Podcasts about nashville oct

As kids grow up and mature - and especially as they go to college - many will decide that kindness is the #1 quality they want in a friend. Once you've been burned by a mean friend, you understand why kindness matters. But in the middle school and sometimes the high school years, some kind girls may get overlooked as they float from group to group but don't have a firm place of belonging. Join Kari and Kim as they discuss this common dynamic and reassure parents who try to teach good character that it's worth it to stay the course. Ep. 89 Show Notes:o Join Kari & Kim at the Moms With Impact Retreat in Nashville Oct. 25-26. Use the code NASHVILLE until Sept. 15 to get a $100 discount.o Pre-Order Kari's New Devo for Teen and College Girls: Yours, Not Hers: 40 Devotions to Stop Comparisons and Love Your Lifeo Contact Kim at Kim Anderson Life,  Instagram, Real Tools for Parenting Anxious Kids or the free Burnt-Out Mom Guideo Join Kari on Substack for new articles or Kari's email listo Kari's books: More Than a Mom, Love Her Well,  10 Ultimate Truths Girls Should Know and Liked: Whose Approval Are You Living For?o Contact Kari:  kari@karikampakis.com, Instagram, and Facebook

Today's girls need grace and grit. Join Kari and Kim as they talk about raising girls who can set healthy boundaries, stand up for themselves, and avoid the people-pleasing trap. Ep. 89 Show Notes:o Join Kari & Kim at the Moms With Impact Retreat in Nashville Oct. 25-26. Use the code NASHVILLE until Sept. 15 to get a $100 discount.o Pre-Order Kari's New Devo for Teen and College Girls: Yours, Not Hers: 40 Devotions to Stop Comparisons and Love Your Lifeo Contact Kim at Kim Anderson Life,  Instagram, Real Tools for Parenting Anxious Kids or the free Burnt-Out Mom Guideo Join Kari on Substack for new articles or Kari's email listo Kari's books: More Than a Mom, Love Her Well,  10 Ultimate Truths Girls Should Know and Liked: Whose Approval Are You Living For?o Contact Kari:  kari@karikampakis.com, Instagram, and Facebook

Ep. 86 Show Notes:o Join Kari & Kim at Moms With Impact, a 2-Day Retreat for Moms of Teens in Nashville Oct. 25-26. Space is limited, so register now. Use the code NASHVILLE to get a $200 discount for a limited time.o  Contact Kim at Kim Anderson Life,  Instagram, Real Tools for Parenting Anxious Kids or the free Burnt-Out Mom Guideo   Join Kari's Substack and email listo   Kari's books: More Than a Mom, Love Her Well,  10 Ultimate Truths Girls Should Know and Liked: Whose Approval Are You Living For?o  Contact Kari:  kari@karikampakis.com, Instagram, and Facebook

Relationships are never perfect because people are never perfect. And how your child handles a social heartache or disappointment is largely determined by the way you handle their situation. Join Kari and Kim, a Nashville counselor, as they share tips and strategies to help you guide your daughter/son through the ups and downs of teenage relationships. Ep. 84 Show Notes:o Join Kari & Kim at Moms With Impact, a 2-Day Retreat for Moms of Teens in Nashville Oct. 25-26. For a limited time, use the code NASHVILLE to get a $200 discount. o  Contact Kim at Kim Anderson Life,  Instagram, Real Tools for Parenting Anxious Kids or the free Burnt-Out Mom Guideo   Join Kari's new community on Substack for new articles/fresh contento   Join Kari's email listo   Kari's books: More Than a Mom, Love Her Well,  10 Ultimate Truths Girls Should Know and Liked: Whose Approval Are You Living For?o  Contact Kari:  kari@karikampakis.com, Instagram, and Facebook

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The Lykken on Lending program will feature our Weekly Mortgage Updates with Adam DeSanctis and his MBA Mortgage Minute, and then Les Parker's TMSpotlight, a macroeconomic perspective on the economy with a music parody. That leads to Matt Graham of MBS Live providing you a rate & market update, followed by David Kittle, Chief Executive Officer @ Cypress Mortgage Capital, to discuss mortgage originations. Then we have Alice Alvey of Union Home providing a regulatory & legislative update, then Allen Pollack giving us a Tech Report on the latest technology impacting our industry. Finally, we wrap up the first half of the program with Marc Helm, Senior Executive Partner @ Transformational Mortgage Solutions, talking about Loan Servicing and the “Agencies”. CHECK OUT:**MBA Annual Convention & Expo in Nashville Oct. 23-26 *STARTS TODAY*

The Lykken on Lending program will feature our Weekly Mortgage Updates with Adam DeSanctis and his MBA Mortgage Minute, and then Les Parker's TMSpotlight, a macroeconomic perspective on the economy with a music parody. That leads to Matt Graham of MBS Live providing you a rate & market update, followed by David Kittle, Chief Executive Officer @ Cypress Mortgage Capital, to discuss mortgage originations. Then we have Alice Alvey of Union Home providing a regulatory & legislative update, then Allen Pollack giving us a Tech Report on the latest technology impacting our industry. Finally, we wrap up the first half of the program with Marc Helm, Senior Executive Partner @ Transformational Mortgage Solutions, talking about Loan Servicing and the “Agencies”. CHECK OUT:**MBA Annual Convention & Expo in Nashville Oct. 23-26The Creature from Jekyll Island: A Second Look at the Federal Reserve by G. Edward Griffin

