Victory Over Career Boredom and Being Stuck :: Guest Post

Posted on by Evangeline

In conjunction with the release of my book, Live To Win! 5 Essentials for Victory and Success, I’m excited to provide a series of guest posts over the next few weeks. These folks are special to me, having coached me in one way or another to achieve my career goals and experience victories at various times and in various areas of my life.

Today, I’m pleased to share with you the insights from Ellen Violette, The Ebook Coach. She’s helped me in my career so that I understand how to write, finish, and market ebooks. Experiencing victories in your career is important. Ellen’s business insights may help you with that. Her insights can also be applied to life in general, as you’ll see as she shares some life-changing decisions she had to make.

How I Reinvented Myself and Found My True Calling

L2W career quote- E. VioletteWhen I started my business, the economy was humming along and people were hungry for Internet-related information, so I started offering copywriting to clients. But, I had always wanted to write books and the timing was right. My husband and I had been buying, fixing, and selling real estate, but the market was getting too hot and there was nothing to buy. So, I started researching ebooks.

I loved the idea of writing ebooks because I could get directly to my potential buyers and I didn’t have to wait for some middleman to approve of my work, which had been the case in the music business where I worked as a songwriter and producer for almost 20 years. I kept winning music awards, (I beat out 30,000 writers for Grand Prize in lyric writing in the Music City Song Festival) but I wasn’t getting the cuts because of the politics involved. I even got a Grammy nomination, and still the work wasn’t coming my way. That’s why I was so excited to discover ebooks and self-publishing. Nobody was going to stop me or get in my way with ebooks!

I wrote my first ebook on writing ebooks and I was finding the process overwhelming and hard to follow, so I looked for an ebook coach, but there weren’t any. My husband and I were already immersed in learning Internet Marketing and since we were going to the BIG SEMINAR, a fabulous event hosted by marketing great, Armand Morin, I thought, surely, I would find an ebook coach there. But, I didn’t. And that’s when I knew I was going to become the first ever ebook coach!

I put together a writing workshop, and then a marketing workshop, and it worked! I made $13,000 on my first offer and was making a 6-figure income in 2 ½ years. I thought I was on my way. I bought a Mercedes and moved to the beach; life was good.

But, then the recession hit, social media came in, and everything changed. Whereas before people had been throwing money at me, now I was hearing more and more from people who wanted to take my courses and workshops, but they couldn’t afford them. I was working harder than ever, but my income was shrinking. So, I started taking more programs trying to figure out what was wrong and how to fix it, but nothing worked. I continued to make a living online while others in my position simply perished. But I wasn’t happy.

In the meantime, Amazon introduced Kindle and that revitalized the ebook industry, I got really good at doing bestseller launches for myself and my clients (I have a 100% success rate taking authors to #1 whom I coach) and that was a lot of fun; it kept me afloat; but more and more people were writing ebooks, launching ebooks, and calling themselves experts. How was I going to continue to differentiate myself and get enough work to stay in business? In addition, I was so pigeonholed that I could only talk about a narrow range of subjects, and boredom was setting in. Something in my career had to change.

So, I went back to the basics. I didn’t have the money to hire a coach so I became my own coach and put myself through the same paces that I put my clients through. I asked myself, “What do I love to do?” “What makes me unique?”, and “How can I leverage my business, so I don’t have to work so hard?” “Or at least work so hard at things I don’t like doing?” And once I could answer those questions, things started to change.

But, I had to be honest with myself. I decided I would only do what I was passionate about, so I am doing my first collaborative book called, “How to Crush it in Business Without Crushing Your Spirit, How Entrepreneurs Can Overcome Depression and Find Success” and loving it! I’m helping more entrepreneurs with a subject people struggle with, but are embarrassed to talk about and finding real solutions! And it’s become more of a mission than a job.

I also made some life-changing decisions; I would write books for other people because I enjoy it; I would no longer coach people who were energy burners because I don’t enjoy it; I would only work with action-takers because they are the ones who get the results I offer; I would joint venture more and stop trying to do it all myself (I now run a mastermind that I thoroughly enjoy with a co-leader, so when I have a speaking opportunity that’s too good to pass up, she can run it and I don’t have to feel guilty!); I would value what I do more and not give into people who wanted my expertise, but didn’t want to pay me what I am worth; I would outsource more of what I don’t like to do; and I would focus on what I love to do that pays me well.

I had to make some changes in my career strategy to accomplish this. I started spending more time on LinkedIn and going offline to networking meetings. I also started reaching out more to contacts I already had— to colleagues, former clients, and prospects. And when I did this, I found that some of the tasks I had hated doing in the past, I no longer hated because there was now a much desired payoff! They have given me more opportunities, more leads, and better clients and I’m doing what I love!

