Are you are like me? Do you have a fire burning inside of you to do something big, significant, or life-changing? Maybe your aspirations are more personal and you just want to start, create, or do something for yourself.
If so, what are you doing about it? Have you taken steps recently that will help you figure it out? I’ve got a reading list at the bottom to inspire you to action, and a gift for one of you that’s ready to act on your “something”.
Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.” – Henry David Thoreau
In my promise to myself and to God, that I start living in the purpose I was created for, I have been absorbing all of the inspiring personal growth information I can get a hold of. However, it is the Christmas season and I have been busy fulfilling orders, which doesn’t leave me a lot of time for reading books. Instead, I have been listening to podcasts. My new favorite podcast this week is EntreLeadership, hosted by Ken Coleman. What I like most about EntreLeadership is that they are speaking to entrepreneurs at all stages of their journey, from those just starting out to those running large corporations, and everyone in between.
Reading over the podcast titles, I chose ones that would motivate me. I fell in love with (well, idealized kind of love) one of the EntreLeadership guests, Carrie Wilkerson (podcast #164- Maximize Your Profits & Productivity). Let me tell you why:
First and foremost, she has four children as well, and one with significant special needs. I instantly related (she had me at “hello”). Secondly, through her tough self-talk, she is able to manage successful businesses from her home while also being a mother, which can be hard for me to balance.
Carrie is known best as The Barefoot Executive, after her bestselling book of the same name. However, before she was “The Barefoot Executive”, she faced 
In the podcast, Carrie calls us to find the hunger in ourselves and decide that we can do better; don’t wait until we’re at the bottom before bringing ourselves up. She loves the quote by one of her mentors, Zig Ziglar:
Don’t give up what you want MOST for what you want RIGHT NOW.”
In changing her life, Carrie wanted to be healthy more than she wanted to eat a pint of ice cream. She wanted financial freedom more than she wanted new designer shoes. She knew the only way to gain more income for her family, was to start a business. Beginning with what she already knew, she grew a business online, using computer skills already had. Within one year, that business allowed her husband to quit his job and work at home in their business, and within two and a half years she had paid off all of their debt. She created a life she loves while keeping her priorities intact.
Carrie’s tough self-talk regarding negotiable and non-negotiables really stuck with me. She used the analogy of driving your child to school in the morning. The goal is to get your child to school, and it is non-negotiable. While driving there, you may encounter traffic, roadblocks, and detours, but you still keep moving forward. It isn’t ok to turn around and head back home at the first sight of a traffic cone.
She says we need to apply this same principle to other areas of our life and to have these hard conversations with ourselves as it relates to business, productivity, goal setting, personal growth. It is easy to give up on and disappoint ourselves, but if we plan for obstacles in advance and stay true to the end destination, then we’ll be more prepared to keep moving forward.
Therefore, to check back in:
Do you have a fire burning inside of you to do something, and what are you doing about it?
I have a Christmas (reading) list in my cart on Amazon. These books, along with other podcasts, are going to keep me moving in the right direction.
If you are ready to get moving too, tell me! You don’t have to tell me specifically what it is (if you don’t want to), but tell me how you’re ready to begin. I want to know, AND I will send the person with the most compelling comment one of these books, so also let me know which book stands out to you.
Wishing you peace, productivity, and motivation to start something great this holiday season!
-Cherie
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