Get Up!

November 3, 2015November 3, 2015Leave a comment

Ha! Sounds silly but oh how true this is. As the weather grows colder and the days start to stay gray…it becomes more of a struggle for me to get out of bed. I like to stay tangled in the warmth and comfort of my blankets. The great thing about coaching and blogging is that I could work from bed if I so pleased… but I’ve found that it doesn’t inspire productivity for me, it only inspires more sleep. Lol So, as generic as it sounds, if you want to make things happen in your business, in your life, shake the fog of sleep from your mind, toss your comforter aside and start your day with feet on the ground and coffee cup in hand (or whatever else helps you wake up). So, that being said, good morning everyone! Go have a productive and very blessed day!

Hard Beginnings

October 22, 20152 Comments

This is something I need to remind myself about, continuously. As any entrepreneur can attest to, the very beginning, the start up of your company or brand, is the hardest. Deciding to pursue your dreams is a hurdle in itself but once you make that decision…now what? Your life doesn’t stop throwing punches now that you’ve decided to start a business. Nope, life gets harder. A friend of mine told me that when the devil knows you’re about to do something great he’ll do everything he can, he’ll throw every obstacle possible in your path, to try and stop you.

Within the last few months my ex decided to lower child support by almost half, my computer broke and needs a new motherboard, my car is having mechanical issues, I need 2 of my teeth fixed, I need to get a math tutor for my son, I need to find a way to pay for dog boarding for over a month, I need to come up with camp money and cadet money for my son plus save for his 16th birthday….the list goes on, and on, and on…

Now that might sound like I’m complaining and that I’m asking for sympathy but I’m not (ok, maybe I’m complaining…just a lil bit)…but what I’m trying to say is that life can be hard and stressful as it is, throw on trying to start and run a business while you’re dealing with everything else and you really see what you’re made of. When life gets stormy do you find a safe place to run away and hide and hope that the storm passes or do you throw on your rain boots, break out your umbrella and continue working hard whether the storm continues or not?

Your success depends on your attitude and how you choose to react to your troubles. And yes, you always have a choice. Do you quit or do you keep plugging away? The beginning of anything, a new business, relationship, schooling, is always the hardest…but just like the sun eventually appears again after the storm has passed, night always turns into morning and bare trees eventually get spring buds, troubles will pass, hard times will become easier times. Don’t give up before you get to the good stuff. If you work hard, if you persevere through the storm, success WILL come.

Your Tribe, Your Support

October 5, 2015Leave a comment

There are people out there that believe you are 100% responsible for your own success, and to a degree that’s true. Ultimately, no matter how much support you get from others, if you don’t put in the time and hard work success will always be just beyond your reach. However , I truly believe that having a tribe of likeminded individuals, women who respect you, believe in you and are genuinely happy to see you accomplish your goals and be rewarded for your hard work…that kind of support system can sometimes be the difference between your failure and your success.

In a perfect world we’d never get tired, there would be enough hours in a day to accomplish everything that needs to be done, we’d reap the benefits of our hard work immediately, there would be nothing but positivity surrounding us and obstacles would be nonexistent.

We don’t live in a perfect world.

There are days when I sit at the computer 10 to 12 hours and feel like I didn’t accomplish anywhere close to the amount I wanted to. I’m tired, drained, frustrated. Some days I’m on Cloud 9 because everything I’m working hard to accomplish seems to be falling into place, other days I want to throw my laptop out the window and head to the employment agency to apply for a ‘regular job’ because running my own business is such hard work. It’s times like these that, without my support system, I might honestly consider giving up but I’ve been blessed with a great tribe of women and a few men, each of them successful in their own right and ALL of them supportive and encouraging to me and each other.

At times it’s just grabbing a cup of coffee, glass of wine or a bite to eat because I need a break, other times it’s an invite to come over so we can sit down and go over what’s frustrating me and help me find a solution. Sometimes it’s walking me through a process over and over and over again until it finally “clicks,” then there are times when I get a simple text that says “I’m thinking about you. I believe in you. You got this!” and other times it’s a phone call or a doorstep visit with one of my tribe saying…”Quit stressing out! Quit discouraging yourself. Snap the hell out if it and get your butt in gear!!” like a proverbial slap to the face of someone on the verge of hysterics.

I don’t care who you are or what kind of business you run, being an entrepreneur has never been, and will never be, easy every step of the way (this lesson can be applied to life in general, not just entrepreneurship, obviously☺) but by surrounding yourself with a tribe of successful people who have your back and help keep you in check when you start to falter you can definitely make the journey a little easier on yourself.

Find your tribe. Empower one another. Ask for encouragement and give encouragement. Revel in each others’ successes!

Don’t Compare Yourself!

