Merris, John & Cathy
This achievement was a significant milestone for the Merrises, as it was their reward for years of painstaking work by John and Cathy and a sign of hope for their children, Julie, Natalie, Jessica, John and Nicole as well as Joseph and Joseph's brother, Joseph.
Cathy, on the other hand, had faced such dire financial straits that she was convinced there would be no way out.
"I used to get out of bed at two o'clock in the morning to deliver newspapers to make additional money," she says of her previous job.
"When my car was repossessed, the gravity of our predicament became clear to me."
While attending college, John worked as a sales representative for vacuum cleaners.
His career as an independent distributor for the company lasted after college, until he became disillusioned by the high turnover and chose to try his hand at corporate life in New York City.
Upon relocating to North Carolina, he took up the role of branch manager for a multinational computer corporation.
""I made a good living there," he adds, "but I didn't feel fulfilled in my work." 'Go to work, come home, go to work, come home... is this all there is to life?' I thought to myself.
'Is this all there is to life?'" A small computer business offered John a position as regional manager in 1983.
He brought his growing family back to Texas and began working for them the next year.
The company went out of business a few months later.
While living in North Carolina, John and Cathy had launched their own business, but they hadn't given it much thought until they returned home.
Now that John is out of work, they have made a complete commitment to one other.
Thanks to the guidance of his upline, John learned how to teach and care for the people he enrolled - planting the seeds of opportunity in their hearts and watering, fertilising, and growing them over the course of a lengthy incubation period.
Five years later, the Merrises were able to reap the benefits of their labour. In just one year, they were able to achieve both Emerald and Diamond status!
Now, John and Cathy are living the life they've always dreamed of having. "Being a decent wife and mother is the number one priority for me," Cathy adds.
"I enjoy travelling with John, and I enjoy attending my children's dancing performances, piano recitals, soccer games, swim meets, and other activities," says the mother of three.
Cathy has served as the president of her PTA and is an enthusiastic supporter of local candidates and political concerns.
When John thinks back on their accomplishments, he believes that they owe a great deal to their willingness to defer gratification.
"We put our attention on our dream and put off some of the activities we enjoyed doing," he explains.
"For example, I enjoy golfing but have put it on hold while growing the firm.
Now that I have more money and leisure than I ever had before, I play on courses all over the world, which is a dream come true."
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