The Lykken on Lending program will feature our Weekly Mortgage Updates with Adam DeSanctis and his MBA Mortgage Minute, and then Les Parker's TMSpotlight, a macroeconomic perspective on the economy with a music parody. That leads to Matt Graham of MBS Live providing you a rate & market update, followed by David Kittle, Chief Executive Officer @ Cypress Mortgage Capital, to discuss mortgage originations. Then we have Alice Alvey of Union Home providing a regulatory & legislative update, then Allen Pollack giving us a Tech Report on the latest technology impacting our industry. Finally, we wrap up the first half of the program with Marc Helm, Senior Executive Partner @ Transformational Mortgage Solutions, talking about Loan Servicing and the “Agencies”. CHECK OUT:**MBA Annual Convention & Expo in Nashville Oct. 23-26Chief Compliance Officer position, this person can work remotely anywhere in the US. You can send your CV or resume to recruit@tms-advisors.com09-29-2022 Right-Sizing Your Business With David Kittle, Howard Nathan, And Stephen Chapman

The Lykken on Lending program will feature our Weekly Mortgage Updates with Adam DeSanctis and his MBA Mortgage Minute, and then Les Parker's TMSpotlight, a macroeconomic perspective on the economy with a music parody. That leads to Matt Graham of MBS Live providing you a rate & market update, followed by David Kittle, Chief Executive Officer @ Cypress Mortgage Capital, to discuss mortgage originations. Then we have Alice Alvey of Union Home providing a regulatory & legislative update, then Allen Pollack giving us a Tech Report on the latest technology impacting our industry. Finally, we wrap up the first half of the program with Marc Helm, Senior Executive Partner @ Transformational Mortgage Solutions, talking about Loan Servicing and the “Agencies”. CHECK OUT:**MBA Annual Convention & Expo in Nashville Oct. 23-26Chief Compliance Officer position, this person can work remotely anywhere in the US. You can send your CV or resume to recruit@tms-advisors.com

The Lykken on Lending program will feature our Weekly Mortgage Updates with Adam DeSanctis and his MBA Mortgage Minute, and then Les Parker's TMSpotlight, a macroeconomic perspective on the economy with a music parody. That leads to Matt Graham of MBS Live providing you a rate & market update, followed by David Kittle, Chief Executive Officer @ Cypress Mortgage Capital, to discuss mortgage originations. Then we have Alice Alvey of Union Home providing a regulatory & legislative update, then Allen Pollack giving us a Tech Report on the latest technology impacting our industry. Finally, we wrap up the first half of the program with Marc Helm, Senior Executive Partner @ Transformational Mortgage Solutions, talking about Loan Servicing and the “Agencies”. CHECK OUT:**KNOWLEDGE COOP'S 2022 Continuing Education Is Now Available! The 10% discount code for the above events is: TMS2022September 26th- Houston https://knowledgecoop.swoogo.com/houston2022/beginSeptember 30th - Austin https://knowledgecoop.swoogo.com/austin2022/begin**MBA Annual Convention & Expo in Nashville Oct. 23-26Chief Compliance Officer position, this person can work remotely anywhere in the US. You can send your CV or resume to recruit@

The Lykken on Lending program will feature our Weekly Mortgage Updates with Adam DeSanctis and his MBA Mortgage Minute, and then Les Parker's TMSpotlight, a macroeconomic perspective on the economy with a music parody. That leads to Matt Graham of MBS Live providing you a rate & market update, followed by David Kittle, Chief Executive Officer @ Cypress Mortgage Capital, to discuss mortgage originations. Then we have Alice Alvey of Union Home providing a regulatory & legislative update, then Allen Pollack giving us a Tech Report on the latest technology impacting our industry. Finally, we wrap up the first half of the program with Marc Helm, Senior Executive Partner @ Transformational Mortgage Solutions, talking about Loan Servicing and the “Agencies”. All the while Jack Nunnery who has a 38-year career in mortgage banking, and David will be expounding on each of the regular segments.CHECK OUT:**KNOWLEDGE COOP'S 2022 Continuing Education Is Now Available! The 10% discount code for the above events is: TMS2022September 26th- Houston https://knowledgecoop.swoogo.com/houston2022/beginSeptember 30th - Austin https://knowledgecoop.swoogo.com/austin2022/begin**MBA Annual Convention & Expo in Nashville Oct. 23-26

The Lykken on Lending program will feature our Weekly Mortgage Updates with Adam DeSanctis and his MBA Mortgage Minute, and then Les Parker's TMSpotlight, a macroeconomic perspective on the economy with a music parody. That leads to Matt Graham of MBS Live providing you a rate & market update, followed by David Kittle, Chief Executive Officer @ Cypress Mortgage Capital, to discuss mortgage originations. Then we have Alice Alvey of Union Home providing a regulatory & legislative update, then Allen Pollack giving us a Tech Report on the latest technology impacting our industry. Finally, we wrap up the first half of the program with Marc Helm, Senior Executive Partner @ Transformational Mortgage Solutions, talking about Loan Servicing and the “Agencies”. All the while Jack Nunnery who has a 38-year career in mortgage banking, and David will be expounding on each of the regular segments.CHECK OUT:**KNOWLEDGE COOP'S 2022 Continuing Education Is Now Available! The 10% discount code for the above events is: TMS2022September 26th- Houston https://knowledgecoop.swoogo.com/houston2022/beginSeptember 30th - Austin https://knowledgecoop.swoogo.com/austin2022/begin**MBA Annual Convention & Expo in Nashville Oct. 23-26**Fannie.Mae's CIO on Mortgage Lending's Digital Future, Technovation 697

