I’ve never quite understood why any doctor would say, “I’ve been practicing medicine for twenty two years.” Practicing?  Good grief—when in the world are you really going to start?  I’m not so sure if I want someone practicing anything on me. I want someone who knows what he is doing when it comes to my body and my health.

Please. Practice on someone else!

Of course, we all get what doctors really mean by practice. It’s just a strange word to me. I’m actually grateful to know that my doctor has been practicing medicine for a very long time. That means he’s been in the trenches for more than a week, and has been seeing hundreds of patients who still respect and trust him.

There’s something else I’ve noticed about doctors who practice medicine. They don’t push us. They don’t pressure, manipulate or cajole us with the information or diagnosis they believe is important for us to have. Hopefully, they feel passionate about their calling, but they don’t let their emotions rule the day or overwhelm their patients. They may or may not convey a sense of urgency. It depends—every patient, every situation is unique.

They sit. They listen. They gather information. They weigh the options. They share what they have found and, then, make specific recommendations.

My point here is for us to understand what practice means. The doctors I’ve been privileged to know will tell us that medicine is more than organs, science, disease, diagnosis, prescriptions and healing. It’s a practice. It’s a depth of knowing that has life-altering implications for people. It’s drawing upon not only his extensive knowledge of the medical facts, but also from his clinical experience, observations and wisdom. It’s an art form.

Just like our business.

We practice a business we call the Virtual Franchise. We practice not as a warm up, a pretend thing we do before actually starting. It’s what we do. Juice Plus+ is our practice. I’ve been practicing for 25 years. Some people I know have been practicing for much longer. Some for only a few months.

We sell. We present. We tell our stories. We educate and follow up.

We represent The Juice Plus+ Company. And, what an honor and privilege that is!

Practicing the Juice Plus+ business is an art form. Practicing makes me a life-long student, one who is always drilling down on the centrality of whole-food based nutrition, the uniqueness of our business model, the power of residual income, and the challenges of personal development.

When I think of the word practice, I naturally think of the importance ofconsistency. The two are inseparable.

Like a good doctor, we show up every day. We touch our business in some way every day. Consistency—practice—is how we lead by example and sustain the trust and respect of our customers and those on our team.

We practice by seeing the men and women around us, by listening, by engaging them as real people first, not as prospects. Somewhere in our conversations, they will tell us if they have an interest. If it’s hard for us to read them, we can graciously ask if they have an interest or if they would like to have more information. That’s how we practice.

We practice our business when we invite someone to take a long look at Juice Plus+ or consider joining our team. We practice our business when we host a Healthy Living Party, add names to our memory jogger or make reservations for the Spring Leadership Conference. We practice our business when we lead as a learner, not as the expert, when we set goals and schedule events and when we cultivate a teachable attitude—and that means reaching out for the perspective and wisdom of those who are still practicing their Juice Plus+ business.

If we practice our business, we won’t need to push our business. It will unfold, it will come to us—in conversations, on Facebook, at the kids’ soccer games, walking out of church or sitting on the beach.

Just remember to practice.