I'm Joyce Schultz. As you think of your acquaintances and those you know who have received recognition, you will picture people who are great at what they do. I am a teacher. I was trained as a teacher. At one time teaching was my profession. But that's not what I mean. Teaching is in my heart and my heart is in teaching. When I was a little girl I expressed it by saying, "When I grow up I want to be a teacher." Later, I said things like, "I love to learn, and I love to teach." I time I have come to realize that it's even more. I am literally miserable if I am unable to teach.

So what does that have to do with Tupperware?

I did not come to Tupperware expecting to fulfill my dreams. In fact, I came to Tupperware with quite low expectations. I had recently lost a 60 hour a week salaried position. I was not being paid enough for the stress of the job, but I WAS being paid, so when the job ended I needed a source of income. Another factor was that I had a special needs teenager so flexibility was of paramount importance. I believed in the Tupperware product, so I called to find out what it would take to sell it. I didn't need a lot of income (remember, my expectations were low), and my manager Margie showed me that I could make the money I needed by holding 2 parties a week and then trained my how to do it. WOW! I didn't know then that now I could be telling Consultants, "You can maximize your income when you hold 2 parties a week." The compensation plan has improved so much!!!

Yes, I'm still with Tupperware after almost 13 years because along the way I realized that Tupperware also fills my life with teaching.

Teaching is so much more than passing on knowledge. Yes, that part is important too, but good teachers know how to inspire students to have a desire, a quest for knowledge which continues even when the facts themselves become obsolete. But GREAT teachers inspire even more. They provide their students with what they need to use their knowledge and their quest for knowledge to accomplish great things.

How do you recognize a great teacher...usually you don't. Their students' successes so far outpace their own that they are left in the shadow. I really think that this was the origin of the old expression: Those who can do; those who can't teach.

But any great teacher will also tell you that the success of a student is her greatest joy and greatest reward.

I have been so blessed to be able to inspire success. Heartfelt Expectations became a team 12 years ago this month. We have a new motto based on the number of stars that have come from our team. I'd like to tell you about some of them.

Lila Roux was one of the first members of our team, and she is with us still. I'm so proud that for most of her years as a consultant she has had higher personal sales than her manager. Most impressive is that 2 years in a row, Lila placed in the top 50 Consultants in the nation for January Big Weeks Personal Sales.

Terri Fine came to my team so reluctantly that she later admitted she said yes just because she knew I'd keep asking. This amazing woman practically went out of her way to be unsuccessful. But once she was able to see her abilities and gifts she took off and never looked back. She is now a Distributor making dreams come true for herself and other people.

I have worked with Sue Havercroft (Tupperware Sue) for almost as long as I've been with Tupperware, and I've learned so much from her. This past year, Sue became a member of my team and it is such a privilege now to repay some of that by training and inspiring her. Sue, you have no idea how much it means to me when you send me those emails saying thank you for what you've learned.

It was so fun to hear Eileen Rossman express her surprise over her January bonus check - the first time she's gotten one.

Jen Enge came to Tupperware because she saw that she had received great things as a hostess and she could get a great deal on the Quick Chef (only $10 in the kit). But she learned that her forte is customer service and she has become a star because of it. Number One New Manager at her first Spring Sessions and now a Director. It makes me feel good to know that I probably planted that seed of customer service by the way in which I took care of a replacement for Jen's mom.

Someone else with tremendous success is Apryl Jammer, also a Director. To look at her now you would think she was born recruiting and leading. But there was a time when Apryl had just moved to our area and transferred to our Distributorship when she felt that she could not recruit, and if she did, they would just fail anyway. I'm happy that I was able to provide an environment in which she could develop her skills and confidence.

I have been asked what I actually DO to ensure success or am I just lucky about who ends up on my team. For so long I could not define it, and even I was beginning to think I was just lucky. But I had one of those AHA experiences, and I feel that it's not a specific action or actions which occur, but a condition. I thought about water, not in the context of what we drink, but in the context of swimming, more specifically competitive swimming. When the swimmer finishes a race with a new Olympic record he receives great recognition and praise. No one says, "Wow, did you see that water today!!!" But without the water, there would have been no race. The water supports the swimmer, the water provides the medium for the competition, the water provides the resistance which in turn builds the swimmer's strength. In short the water is not the star, but the water is essential to the making of the star. As a teacher, I am the water.

Now looking to the future. I told you Heartfelt Expectations has a new motto. It is: Building the Stars of Tomorrow. I am confident that this will happen, and I thank Tupperware for developing Breakthrough. For me it's not about the status of the title I now have or the potential for the money I can now earn. But it is the affirmation that what successes I have been able to inspire are appreciated.

Again, if think you'd like to know more about becoming one of my "Stars of Tomorrow" click on any of the stars on the page.