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (https://ushbc.blueberry.org (USHBC)) and the North American Blueberry Council (https://nabc.blueberry.org (NABC)), is joined by Pamela Taylor, senior vice president and chief communications and marketing officer for https://www.shareourstrength.org (Share Our Strength). As part of the journey to make blueberries the world's favorite fruit, USHBC celebrated grabbing a boost of blue and giving a boost to a good cause in partnership with https://www.nokidhungry.org (No Kid Hungry) during National Blueberry Month in July.   “No Kid Hungry is our marquee campaign, started back in 2010 with the goal of achieving our mission of ending childhood hunger in the U.S. This campaign is so unique in that it's the only campaign that solely focuses on children. … The No Kid Hungry campaign is designed to make sure each and every child who needs access to food gets it every single day. So our focus is three meals a day, 365 days a year for every child .” - Pamela Taylor “Participating in that 31-Day Challenge was important because it not only helped generate funds, which gets us closer to ending childhood hunger, but it was a campaign that also increased awareness of not only our work, but the power of partnerships working with the blueberry council and helping folks understand everyone has a strength to share. And you all were sharing your strength with us.” - Pamela Taylor Topics covered include:  Getting to know Pamela Taylor, senior vice president and chief communications and marketing officer for https://www.shareourstrength.org (Share Our Strength).  Exploring the scope and impact No Kid Hungry has on food insecurity among children. Celebrating the collaboration between No Kid Hungry and USHBC during National Blueberry Month. Crop Report The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. In this episode, you'll hear from Doug Krahmer from Oregon, Bryan Sakuma from Washington, Jason Smith from British Columbia, Luis Vegas from Peru and Nestor Vega from Mexico. This was recorded on August 31, 2022. Blueberry Boost The blueberry industry will be taking over Nashville Oct. 5-7 for The Blueberry Summit! In this Blueberry Boost, Amanda Griffin, USHBC/NABC vice president of engagement and education, introduces the keynote speakers that will be featured at the event. Find out who's speaking, then save your seat https://www.blueberryevents.org/ (here). 

The Buffalo Bills are on a revenge tour and next on the list are the Tennessee Titans, in Nashville this MONDAY NIGHT. However, before we get to that, let's close the door on the BILLS annihilation of the Kansas City Chiefs this past Sunday Night.  Groot has been named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week as he was a major factor on this defense as they secured 4 turnovers and held the Chiefs high powered offense to just 20 points. Special guest Joe Marino from the Draft Network and Locked On Bills joins the program and you will not want to miss it! Subscribe to the Buffalo Rumblings podcast channel featuring Billieve, Buffalo Rumblings Q&A, Breaking Buffalo Rumblings, Code of Conduct with J. Spence, The Bruce Exclusive, The Buff Hub, Jamie D. & Big Newt, The Overreaction Podcast, Food For Thought, The Chop Up, Hump Day Hotline, Off Tackle with John Fina, Bills Mafia Time 2 Shine and Circling the Wagons: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Spotify | Podbean | iHeartRadio | TuneIn | Megaphone Ask Alexa or Google Home to play the Buffalo Rumblings podcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Having Faith in Different Seasons   2:12 Having Faith in Different Seasons 4:15 Three Ways to Live Out Your Faith for Yourself and Others 16:13 Having Faith When Life Gets Hard with Amanda Bible Williams 50:30 Encouragement: God Can Use Your Crumbs Resources Business Boutique Conference The Business Boutique Conference is coming back to Nashville Oct. 22–24. If you want to learn how to grow your business and chase your dream, you don’t want to miss this event. To save $10 on any Business Boutique Conference ticket, use the code BBWRIGHT. If you have a success story you would like to share with the Business Boutique community, email me at podcast@businessboutique.com. New podcast episodes are available every other week. Having faith often looks different in different seasons of life. And sometimes I have this pattern in my life where I might go a season—a few weeks, a month, maybe even a few months—without going to church. This is embarrassing to admit, but life gets hard. You have babies . . . You get sick . . . Sometimes it's just tough to get there. But every single time I go back to church after one of these seasons, I notice something: I have this mindset that I'm doing it for God. I'm going to be a good Christian. I'm going to go to church. I'm going to get my brownie points. I'm going make God so happy with me because I'm showing up. And every single time I go back, I experience the same feeling: I was there for me. God invites me to church. God invites me into His story and into His plans. Not because He needs me, but for me—because I benefit from it. I don't know if you’ve ever experienced something similar, but I think it's really common to believe that about anything we do. Whether it’s going to church, reading our Bible, praying, or even giving our time, we start to believe the lie that we’re doing it for God. But the truth is that it’s for us. God is all powerful. He doesn’t need you or me. He doesn’t need our money, time or talents. He doesn’t need anything. He’s God! He can move mountains, raise the dead, heal the blind, and part red seas. He can do anything. But He chooses to invite us into His story, and it’s for our benefit. I want to give you three things that you can do to live out your faith in different seasons. And as you step into God's plan and God's calling and God's purpose for you, you’ll experience the ripple effect in the kingdom and in yourself. You'll be amazed at how He peels away these layers of pride and wounds and selfishness and sin we didn't even know were there. But as long as we have faith and live it out, we're growing to become more like Him. 3 Ways to Live Out Your Faith for Yourself and Others: So, let's talk about three really simple things that you can do to live out your faith for yourself and others. 1. Show up. Matthew 18:20 (NIV) says “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Sometimes the best gift you can give someone is your presence. When God is in you, you can show up and show Him to people just by being present. Your presence is a gift and a ministry to the people in your life. So, just show up. Show up at church. Show up for your friends and family. Show up when someone needs help with their kids. Show up when someone needs a meal. Show up when someone just wants to sit and talk. Just be there for people. 2. Give When you give, God is inviting you to open your hands and hold your life, your time, your talents, your money, your energy, your plans, and your agendas with open hands. I believe God calls us to live a life with this posture with open hands where we can freely give and also freely receive. So, what does that look like for you? Here’s what I know: Every time I give, I think I'm doing it for God and others. And every time, it changes me more than it changes them. 3. Pray Did you know that God actually moves on your behalf when you pray? I don't know about you, but sometimes when I pray, it can feel like I’m just going through the motions. But that’s not true! When you pray, it actually changes things! If you're feeling stuck, helpless or stagnant in your faith, you might feel like prayer is the last thing you want to do. But I want to remind you that Scripture is full of examples of how God moves in response to His children. God changes things on behalf of his people when they pray. He can't wait to hear from you and hear your heart as you talk to Him with boldness with confidence. These simple things are easy ways for you to live out your faith no matter the season: show up, give and pray. When you do these things, you live out your faith as a light to a dark world for other people to see with Jesus helping, leading and guiding you every step of the way. Having Faith When Life Gets Hard with Amanda Bible Williams Y’all, I cannot wait for you to listen to my conversation with Amanda Bible Williams today as we talk about faith. Amanda is the co-founder and Chief Content Officer of She Reads Truth. She Reads Truth is a worldwide community of women who are on mission to read God’s Word together every single day. On this episode, Amanda and I talk about: How She Reads Truth began, and how it’s grown into what it is today The questions you should ask yourself when you’re faced with a big decision How to read the Bible—especially when you don’t know where to start How to understand Scripture without being a Bible teacher How to know that God is good, especially when life is hard Encouragement: God Can Use Your Crumbs I don't know about you all, but I’ve gone through seasons of my life where I’ve just felt like I don't have anything to give. I want to give. I want to help people. I want to make a difference. I want to show up. I want to do all these things that I feel God calling me to do. But sometimes, I’m just empty, exhausted, burnt out or going through a tough wilderness in my own faith walk. So, how in the world can God use me when I’m struggling to have faith on my own? About six years ago, I was going through one of these wilderness seasons in my own life. I had been serving as a leader with Young Life on top of working all the time for a nonprofit. It was my last year serving, and I just felt like my heart wasn’t in it. I felt like a hypocrite. I was leading and teaching these high school students, and I didn’t even have it together myself. All I had to offer were crumbs for these kids. And I remember God saying, I can use crumbs. I can use what you have. Friend: God can use you—even when you feel like you don't have much to give. God can use what you have right now. You might be going through a tough season just like I was. You might feel like you have nothing to offer. He can use you with what you have right now. Today. Don't discount yourself. You don't have to have it all together. My friend Christine Caine always says, “God does not call the qualified. He qualifies the called.” If God's calling you, it’s because He wants to use you—even if all you have to offer are crumbs.

