This One Thing I Know

Many people have a dream, an aspiration, a goal. Especially those in business for themselves. they did not go into business to close up shop a month later. No I am sure just like me they wanted to build a thriving business and be celebrated by those close to them. this is not always the case.  Many times those closest to you are the hard critics you will come across in life. Does that mean you stop pushing forward, Absolutely not! It means you have to be your own cheerleader and motivate yourself to keep going.

Say this, "How can expect others to believe in me, if I don't believe in myself." It's just that simple. If you believe then others will believe also. IF you invest in you then others will invest in you also. I remember I was told by a very wise man, if you give then others will give because they follow your example.

So now you are trying to achieve your goals and you are running into obstacles and feeling discouraged. Well This one thing I know for sure, when you are at your lowest, that's when you must not quit. Remember this it always is darkest before dawn and the storm is the worst right before it going to stop. Just hang on in there and you will see the breakthrough you are looking for. Whether it is in building a business, a relationships, studying in school, trying something new for the first time or whatever it may be... it's not a dead end for you. If you look closely you will see the silver lining in the clouds of despair.

There is a process that we all go through and if we go through the process without losing sight of our goal we will see that it was all worth the journey. The good and the bad of it. So here's the process:

1. The conception of a dream - You have to see a vision of something, so you can express what it will look like when it is completed.
2. Then comes Discouragement - This discouragement can come from within and without. Most likely it will be from those you love and hope would support you.
3. Then you get distracted - Distractions comes from all sources. It can be a job, family, school, hobbies, TV etc... What is distracting you from achieving the dream. If it is a distraction you will know it. this is not to say forsake all others but you know what you do when you should be working on the dream.
4. Then due to long periods of Distractions you become Distress - Distress is a sign that things need to change. You are doing things for not. It's the being busy to say you are doing something but you are not seeing a ROI. you are operating out of fear and desperation. STOP it now.
5. Then there is Discomfort - Your distress has put you in place where you now have to re-evaluate what you are doing and what is important. You must revisit your core values and start to make adjustments. It's stepping out of your comfort zone and learning and trying new things.
6. After you start to remove the discomfort you will begin to experience Discovery - Discovery comes when you are moving past what you know and understand and living in a realm of the unknown, therefore everything is new and you must explore all your options.
7. Discovery leads to the Dawning of a new life - after you discover that the process is necessary in order to see the realization of your dream, you will welcome the previous steps and understand that embracing those steps leads to a dawning of a new life, the life you have dreamed about.

Let the process happen and don't fight it. this 1 thing I know you will not regret it in the end.

Be Empowered
Coach Linda Hillman
Copyright 2012 Destined 2 B U Empowerment Group

Ask For What You Deserve!

Listen, when you start a business or go into that performance review, everyone is counting on you to have issues with money. Meaning, they are all hoping that you will not ask for what you deserve. If you don't ask for the raise the company saves money. Or they may even use the recession as a means to discourage you. Now I admit many companies were hit hard and to stay afloat they had to tighten their belts. However, Can you see a way to help them with their bottom line? Then go in and ask for that raise with your head held high.  IF you have started a business. your knowledge is valuable. You have gone to school, read books, learned some of life toughest lessons to acquire that knowledge. You have cultivated that skill with many hours, days, weeks, months and years of focused attention. Don't be afraid to show the confidence in your acquired skills.

Many times we don't ask because we don't want things to change. We dont want to put people in an uncomfortable space. However, we cant pay our bills, our family is suffering with less than the best and our dreams are not being manifested. Listen to this, the one who ask for what they deserve, will get it. There is someone out there that understands your worth and they are willing to pay. Those that are not ready are not the ones you should be concerned with. I was once told, "My ideal client is willing and ready to pay." I fought that statement when it was said but now I understand. Me short selling my products and knowledge was not doing me any favors. I worked hard for it. Now I was willing to give it away for free or less than I should.

If you have put in the work, you have paid the piper then it is time for you to ask for what you deserve. Again, if they are not ready to give you what you ask for, someone else is waiting in line that will. So start here, recognize your worth and then ask for it. DO not settle for less. In the end you will get less than what you settled for. I know it can be scary but what is more scary, settling and nothing changing, your family struggling, your dreams dying and those that are waiting on you not receiving the help they need. OR ... asking for what you deserve and changing not only your life but the lives of those you come in contact with.



Be Empowered
Coach Linda Hillman
Copyright 2012 Destined 2 B U Empowerment Group

How to Discover Your True Path By Lisa Pertrilli

A few days ago I came across this blog and thought I would share it with my readers. I hope you enjoy it just as much as I did.


Coach Linda Hillman

Here's the blog by Lisa Petrilli:

"We were all moved, and many of us shaken, by the loss of Steve Jobs last week.  He inspired us with his vision, his passion for his work and his creative genius.  We cheered him when he battled back from being fired at Apple.  We so badly wanted him to win his ultimate battle with his unrelenting foe.