So, I want to encourage anyone who’s struggling to re-evaluate what they are doing and find another way. And if you need help, I offer a free Extraordinary Results Consultation at http://ellenlikes.com/schedulefreeconsult.

 

Ellen Violette - Career Victory post

©Copyright 2016
All Rights Reserved
Ellen Violette

info@bestsellerbusinessblueprint.com
818 970-6132

 

shut up satan

Sticky Note Thought #10 – SHUT UP Satan!!!

Posted on by Evangeline

Just tell your enemy, “NO… Shut up Satan!”

So many times, we battle with thoughts that resound in our head that make us fearful and hopeless. But we have not been left without a battle plan. The Bible gives us instructions about what to do. In James 4:7, we’re told:

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (NIV)

God would have you to keep your vision fixed on Jesus and not be distracted by your problems. He wants you be humble, looking to Him to meet all your needs. He desires that you stand up against the enemy’s tactics and deceptions.

One very practical and effective way to do so is to verbally say to the devil, “Shut up!”

I’m not kidding!

Use your mouth as a weapon, making it clear to your enemy that you won’t put up with the fear-inducing thoughts he puts inside your head. Tell him “NO” and then follow that up with something that has come from the mouth of God that applies to your circumstances and gives you a sense of victory.

No matter what the problem is that you’re facing today, you have been given a powerful weapon and an effective tool– your mouth and God’s Word. Use them daily!

 

How to Experience Victorious Living::Guest Post

Posted on by Evangeline

In conjunction with the release of my book, Live To Win! 5 Essentials for Victory and Success, I’m excited to provide a series of guest posts over the next few weeks. These folks are special to me, having coached me in one way or another to achieve my goals at various times and in various areas of my life.

Today, I’m pleased to share with you the insights from John Burton. He helped me as a business coach a few years ago and was instrumental in helping me take the leap of faith to become an author. I’m sure the way he breaks down how to live as a winner in life will help you toward that end.

7 Keys To Victorious Living

In the game of life, there are WINNERS and there are LOSERS. The last time I checked, the universe doesn’t hand out participation trophies. Sometimes we find ourselves “on a roll” and other times we seem to be in a “downward spiral”. So what is the secret to living VICTORIOUSLY? How can we WIN more than we LOSE?  The dictionary defines VICTORY as “an act of defeating an enemy or opponent in a battle, game or other competition”. For many of us, the battle keeping us from living a VICTORIOUS life is a battle we consistently wage in the 6 inch space between our ears. Our thoughts, programs and mental conditioning prevent many of us from experiencing the truly VICTORIOUS life we deserve.

Let’s take a closer look at the word VICTORY and examine what I believe are 7 keys to what Pastor Joel Osteen refers to as “living our best life now”.

VICTORY…..Victorious living- John Burton

VIGILANCE.  We must be vigilant in all our efforts and actions. When we take consistent action, we produce consistent results. The key is to do more of what works and less of what doesn’t.  Frustrated people tend to be inconsistent people.

INTUITION. I believe our inner voice is the voice of our creator. Every challenge presents us with an opportunity to make a CHOICE. The CHOICE we make is more empowering when we trust our intuition. We are wise to listen to other points of view but ultimately our decisions and choices must be made by us.

CHARACTER. As stated in the opening sentence, sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. Showing ourselves grace in defeat and exhibiting humility in victory is a true sign of character.

TOLERANCE. We live in a diverse world. We can’t live victoriously if we constantly find ourselves in judgement and disagreement with others. We all have our own set of personal beliefs and values. Living victoriously means that we respect different points of view and learn to separate the other person from their position. This is often referred to as spiritual maturity.

OWNERSHIP. There are three undeniable truths…We ALL make mistakes. We ALL have flaws. We are HUMAN. Our ability to take responsibility for our decisions and subsequent actions (or lack of) is the foundation for victorious living. When we ditch the blame game and embrace personal responsibility, we send a message to the universe that we can be trusted with abundance.

RELATIONSHIPS. Our success in life and business is a team effort. Parents, spouses, friends and associates have all played an important role in our success. Remember, hermits don’t have anything or anyone to celebrate with. Quality relationships are a cornerstone of victorious living.

YESTERDAY. It’s hard to live victoriously and move into our future if we are always looking in the rear view mirror. I once heard a great quote that stated, “yesterday is history, tomorrow’s a mystery, today is a gift, that is why it is called the present.”

Victory is found in the present moment. The next time the past calls, let it go to voicemail, it has nothing new to say.