September 22, 2015September 22, 20152 Comments

Have you ever found yourself doing this? Have you ever compared your body to someone else’s and started to feel disgusted with yourself? Have you ever seen pictures people post on Facebook, the ones where people are on some sort of exotic vacation, looking like they don’t have a care in the world? Maybe you’ve heard someone talking about their 10,000 sq ft. home with its indoor pool and walk-in closet the size of your entire living room? Have you ever watched a couple act so happy and ‘lovey dovey’ out in public that you start questioning your own relationship? I think we’ve probably all been guilty of this at one point in time or another Why do we do this? Why do we compare what we have, what we look like and what our lives are like with other people? When we compare ourselves to other people it alters the way we think about ourselves. Suddenly we’re not skinny enough, not well traveled enough, not rich enough, not in love enough. The funny thing is…our view of others is very rarely the correct view. You never know other people’s circumstances and you’re doing yourself a huge injustice when you judge and compare yourself by the outward appearance of others. If you were able to see beyond the surface you might find that the girl who is so thin, has an eating disorder…the family smiling for the cameras while on vacation might be a family dealing with abuse beyond the public eye, the people who seem to be living a life if luxury might be on the verge of bankruptcy and that couple who makes you sick because they seem so in love and perfect together, might have a very destructive relationship filled with lies and infidelity behind closed doors (I know because I was in that kind of relationship). You are enough. Your life is enough. What you have is enough. The way you look is enough. QUIT comparing yourself. Now I’m not saying that you shouldn’t do something to change your circumstances if you’re unhappy with them. If you want to be healthier and thinner, work out and eat right. If you want to go on exotic vacations, book one! If having a huge home is important to you then work hard so that you’re able to afford one. If you’re unhappy in your relationship then make a change, if it’s unhealthy and/or abusive….leave. But everything you choose to do, do for yourself. Do it because you want to better yourself for YOU…not because you think you need to change to be like someone else. Don’t let comparison be the thief of your joy.

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Nature

September 20, 2015September 20, 2015Leave a comment

My very favorite thing to do, any day and any time of the year, is to spend time in the great outdoors. I can hike all afternoon, in total silence, sit by a river and spend hours just listening to the rushing of the water, watching it flow. There’s just something about nature, both the complexity and the simplicity of it, that connects with my soul. I had a very long week but today is 65° & breezy, I’m in the middle of a green forested area with just the tips of the leaves starting to take on Autumn’s hues, it’s time to refresh my spirit and get ready to rise and grind again tomorrow. What do you to to relax and unwind?

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Dreamer or Doer?

September 18, 2015September 18, 2015Leave a comment

So, question of the day: What are you going to accomplish if all you do is dream about your future? Nothing! Turn your dreams into plans then put your plans into action. Successful people don’t sit around and wish for their dreams to come true, they go out and MAKE their dreams come true. You absolutely cannot have success without putting in time and hard work. LOTS of time and LOTS of hard work. So, which person are you…the dreamer or the doer?!

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Buh-Bye

September 15, 2015September 15, 2015Leave a comment

Good morning, everyone! Do you know what today is? Today is the perfect day to wave goodbye to your naysayers as you continue on your road to success. Don’t allow anybody to discourage you or hold you back from accomplishing your goals. Turn a deaf ear to the negativity. Keep your eyes on the prize.

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Smile!

September 14, 2015September 14, 2015Leave a comment

Thought for the day: Smile more!
When I’m out and about during the day I have the tendency to focus on whatever task needs to be done and I don’t always look around, make eye contact with people or smile. It’s something I’m working on. I have to make a conscious effort to get out of my own head and engage, even if it’s just giving someone a little smile but I’ve come to realize…my smile might be the only smile someone sees today. It doesn’t take much effort and it might be just what someone else needs to see in order to change their day around. PLUS….it’s a good way to brighten my own day. So, SMILE! 😆

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Get Out of Your Own Way!

September 13, 2015October 13, 2015Leave a comment

Yes! This is something to always remember. You are your own worst enemy. Quit making excuses. Quit trying to wait for the ‘right moment.’ Quit allowing one more thing to stand in front of the action you know you need to take in order to be successful. The time to start on your path to success is right NOW. Get out of your own way!

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A Mess Transformed

September 10, 2015September 10, 2015Leave a comment

Yep! People didn’t realize how disappointed I was in my life, they had no idea the hurt I was feeling or the anger that was simmering just beneath my surface. I was a great actress. The reality was….I was a complete mess, a walking disaster! I had let my circumstances defeat me. I became hard and resentful. I was a shell of the person I had once been before I let my marital situation control my emotions and attitude. I couldn’t remember what it felt like to be at peace.

Life can either push you over the edge, numb you or bring you to your knees. I’ve been to the edge, I didn’t like the view. I’ve been numb, it didn’t do me any good. I was finally brought back to my knees and I was given hope, peace, love, comfort…all these things that I knew I could have had, long before, if I would have just given God control of my life again. I wasted so many years being stubborn and bitter but I guess I needed to hit rock bottom so hard that the only choice I had left was to look up. Once I raised my eyes and focused on God….my transformation began.

I’ve been through so much in the past year and a half that many people would have just thrown their hands in the air and given up. I get told all the time how people admire my strength and perseverance and how they can’t believe that I can still have such a cheerful attitude after all I’ve gone through. It’s NOT me. It’s a God thing. I could not have made it through all of the trials that were sent my way had I not given God control.

I still have days where I struggle to remain cheerful. I still have times where I cry out to God and ask Him “why me?!” There are still moments where I’d like nothing more than to curl up into a ball and cry. What keeps me going is the hope I’m consistently given when I’m feeling my weakest and the knowledge that God has great things in store for me.

“For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11

Every time I think I can’t possibly handle another disappointed or another hardship, God blesses me in a way that I can’t deny Him and He reminds me that HE’S GOT THIS!

I don’t always understand why things are allowed to happen in my life the way they do, I don’t know exactly what God has in store for my future, all I know is that His blessings continue to show His faithfulness, His timing is always perfect and His plans for my life are HUGE. I’m so unbelievably happy that I allowed Him back into my life and gave Him back the control.

The power of God is absolutely amazing!

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