Having Faith in Different Seasons   2:12 Having Faith in Different Seasons 4:15 Three Ways to Live Out Your Faith for Yourself and Others 16:13 Having Faith When Life Gets Hard with Amanda Bible Williams 50:30 Encouragement: God Can Use Your Crumbs Resources Business Boutique Conference The Business Boutique Conference is coming back to Nashville Oct. 22-24. If you want to learn how to grow your business and chase your dream, you don't want to miss this event. To save $10 on any Business Boutique Conference ticket, use the code BBWRIGHT. If you have a success story you would like to share with the Business Boutique community, email me at podcast@businessboutique.com. New podcast episodes are available every other week. Having faith often looks different in different seasons of life. And sometimes I have this pattern in my life where I might go a season-a few weeks, a month, maybe even a few months-without going to church. This is embarrassing to admit, but life gets hard. You have babies . . . You get sick . . . Sometimes it's just tough to get there. But every single time I go back to church after one of these seasons, I notice something: I have this mindset that I'm doing it for God. I'm going to be a good Christian. I'm going to go to church. I'm going to get my brownie points. I'm going make God so happy with me because I'm showing up. And every single time I go back, I experience the same feeling: I was there for me. God invites me to church. God invites me into His story and into His plans. Not because He needs me, but for me-because I benefit from it. I don't know if you've ever experienced something similar, but I think it's really common to believe that about anything we do. Whether it's going to church, reading our Bible, praying, or even giving our time, we start to believe the lie that we're doing it for God. But the truth is that it's for us. God is all powerful. He doesn't need you or me. He doesn't need our money, time or talents. He doesn't need anything. He's God! He can move mountains, raise the dead, heal the blind, and part red seas. He can do anything. But He chooses to invite us into His story, and it's for our benefit. I want to give you three things that you can do to live out your faith in different seasons. And as you step into God's plan and God's calling and God's purpose for you, you'll experience the ripple effect in the kingdom and in yourself. You'll be amazed at how He peels away these layers of pride and wounds and selfishness and sin we didn't even know were there. But as long as we have faith and live it out, we're growing to become more like Him. 3 Ways to Live Out Your Faith for Yourself and Others: So, let's talk about three really simple things that you can do to live out your faith for yourself and others. 1. Show up. Matthew 18:20 (NIV) says "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them." Sometimes the best gift you can give someone is your presence. When God is in you, you can show up and show Him to people just by being present. Your presence is a gift and a ministry to the people in your life. So, just show up. Show up at church. Show up for your friends and family. Show up when someone needs help with their kids. Show up when someone needs a meal. Show up when someone just wants to sit and talk. Just be there for people. 2. Give When you give, God is inviting you to open your hands and hold your life, your time, your talents, your money, your energy, your plans, and your agendas with open hands. I believe God calls us to live a life with this posture with open hands where we can freely give and also freely receive. So, what does that look like for you? Here's what I know: Every time I give, I think I'm doing it for God and others. And every time, it changes me more than it changes them. 3. Pray Did you know that God actually moves on your behalf when you pray? I...