Here’s to a VICTORIOUS living!

Victorious living- John Burton

 

John Page Burton is an Author, Business Consultant, and Keynote Speaker.

To learn more, visit www.johnpageburton.com

 

Infertility battle -STAND

The Infertility Battle – You are NOT Condemned to Lose

Posted on by Evangeline

The infertility battle is not one that you are condemned to lose. Even though month after month the challenge at hand may feel like you’ll never see the end of it, when you look at what God has said about it, you’ll see that things are not as He would have them to be.

How can you win the infertility battle when it feels like it will never end?

Here are some tips to put you on the path to experience victory:

  1. Discover, remember, and speak God’s promises of fertility (Joshua 1:8).
  2. God’s Word says that nothing is too hard for Him so infertility is not too hard for Him (Genesis 18:14).
  3. Worship the Lord, keeping your mind focused on Jesus’ love so that you can enjoy His soothing peace (Isaiah 26:3).
  4. Believe God. God does not lie, His promises are true. Not one word of God’s promises will ever fail you (1 Kings 8:56).
  5. Persevere; use the Word like Jesus did (Matthew 4:4).
  6. Choose to use your words to speak Life to your life. Speak (out loud) God’s Word to your circumstances (Proverbs 18:21).
  7. Anchor your hope in the truth of God’s Word. He has a plan for you and it is all good (Jeremiah 29:11)!
  8. Resist the devil’s attempt to make you doubt God’s integrity (James 4:7).
  9. Speak to the mountain and tell it to move out of your life (Mark 11:23).
  10. Allow God’s Word to be THE source of life in everything you do. His words are health to all your flesh (Proverbs 4:20-22).

Surrender your fertility to God.

I recently heard Minister Erica Moore teach about how Hannah, an infertile woman in Bible, gave her child to God even before she got pregnant (1 Samuel 1). Her surrender of what she deeply desired was an act of trust in God. Hannah did not allow that desire to become an idol; it would not be something that displaced God from first place in her mind and heart. She chose focus on God more than she focused on having a baby. This act of surrender was an act of generosity as well as an act of worship.

“I give you my fertility as a gift of generosity.” ~ Erica Moore, as she prayed to have a child in 2014

Erica prayed that prayer because she desired to have another child. Circumstances didn’t appear that it would likely happen. However, months later, Erica was pregnant! She has since given birth to a beautiful baby girl.

Victory was found in the surrendering!

Reign in Life

You’ve been graced to reign in life (Romans 5:17). You can face this infertility battle with confidence, knowing that God is there with you. You are NOT condemned to lose. Stand your ground speaking and believing His Word, knowing that He’s fighting your battle so that you can be victorious.

When you get in synch with God’s Word, you experience a higher frequency and higher level of victory!

For more about how to have a victorious mindset and experience victory in all areas of life, get my book, Live to Win.

 

Victory Over Hurts::Guest Post

Posted on by Evangeline

In conjunction with the release of my book, Live To Win! 5 Essentials for Victory and Success, I’m excited to provide a series of guest posts over the next few weeks. These folks are special to me, having coached me in one way or another to achieve my goals at various times and in various areas of my life.

Today, it’s my honor and pleasure to introduce you to my pastor, Dr. Frederick Browning. He’s spent many years counseling others so that they become overcomers in the challenges of their  lives. He shares his thoughts about rising above hurts, habits, and hang-ups.

Victory God’s way must be done God’s way.

We must enter the arena and compete for the prize using God’s tactics. God’s way to victory does not include me introducing myself as, “Hello, my name is Fred and I am an alcoholic, drug addict, suffering with this problem and that problem.” Victory God’s way is to say what He says about me and about my situation. God is a deliverer! So I can say, “Hello, my name is Fred and I have been delivered from alcoholism, drug abuse, and this problem, and that problem.” God give me the victory over my hurts, habits and hang-ups. I am who He says I am. I can do what He says I can do.

Victory God's wayClaim the victory in advance. No successful team enters the arena proclaiming how many losses they have. Suppose I was the coach and said, “Hello, my name is Fred and I am a loser. I am your coach that will lead the team to victory.” You would hear teammates asking to be traded to another team.

Victory begins with saying that we are victorious! There is so much power in our words and we should begin the introduction of ourselves with statements of victory not defeat. This is not to deny that you don’t have hurts, habits, and hang-ups. But the hurts, habits, and hang-ups are not your identity. Your identity needs to be rooted in Christ Jesus. Jesus is Victorious! His words are victorious. We should model our words and our actions according to the One  who is victorious and knows how to win.