In reflecting on his life and his beliefs, many of us watched the 2005 Commencement Speech Steve Jobs gave at Stanford University.  What stood out most to me are two, beautiful messages:

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.

and

Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads off the well-worn path.  And that will make all the difference.

Steve Jobs is imploring these graduates to discover their True Path in life.  It’s a quest I’ve been on myself, lately, and I’ve discovered twelve critical lessons that I’ve decided to share in the hope they will prove valuable to you…

1. Look within yourself

This was the biggest surprise of all and the most valuable lesson.  All the answers to the questions of who you are meant to be in this world - and what you are meant to bring to this world – lie within you.  You simply have to know where to look and be open to listening to your own guidance from within.

I have learned the critical importance of spending quiet time each morning being still, quieting my mind, and being open to what my heart wants to tell me.  It’s how I connect to my True Self, and it enables me to lead from within as I move through each day.

Connecting with your inner self, your True Self, is the first and most important step to finding your True Path in life.

When we leave childhood behind we often leave behind our own sense of self.  We become sensitive to what other people think and to what they want us to be.  We may lose our own sense of self-expression, playfulness, and our ability to “let go” and feel a real sense of freedom.  In doing so we slip off our True Path without even knowing it.

Reconnecting with who we are within – who we are in our central core, in our soul – is the only way back to our True Path.

2. Ask courageously for what you need and want in your life

I know how difficult this can be.  You see, I had to ask for a kidney.  When I opened up my heart to believing in my own worthiness to make such a bold request of the universe, and to the possibility of actually receiving a kidney, a woman whom I had never met called me on the phone.  She told me she knew in her heart that if she was a match, she was meant to give me hers.

The courage to ask for what you need, and the sense of worthiness to ask for what you most desire, are critical ingredients to finding your True Path.

3. Accept that there is an inner light within you with power beyond your understanding

We all have a life force within us. You alone have the power to take this brilliant life force to the world.  As a leader, this is a true gift. It should be used wisely and to its greatest potential for the good of the world, and for the benefit of those you lead.

This was truly one of the most important and inherently powerful realizations on my journey.

4. Connect with and accept the beauty of your physical body

We humans spend a lot of time telling ourselves what’s wrong with our physical bodies, sometimes to the point of feeling disdain.  When we do this, we completely disconnect from our true selves and deny the most essential life gift we’ve received.  Discovering your True Path involves accepting and loving everything about your True Self, including the body through which you travel your path.

5. Let go of everything that is holding you back

Letting go can be so difficult, even as it seems so obvious. We hold onto our walls and our fears, sometimes because they’ve simply become comfortable.  We’re not quite sure how we’ll function without them.

You hear this often in regard to people who need to lose weight; they lose the weight only to find themselves uncomfortable psychologically because they have grown accustomed to their mindset of being overweight.  They haven’t closed the door on their old mindset in order to open a new door to the new path they are traveling.

You have to let go of what holds you back to create the freedom to move forward toward your True Path.

6. Stop lamenting and choose to move forward

Again, this may seem so obvious yet it’s easy to spend years and even decades lamenting the past rather than choosing to move forward.  There is a time and place to lament, but to find and travel your True Path you must consciously choose to begin moving forward.

Have you chosen to do so?

7. Observe, don’t absorb

I wrote an entire post on the power of these three words to change your whole outlook, but the gist is this:

We are faced with so much uncertainty, fear and stress in our world today.  Our success, and to a great degree our well-being, depend on being observers rather than absorbers.

If we absorb the uncertainty, fear and stress – particularly the fear and stress of other people – we lose our own sense of self, and we get easily knocked off of our True Path.

Although this is one of the most difficult steps in the True Path journey, it is one of the most critical.  Why?  Because we will always be around people and situations that have negative energy.  Always.  It is just a reality of our lives and of the world.

Those who live their True Path learn how not to take the uncertainty, fear and stress of others along with them…

8. Let go of what’s not on your path

Just as you don’t want to take the negative energy of others and of the world with you on your True Path, you have to come to terms with what you personally have to leave behind as well.

This was horribly difficult for me.  I had to finally accept that because of my kidney transplant and other factors in my life, I had to let go of the idea that some things I wanted were still ahead of me.  They aren’t. They are simply not on my True Path.  A part of me already knew this, but I hadn’t accepted it or worked through it until my recent journey.

Taking the time to mourn what’s not on your True Path with you is critical to moving confidently forward down the path.

9. Remember Abundance Comes From Within

Abundance lives within you and has expansive energy.

Remember as you come face-to-face with “lack” on your journey that it comes from “without” and is not nearly as powerful.

It is the fear of lack that fuels the lack, gives it energy and power, and creates a psychologically debilitating cycle.  When you are in fear it is very difficult to feel balanced, and virtually impossible to travel your True Path.

10. Open yourself up to receiving abundance

It may surprise you, but many of us block abundance from coming into our lives by surrounding ourselves with a fear of “lack.” That fear serves as a wall that actually keeps the abundance at bay.  Read that sentence again because it can literally change your life if you genuinely acknowledge it.