Develop Self-Awareness and Turn Your Weaknesses Into Strengths   1:21 The Difference Between Goals and Habits 6:24 Five Good Habits to Cultivate in Your Life 20:05 Building Good Habits with Anthony ONeal 42:31 Challenge: A New Habit for the Decision-Making Process Resources Business Boutique Conference The Business Boutique Conference is coming back to Nashville Oct. 24–26. If you want to learn how to grow your business and chase your dream, you don’t want to miss this event. To save $10 on any Business Boutique Conference ticket, use the code BBWRIGHT. Business Boutique Academy Waitlist We are opening enrollment for the Business Boutique Academy on October 25! Text the code ACADEMYWAITLIST to 33444 to sign up for the Business Boutique Academy Waitlist and be notified the moment enrollment opens! 2020 Business Boutique Goal Planner Get going on your goals and make 2020 your best year yet! Order the new Business Boutique 2020 Goal Planner at BusinessBoutique.com/Planner and use the code BBPLANNER to receive Christy’s Setting Goals video that you can watch right now! If you have a success story you would like to share with the Business Boutique community, email me at podcast@businessboutique.com. New podcast episodes are available every other week. There was a season in my life when I’d get up every single morning at 4 a.m. to work out. There was a season in my life when I’d get up every single morning at 4 a.m. to work out with my friend Rachel Cruze at our local YMCA. Yes, you read that correctly—4 a.m.! We got up day after day, week after week, and month after month at that crazy, early hour. Honestly, we didn’t have any lofty goals. We didn’t even necessarily want to lose weight. We simply wanted to be healthier—and, I’m telling you, it paid off. I was in the best shape of my life. Do you know why I saw such improvement in that season? It wasn’t because I exerted high, intense effort over a short amount of time. It was the result of being consistent with a new habit over a long period of time. The result was looking better and feeling better—and y’all, I even had biceps! Related: Ep 82: Succeed at Anything By Understanding the Importance of Discipline You know, when I look back at the last 10 or 15 years of my adult life, it’s easy to pinpoint the reasons why some years were really good and others were not so good. I can almost always trace the good or bad of any particular season to the habits I was cultivating (or not cultivating) that year. Believe it or not, getting up at 4 a.m. to work out with my friend wasn’t super difficult. Sure, getting started that first week was hard. But after that, it got easier and easier because it became a habit. It became something I did without thinking. The Difference Between Goals and Habits We talk about goals all the time—y’all know what a major role they play in my life. But goals are different from habits. Goals tend to have a starting point and an ending point. They’re an intentional action where you take initiative to do something new, big and impressive. Related: Ep 38: Hitting Big Goals By Winning Small Habits aren’t exactly like that. Habits are a recurring action you commit to doing day in and day out. They’re often not new, big or impressive. They’re small changes and tiny tweaks you make to your daily routine. When you first start to cultivate a good habit, it feels insignificant and like you’re not making much of a difference. But over time, you begin to see the dramatic impact they can have on your life. For example, cultivating a good habit might look like: Choosing water over Coke every time you eat out at a restaurant Reading Scripture first thing in the morning rather than scrolling through Instagram Those are tiny, unimpressive habits. But over time, as you continue choosing water over Coke and Scripture over Instagram, you’ll notice a change in your life. And it won’t happen because you set some big goal of losing 20 pounds or memorizing the entire New Testament. It’ll happen because you created a small, new habit. These tiny wins don’t have a defined finish line—they just become a part of you. I love how James Clear says that building good habits is about small wins and tiny breakthroughs that compound over time. Y’all, that is so true. Small wins. Tiny breakthroughs. Big results. 5 Good Habits to Cultivate in Your Life Because I know the power of good habits to transform your life, I want to talk about five areas in your life where you can intentionally cultivate new ones: 1. Taking care of you. Taking care of yourself isn’t a pedicure once a year on your birthday. It’s not waiting until the holidays to buy yourself a gift. And it’s not holding off on a massage until someone gives you a gift card. Taking care of yourself needs to be a regular practice. Related: Ep 76: Practice Self-Care and Give Yourself Grace This is one of those habits I don’t struggle with. I’ve learned that taking care of myself makes me a better mom, wife and business leader. It’s not out of selfishness—I actually take care of myself out of love for others. When you live your life busy, rushed and running ragged, you’re doing no one any favors. 2. Believing the best. Choosing positivity and an optimistic attitude will be harder for some than others. But regardless of your personality type, we all can make the choice to believe the best in any situation. When someone cuts you off in traffic, you can choose to believe that maybe they didn’t realize their turn was coming up. When someone forgets to text you back, you can choose to believe they just got busy. When someone says something that hurts your feelings, you can choose to believe they might be having a hard day. When you give people the benefit of the doubt, it always works out better for both you and the other person. You always get to choose between assuming the worst or believing the best—I encourage you to choose the latter. 3. Working hard. Coming from me, this one shouldn’t be a surprise. Whenever you have a task in front of you—whether it’s cleaning your kitchen, building your business, or anything in between—you better expect to work hard for it. The truth is: There’s no such thing as an overnight success—not in your marriage, parenting, business, finances, etc. Anybody who got anywhere in any of those areas of life got there by working really hard. That’s why I want to encourage you to work like it all depends on you and pray like it all depends on God—because it takes both. So, let me ask you: What do you want? Whatever it is, cultivate the habit of working hard and you’ll accomplish more than you ever thought possible. 4. Investing in relationships. It’s amazing how the quality of your relationships will impact the quality of your life. Have you noticed how they tend to go hand in hand? That’s why I want to encourage you to invest in creating real relationships. Get together with your friends for coffee and meals. Take vacations with other couples. Show up for your friends in person and on purpose. And there’s one relationship I want you to be insanely intentional about: your marriage. If you’re married right now, I want you to know your marriage is not secondary to anything else in your life. It’s not secondary to your work, your business or your children. Your marriage will not be amazing by accident. It will only happen through the daily habit of investing in your spouse. 5. Protecting your time. Your time is the most finite resource you have—if you don’t protect it, no one else will. If you don’t set up guardrails, everyone around you will tell you what should be important to you, what you should focus your energy on, and where your attention should be. It is your right and your responsibility to protect your time. So, what makes it on your calendar? The only person who should be deciding that is you. Related: Ep 34: Excuses That Steal Your Time This list is a great starting point. But you can and should add to it! What are some habits you want to cultivate in your life? Do you want to create new habits or kill bad ones? Whatever it is, I want you to know that your life is made up of the habits you create and the habits you live out every single day, so choose wisely. Building Good Habits with Anthony ONeal My guest today is going to inspire you to rethink how you make everyday decisions. Anthony ONeal is a national bestselling author, speaker, and Ramsey Personality. Anthony is passionate about helping millennials make better choices so they can build a successful future. I love how he says, “The caliber of your future will be determined by the choices you make today.” Amen to that! On this episode, Anthony and I talk about: Adjusting your mindset to cultivate better habits Anticipating the reward rather than the sacrifice when trying something new Focusing on a vision when starting a new habit Noticing bad habits in your life you might’ve missed Challenge: A New Habit for the Decision-Making Process   Y’all know I love to teach from life experience, things I’m learning, and things I’m just not that good at. Well, here’s something you may not know about me: I’m a yes person. Have you ever thought about why I spend so much time teaching you to say no? Because I struggle with it! Any day, any time, if you ask me to do anything, my default answer is usually yes. But, you know what? Saying yes all the time usually doesn’t lead to good results—it leads to resentment. You’ll find yourself doing things you don’t want to do, in places you don’t want to be, with people you don’t want to be with. This is so hard for me because typically, when I first say yes, it feels like such a good idea. At the time, I always think, I can do this. Related: How to Say No and Stand Your Ground Here’s a great example: Months ago, I signed up my son Carter for spring soccer at the local YMCA. I loved playing soccer growing up, so I thought my son might love it too. On the application, I put myself down as an assistant coach thinking, Sure, I can help in some way. Well, a week before the season was supposed to start, I got an email from the YMCA saying they weren’t sure what they were going to do because the team didn’t have a head coach. Can you guess what happened next? I decided it was Christy’s job to save the day, so I responded, “I’ll do it!” In a matter of seconds, I was signed up to be the head coach of my four-year-old’s soccer team while being pregnant and in my busiest season of work. That season turned out to feel so long—and it was so difficult. The worst part is, it turned out Carter didn’t even like soccer! Now how did I get myself into that situation—a situation where I had to fulfill a commitment that wasn’t fun for me or my child? I got there by saying yes without thinking. I don’t know about you guys, but often, when making decisions about how I spend my time or whether I say yes to a commitment, I ask myself two questions: Do they need me? (The answer is usually yes because they’re asking.) Can I do it? That’s it. But you know what? When you make decisions on those two questions alone, whoever’s the neediest, loudest, and can produce the biggest guilt trip will end up deciding how you spend your time. So, instead of only considering those two questions, I want to give you some different questions to ask yourself before you say yes: Is this in line with my goals? Is this a priority? How will this affect my family? Do I want to do it? Does this compete with a higher priority? Will I want to do this a few weeks or months from now? Friend, I want to challenge you to cultivate the habit of asking better questions when making decisions. Maybe your answer will be yes or maybe it’ll be a no—wherever you land, at least you’ll know the answer was right for you.