The Gospel must be given power in our careers, parenting, marriages, finances, health and all aspects of our lives. If the gospel does not have power, then it is a history book that is lost on the shelves of dusty libraries.

The Word of God is living and waiting to produce life from those who hear the word, speak the word, and do the word of God. The Word is exciting in the lives of believers. We are Victorious over Hurts, Habits and Hang-ups because of Jesus, the Living Word.

I can now say, “Hello, my name is Fred and I have been delivered from the hand of the enemy. The enemy no longer has a stronghold in my life. Jesus has set me free and I am free indeed! I am covered by His grace and mercy. The Word of God is a lamp to my feet to guide me from Victory to Victory.”

Pastor Fred-victory

 

Dr. Frederick Browning is a Christian educator who teaches the Word of Faith in a clear and practical manner. He is the senior pastor at SonRise Faith Community Center in Chandler, Arizona. He is the author of Dream Your Destiny.Pastor Browning is committed to reach people of all ethnicities and cultures in the Spirit of Excellence and Integrity.

Monday's Marinade Favor-Ps 5-12

Monday’s Marinade – Surrounded by His Favor

Posted on by Evangeline

FAVOR, is:

“excessive kindness or unfair partiality; preferential treatment” (as defined by Dictionary.com).

It is unearned…there’s nothing you can do to get it. The Psalmist assures us that because of our righteousness, we are SURROUNDED by God’s kindness. Do you see it being exhibited in your life? Look for it. Expect it!

Here are a couple more scriptures about how you can enjoy God’s preferential treatment:

You have granted me life and favor, and Your care has preserved my spirit. ~Job 10:12

For whoever finds me (wisdom) finds life, and obtains favor from the LORD.~ Proverbs 8:35

Monday’s Marinade is a means of “soaking yourself” in the hope-filled Word of God at the beginning of your week. Start your week by meditating on scripture about God’s FAVOR. Repeatedly think about and quietly say it to yourself.  Marinate and season your week with hope and a confident expectation of good things happening!

Mother's Day

Mother’s Day 2016 – It’s a Good Day to Make it a Good Day

Posted on by Evangeline

This is a revised reprint of a previous Mother’s Day post. My thoughts about how to deal with the emotions this day brings haven’t changed so I thought I’d share it again. I hope it encourages you!

When I was on the frontline of the battle against infertility, Mother’s Day was difficult to celebrate. Of course, I honored my own mother but something inside me yearned for the ability to celebrate it with my own child.

I wanted to experience pregnancy. I wanted to watch my tummy grow. I wanted to feel the baby kicking and moving inside of me. I wanted to be the one who could console my child when no one else could. But it wasn’t happening…

Getting Through Mother’s Day

Thankfully, I had a husband who was understanding and got me through the Day without tears (he was good at distracting me and making me laugh). And I had a mother who encouraged me to never give up hope.

“We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Even though Dr. King was referring to the Civil Rights struggle, it is applicable to this personal struggle of dealing with childlessness. With infertility, the finite disappointment rolls around on a monthly basis, but don’t allow it to make you lose hope in God’s promises of fertility. Don’t let the doctor’s diagnosis make you lose hope for having a child. There’s a spiritual enemy, the devil, that would love for you to give up on Jesus–don’t let him win. Hope is what gets us through the tough times. Always base your hope on Jesus’ for love you. I overcame infertility because I did not lose hope…I did not give up on God’s promises.

Childlessness can drain you emotionally, if you let it. It can sink you into great despair, if you let it. I encourage you to find creative ways to maintain ongoing, infinite hope. Choose to make the Day a good day.

Stay in the Word…allow Jesus’ love to speak to you through it. Need some suggestions for some applicable verses to read? There are plenty of them included in my YouVersion Infertility Bible Reading Plan.

If you’re in the throes of infertility, how difficult is this day for you? Where is your focus?

I encourage you to look to Jesus. Make Him the object of your focus. It’s the promises of fertility found in Him–the Word–that can keep you hope-filled!

Looking away from all that will distract us and focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith [the first incentive for our belief and the One who brings our faith to maturity], who for the joy of accomplishing the goal set before Him endured the cross, disregarding the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God
[revealing His deity, His authority, and the completion of His work]. ~Hebrews 12:2 Amplified Bible

 

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles | FreeDigitalPhotos.net

build your faith

Sticky Note Thought–Use Your Senses to Build Your Faith

Posted on by Evangeline

Use your senses to build your faith??? I know, it sounds counterintuitive. But maybe it’s time to #StartAsking God how to do that!

