new belt without holes.
I was sad really. I used to baby sit him. My kids grew up together with their cousins. We’ve been a close extended family. Last December, at a family wedding, my son shared his excitement of the growth in his business. We knew someone had come on the scene in competition, but we did not know it was family. They had kept it a secret.
Just the last few months my son has been delving into the gospel, studying it out, understanding Joseph Smith and his trials and the experiences that shape us. My son would email me quotes from Joseph or new insights in the scriptures. He listened to motivational talks while he packed belt orders.
As I read, I thought — I don’t have anyone that is spitefully using me. I don’t need to pray for anyone in that category. I’ve hit that bump in the road before. That was last week. And now I have the opportunity to be angry or not. I decided I can have those feelings of charity and love, in the face of this.
And as a mother, I am comforted that my son was prepared as well, and has chosen not to retaliate or be bitter — but to focus on building his business, SlideBelts.com, which he started about five years ago. His wife is an excellent partner and together they are forging ahead. But more importantly, they are choosing to be upbeat and positive and have asked us to be that way too. It goes along with Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits — habit 1 — being proactive and responsible for your own life and responses. I’m choosing not to be angry. But I am saddened. I usually don’t share these kind of personal trials, but since it’s on national tv, and friends have been asking not only me, but my kids, I realized I wasn’t revealing much.