Develop Self-Awareness and Turn Your Weaknesses Into Strengths   1:21 The Difference Between Goals and Habits 6:24 Five Good Habits to Cultivate in Your Life 20:05 Building Good Habits with Anthony ONeal 42:31 Challenge: A New Habit for the Decision-Making Process Resources Business Boutique Conference The Business Boutique Conference is coming back to Nashville Oct. 24-26. If you want to learn how to grow your business and chase your dream, you don't want to miss this event. To save $10 on any Business Boutique Conference ticket, use the code BBWRIGHT. Business Boutique Academy Waitlist We are opening enrollment for the Business Boutique Academy on October 25! Text the code ACADEMYWAITLIST to 33444 to sign up for the Business Boutique Academy Waitlist and be notified the moment enrollment opens! 2020 Business Boutique Goal Planner Get going on your goals and make 2020 your best year yet! Order the new Business Boutique 2020 Goal Planner at BusinessBoutique.com/Planner and use the code BBPLANNER to receive Christy's Setting Goals video that you can watch right now! If you have a success story you would like to share with the Business Boutique community, email me at podcast@businessboutique.com. New podcast episodes are available every other week. There was a season in my life when I'd get up every single morning at 4 a.m. to work out. There was a season in my life when I'd get up every single morning at 4 a.m. to work out with my friend Rachel Cruze at our local YMCA. Yes, you read that correctly-4 a.m.! We got up day after day, week after week, and month after month at that crazy, early hour. Honestly, we didn't have any lofty goals. We didn't even necessarily want to lose weight. We simply wanted to be healthier-and, I'm telling you, it paid off. I was in the best shape of my life. Do you know why I saw such improvement in that season? It wasn't because I exerted high, intense effort over a short amount of time. It was the result of being consistent with a new habit over a long period of time. The result was looking better and feeling better-and y'all, I even had biceps! Related: Ep 82: Succeed at Anything By Understanding the Importance of Discipline You know, when I look back at the last 10 or 15 years of my adult life, it's easy to pinpoint the reasons why some years were really good and others were not so good. I can almost always trace the good or bad of any particular season to the habits I was cultivating (or not cultivating) that year. Believe it or not, getting up at 4 a.m. to work out with my friend wasn't super difficult. Sure, getting started that first week was hard. But after that, it got easier and easier because it became a habit. It became something I did without thinking. The Difference Between Goals and Habits We talk about goals all the time-y'all know what a major role they play in my life. But goals are different from habits. Goals tend to have a starting point and an ending point. They're an intentional action where you take initiative to do something new, big and impressive. Related: Ep 38: Hitting Big Goals By Winning Small Habits aren't exactly like that. Habits are a recurring action you commit to doing day in and day out. They're often not new, big or impressive. They're small changes and tiny tweaks you make to your daily routine. When you first start to cultivate a good habit, it feels insignificant and like you're not making much of a difference. But over time, you begin to see the dramatic impact they can have on your life. For example, cultivating a good habit might look like: Choosing water over Coke every time you eat out at a restaurant Reading Scripture first thing in the morning rather than scrolling through Instagram Those are tiny, unimpressive habits. But over time, as you continue choosing water over Coke and Scripture over Instagram, you'll notice a change in your life. And it...