We’re told to walk by faith, not by sight. We’re not to let the negativity that we experience through our senses  affect how we experience God’s love. Our senses tend to distract us and color our belief in His capability, power, and willingness. Faith involves rising above what we see, hear, feel, taste, and smell with our senses and living with a belief that something better has been done/given to us by God.

So what do I mean by “use your senses to build your faith”?

Use your sight to read God’s Word and see your answer in His promises.
[2 Corinthians 1:20]

Use your hearing to listen to God’s Word repeatedly.
[Romans 10:17]

Use your mouth to speak life to your life, speaking the promises of God.
[Joshua 1:8]

Use your sense of smell to enjoy a fragrance during your daily prayer time with Him.
[Revelation 8:3,4]

Use your hands to touch someone else’s life and provide the practical help they need.
[Proverbs 31:20]

These sensory activities each help to build your faith because you’re not distracted by what your senses are telling you about any problems you’re facing. You’re actually directing your senses to help you focus on God, your loving Heavenly Father. When you do these things, there’s a powerful spiritual result. Your spirit–your inner man–has taken charge over your flesh (the natural you). That’s as it should be. Your flesh should be subject to your spirit, because your spirit is the part of you that connects with God.

Be encouraged! Your spirit was created to rule– to tell your senses how they can honor God. He’s the One who is the source of your answer to any problem in life. And the best way to honor and please Him is with your faith (Hebrews 11:6).

 

Original image by Boykung|FreeDigitalPhotos

NIAW 2016

National Infertility Awareness Week–Ask Questions During NIAW!

Posted on by Evangeline

It’s NIAW! There are lots of questions being asked about infertility this week in an effort to raise awareness. Hopefully there are many conversations being started about infertility’s impact on women, marriages, and families.

I want you to consider asking a question from a spiritual standpoint:

Ask God what it is that you still need to see in His Word so that you can believe He has already delivered you from the yoke of infertility.

His Word is able to change any impossibility into…I know I should say “possibility” here but a possibility does not convey the certainty and firmness of receiving what you’re desiring. What you want is not just a possibility. What you want is what He has promised–that none would be barren (Deuteronomy 7:13-14).

Here’s an excerpt from my soon-to-be-released book, Live to Win!, that may shed some light on asking God:

Ask God, knowing He’s the One who loves you like no other. Ask Him with confidence that He is not only able to meet your needs but He is also willing to do so in abundance. God is Spirit and He tells us that He has ears that hear with excellent clarity (Psalm 27:7). When you call to Him, He hears you. He always keeps His promises and His power and goodness are always available—just ask!

Scripture says in 1 John 5:14 that when we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. The Bible is His will. So if God said it in the Bible, you can ask Him for it in Jesus’ name, and you can have confidence that He has heard you. Verse 15 goes on to say that if we know that He has heard us, then we can know that we have what we have asked of Him.

So during NIAW, ask practical questions about your health to your health care provider and ask how you can help encourage someone else suffering with the disease of infertility. Ask your government officials how they can help prod insurance companies to give better health care coverage. Ask your employer how they can get involved in the NIAW movement.

BUT MOST OF ALL, ask God where your answer is in His Word. He will be faithful to show it to you when you take the time to ask, listen, and then look for it.  Ask what it is in His Word that will meet your need and change your circumstances.

NIAW  #StartAsking

What Truth Do You Believe About Overcoming Fertility?

Posted on by Evangeline

What do you believe about overcoming fertility? It’s so easy to believe the negative reports about infertility. We humans are trained through our normal, everyday situations to focus on and remember the negative circumstances of life. But what if there were powerful reasons to believe something radically different from the medical reports and the advice/counsel you get from friends and family?

 Believe His Promises

Would you believe?

Here are three powerful reasons to believe that you are already blessed and empowered to overcome infertility:

  1. God said none will be barren/infertile, not male or female.
    • “You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless.” Deuteronomy 7:14 NIV
  2. God said ALL things are possible with Him  and impossible without Him.
    • “For nothing is impossible with God. Luke 1:37 NLT
    • “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 NIV
  3. God said He is always with you and His Spirit bears witness to the Truth (Truth=what God has said). His Word is truth.
    •  “And Jesus Christ was revealed as God’s Son by his baptism in water and by shedding his blood on the cross–not by water only, but by water and blood. And the Spirit, who is truth, confirms it with his testimony.” 1John 5:6 NLT
    • “Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.” John 17:17 NLT

Be assured that no word from God will ever fail or be void of power (Luke 1:37 NIV and ASV). We’re also told in 1 Kings 8:56 that “not one word has failed of all the wonderful promises He gave.”

Will you believe that His promises of fertility are your truth?