You have to let go of the fear, and you have to let go of the ways you hold onto that fear, in order to fully open yourself up to abundance!

11. Commit to staying in the present moment

You probably never thought of it this way but it is in the present moment that you hold and can wield all of your power.  You have absolutely no power over the past and the only power you have over the future is to affect it in the present.

The present is where your power exists, where doors open, and where your True Path unfurls.

Only in the present moment can you “be the change you want to see in the world,” as Gandhi instructed. If you are not living immersed in the present moment, then you are not living from your own strength and power.

When you are thoughtfully and energetically present with those around you, and when you give the gift of your presence and your energy that come from your inner self, you become more highly attuned to the moments when you stray from – or move closer to – your True Path.

12. Honor yourself

Ultimately, everything about the journey to discover your True Path comes back to honoring yourself.

Honor who you are in every moment, every single time.

Be mindful of the words you use.  When you put words out into the universe you give them power to be true. Honor yourself by speaking and thinking in ways that are true to who you are and to the brilliant light and power within you.

Honor yourself by doing the work to free yourself of what’s holding you back, by starting anew connected to your True Self, and by living on your True Path!

Wishing you all the best of life as you travel your own True Path…"

Lisa Petrilli is Chief Executive Officer of C-Level Strategies, Inc., Chief Operating and Marketing Officer for the To Be a Woman global platform, and Chief Relationship Officer for CEO Connection.  She is passionate about visionary leadership.

It Is Your Business Or Is This Just Your Hobby?

I remember a song sang by Billy Preston in the seventies called, "Nothing From Nothing". Do you? I remember singing along with this song and in my heart agreeing with every word. Even as I write this, the melody is bouncing in my head and I still agree.

"Nothing from nothing leaves nothing
You gotta have something if you wanna be with me."

What does this have to do with your business, your life or even your destiny. Well, I am glad that you asked that question. many go into business but what they really have is a hobby. They want to make money but they are not willing to invest. they believe that something great, fabulous and awesome should come from nothing.

Let's look at this way, If you invested in the stock market you expect to get a return and you understand that based on the amount of invest that is how your return will be measured. So it is in life. If you are not willing to invest in your business, then why should your clients. Meaning if you can't pay for the website, get a business card, get some paid advertising, and brand yourself, why should your clients believe anything you say you can deliver to them. You have not even delivered a professional looking brand.

In your life if you are not willing to go the distance and pay the price for what you say you want, then you cant get made when your family and friends cant seem to get behind you. People love to follow a leader. In order to lead you have to be going somewhere. I can not lead you where I have not gone. Meaning I must first make the investment in time and energy to know the path that is best to take. then I can lead someone else.

More importantly for business owners, we must understand that our business deserves our investment. We can spend money on shoes, hair, nails, clothes, cars, and houses but when it comes to investing in our future we all seem to be caught up in the here and now. However, there are a few of us understanding that in order for tomorrow to be better than today I must do something today to ensure it.

So let the words sung over 30 years ago, ring in your heart whether it be for business, life or your destiny...
"Nothing from nothing leaves nothing. You gotta have something if you wanna be with me." More importantly, you gotta invest in you if you want others to do the same.

Dare 2 B U NOW.

Be Empowered
Coach Linda Hillman
Copyright 2012 Destined 2 B U Empowerment Group

The PBW Tour 2011 - Maximizing YOU - Press release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Corporate Communications- 800-917-9435 ext 808
info@thepbw.com

The Professional Black Woman™ Maximizing You Tour Positively Impacts More Than 33 Cities

Greenville, SC (April 20, 2011) - The Professional Black Woman™ (The PBW), a personal and professional development organization launch its 33 city plus tour. The purpose of the tour is to promote its mission of providing partnerships, mentorships, resources, and skills needed for business and professional women to increase their bottom line. The admission is complimentary however registration is required for admittance.

The PBW Maximizing You Tour offers opportunities for networking, exchanging of ideas for aspiring and seasoned entrepreneurs, and a venue for successful professional, African-American women to be showcased. The cities included on the tour are: Atlanta, Baltimore, Bethlehem, Birmingham, Buena Vista, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Flint, Greensboro, Houston, Huntsville, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Louisville, Miami, Milwaukee, Mobile, Montclair, Montgomery, New York, Oakland, Philadelphia, Raleigh, St. Croix, Stockton, Suffolk, Toronto, and Washington, DC.

Top experts are taking note of the impact women business owners are making in the market place. Jim Turley, Ernest Young CEO had this to say, “The more women are engaged in business, the better the G.D.P.” Lahle Wolfe of About.com states, “Black women started businesses at three-to-five times the rate of all other new businesses between 2006 and 2009.” “This tour will further enhance our mission of providing quality platforms for professional, African-American women to sharpen their skills, increase their knowledge, and create stronger partnerships,” says Deborah Hardnett, The Professional Black Woman™ Founder & CEO.

For registration, alliance opportunities or more information please visit www.thepbw.com and/or call 800-917-9435 ext 808.