Develop Self-Awareness and Turn Your Weaknesses Into Strengths   1:22 What Is Self-Awareness? 6:32 Three Ways to Become More Self-Aware 18:53 Becoming Self-Aware Through the Enneagram with Ian Cron 40:56 It’s Not the Thought That Counts Resources Business Boutique Conference The Business Boutique Conference is coming back to Nashville Oct. 24–26. If you want to learn how to grow your business and chase your dream, you don’t want to miss this event. To save $10 on any Business Boutique Conference ticket, use the code BBWRIGHT. Business Boutique Academy Waitlist We are opening enrollment for the Business Boutique Academy on October 25! Text the code ACADEMYWAITLIST to 33444 to sign up for the Business Boutique Academy Waitlist and be notified the moment enrollment opens! 2020 Business Boutique Goal Planner Get going on your goals and make 2020 your best year yet! Order the new Business Boutique 2020 Goal Planner at BusinessBoutique.com/Planner and use the code BBPLANNER to receive Christy’s Setting Goals video that you can watch right now! If you have a success story you would like to share with the Business Boutique community, email me at podcast@businessboutique.com. New podcast episodes are available every other week. I’ve always been a huge fan of personality assessments. DISC, Myers-Briggs, StrengthsFinder—they all fascinate me. I love reading the results of these different assessments because they’re usually pretty positive. You get an entire report that focuses on your strengths—who wouldn’t have fun reading that? Well, earlier this year, my friend Rachel Cruze convinced me to take a different kind of personality assessment: the Enneagram. I took the test, not expecting to learn anything new about myself. But y’all, I was so wrong. This assessment was so different from any other I’d ever taken. Rather than telling me what I was good at, this assessment revealed all of my weaknesses (Some I didn’t even know I had!), and the deeper motivations and fears associated with those weaknesses. Related: Ep 79: Take Control of Your Life With the Power of Personal Responsibility Not only did I feel like there was finally a personality assessment that truly understood me, but I also felt like it helped me understand myself better. Learning about the Enneagram has been transformational for me. It’s made me so much more self-aware. And you know what? Knowing your weaknesses and being self-aware is one of the best gifts you can give to both yourself and those around you. What Is Self-Awareness? Being self-aware is about knowing your strengths and your weaknesses. For example, self-awareness is about knowing how you come across to others—not just your intentions, but how you actually come across. I’ve noticed a pattern in my life where people describe me as being intense and aggressive. But here’s the thing: I don't intend to be aggressive, and I don't think I'm intense. I describe myself as enthusiastic and passionate. I’d never use the words intense or aggressive. But you know what? After hearing enough people use those words to describe me, I started to pay attention. It turns out, intense and aggressive is how I come across to other people. Do you know what paying attention to those patterns did for me? It gave me a better understanding of how I actually come across to people so I could learn to adjust my tone, behavior or volume level based on who I'm talking to. It’s pretty easy to be self-aware when it comes to our strengths, isn’t it? And it’s important to know what your strengths are so you can leverage them in your life and your business. But I want to spend this episode talking about the other side of the coin: what we should do with the not-so-good stuff. Three Ways to Become More Self-Aware We all have blind spots. You know what a blind spot is, right? Think about when you're driving in the car and want to change lanes. You slowly start to get over and all of a sudden you’re swerving back into your lane while someone blares their horn at you because you almost hit them. But you had no idea the car was there—it was in your blind spot. And that's exactly what our weaknesses can be like for us—we’re not even aware they exist. But if we’re going to succeed in life and business, we have to be as familiar with our weaknesses as we are with our strengths. So, let’s talk about three things you should do with your weaknesses: 1. Recognize your weaknesses. I spent so many years unaware that I can come across as aggressive or intense—it was definitely one of my blind spots. If we want to mature, improve our relationships, and become more pleasant people, we have to recognize exactly what our weaknesses are so that we can work on them (more on that later). So how can you recognize some of your own blind spots? Pay attention to patterns and themes around what people say about you. If you don't notice a pattern, ask people you love and trust. Take a personality assessment like the Enneagram or DISC. 2. Acknowledge your weaknesses. Once you recognize your weaknesses, I want you to call them out. Own them and be up-front about them. That's not to say you have to broadcast your weaknesses to the world, but when you sense you’re acting out of a weakness or you’re coming across in a negative way, go ahead and call it out. If you’re with someone, acknowledge it so they don't have to. Related: Say What They're Thinking Here's what's so amazing about this: When you acknowledge that you’re aware of your weakness, it completely disarms the other person. They feel immediate relief because they no longer feel the pressure to call you out. If you simply acknowledge where you're coming from and the weaknesses that are influencing your reaction, it's amazing how beneficial it will be to yourself and the other person. 3. Work on your weaknesses. Being self-aware of your weaknesses doesn’t mean you’re off the hook to act however you want to act. You don’t get to use your weakness as a pass for your behavior. If your weakness is time management, and you acknowledge that, you don’t get an automatic excuse to be late everywhere you go. If you struggle with a short temper, you don’t get to say, “This is just who I am,” every time you blow up on someone. We all need to work on our weaknesses, mature, and become better human beings in the world. But we can't do that if we don't actively work on our weaknesses. For me, I’m learning to be quiet, submit and respect authority, apologize more quickly, and let others lead. So, what weakness do you need to take personal responsibility for? What do you need to commit to working on this week? Friend, there’s no shame in this. You’ll improve every relationship and interaction in your life when you work on weaknesses. Related: Ep 82: Succeed at Anything By Understanding the Importance of Discipline Working on your weaknesses is a long and difficult journey. But if you will commit to recognizing them, acknowledging them, and working on them, I promise you’ll not only become a more self-aware person, but you’ll also become a more mature, well-rounded, and pleasant person to be around. Becoming Self-Aware Through the Enneagram with Ian Cron I'm so excited to introduce you to my guest today, Ian Cron! He’s the bestselling author of The Road Back to You (a book I personally love that has transformed my life) and a master teacher of the Enneagram. On this episode, Ian and I talk about: How the Enneagram is different from other personality assessments The difference between self-knowledge and self-awareness The importance of being aware of your weaknesses and the underlying motivations How to navigate relationships with people who aren’t self-aware Challenge: It’s Not the Thought That Counts As a speaker and author, I'm always trying to find ways to say something unique. I want to say something new that hasn't been said before because—let’s be honest—the world is full of overused cliché phrases. Let's just go through a few examples, shall we? Finish these sentences in your head: Where there's a will, there's a . . . Don't put all your eggs in one . . . It's the thought that . . . Here's the thing about these cliché phrases: Most of them are overused because they're true—except that last one. Who came up with “It's the thought that counts?” And who’s used the phrase so much it’s lived on for centuries? I'll tell you who: People who don't do anything. “Oh, it's the thought that counts,” said every person ever who hasn’t followed through on their intentions. It's not the thought that counts. My husband's birthday is coming up, and there’s not a chance in the world he’ll be bragging the day after his birthday about what I thought about doing for him. He’s not going to be like, “Oh, my wife, she was going to get us tickets to my favorite concert, but she never got around to it. She never made reservations for dinner or booked a babysitter. But hey, she thought about it!” Related: Ep 34: Excuses That Steal Your Time Speaking of cliché quotes: The road to hell is paved with good intentions! No one cares what you think about. They care what you do. Your thoughts don’t change your relationships. Your actions do. Your thoughts don’t change your business. Your actions do. Your thoughts don’t reach your goals. Your actions do. So, here's the deal: It’s not the thought that counts. It's what you do that counts. It doesn't matter what you know. It matters what you do with what you know. Do you have an idea? Great. What are you going to do about it? Do you have a dream? Great. What are you going to do about it? Do you have a plan? Great. What are you going to do about it? Y'all, when you actually start to take action on your ideas, implement what you're learning, and do something with what you know, feel and dream in your heart, you really will be chasing your dream. You really will be building a business. You really will be creating a legacy. You really will be making an impact and changing the world. Stop thinking about it and go do it.

Develop Self-Awareness and Turn Your Weaknesses Into Strengths   1:22 What Is Self-Awareness? 6:32 Three Ways to Become More Self-Aware 18:53 Becoming Self-Aware Through the Enneagram with Ian Cron 40:56 It's Not the Thought That Counts Resources Business Boutique Conference The Business Boutique Conference is coming back to Nashville Oct. 24-26. If you want to learn how to grow your business and chase your dream, you don't want to miss this event. To save $10 on any Business Boutique Conference ticket, use the code BBWRIGHT. Business Boutique Academy Waitlist We are opening enrollment for the Business Boutique Academy on October 25! Text the code ACADEMYWAITLIST to 33444 to sign up for the Business Boutique Academy Waitlist and be notified the moment enrollment opens! 2020 Business Boutique Goal Planner Get going on your goals and make 2020 your best year yet! Order the new Business Boutique 2020 Goal Planner at BusinessBoutique.com/Planner and use the code BBPLANNER to receive Christy's Setting Goals video that you can watch right now! If you have a success story you would like to share with the Business Boutique community, email me at podcast@businessboutique.com. New podcast episodes are available every other week. I've always been a huge fan of personality assessments. DISC, Myers-Briggs, StrengthsFinder-they all fascinate me. I love reading the results of these different assessments because they're usually pretty positive. You get an entire report that focuses on your strengths-who wouldn't have fun reading that? Well, earlier this year, my friend Rachel Cruze convinced me to take a different kind of personality assessment: the Enneagram. I took the test, not expecting to learn anything new about myself. But y'all, I was so wrong. This assessment was so different from any other I'd ever taken. Rather than telling me what I was good at, this assessment revealed all of my weaknesses (Some I didn't even know I had!), and the deeper motivations and fears associated with those weaknesses. Related: Ep 79: Take Control of Your Life With the Power of Personal Responsibility Not only did I feel like there was finally a personality assessment that truly understood me, but I also felt like it helped me understand myself better. Learning about the Enneagram has been transformational for me. It's made me so much more self-aware. And you know what? Knowing your weaknesses and being self-aware is one of the best gifts you can give to both yourself and those around you. What Is Self-Awareness? Being self-aware is about knowing your strengths and your weaknesses. For example, self-awareness is about knowing how you come across to others-not just your intentions, but how you actually come across. I've noticed a pattern in my life where people describe me as being intense and aggressive. But here's the thing: I don't intend to be aggressive, and I don't think I'm intense. I describe myself as enthusiastic and passionate. I'd never use the words intense or aggressive. But you know what? After hearing enough people use those words to describe me, I started to pay attention. It turns out, intense and aggressive is how I come across to other people. Do you know what paying attention to those patterns did for me? It gave me a better understanding of how I actually come across to people so I could learn to adjust my tone, behavior or volume level based on who I'm talking to. It's pretty easy to be self-aware when it comes to our strengths, isn't it? And it's important to know what your strengths are so you can leverage them in your life and your business. But I want to spend this episode talking about the other side of the coin: what we should do with the not-so-good stuff. Three Ways to Become More Self-Aware We all have blind spots. You know what a blind spot is, right? Think about when you're driving in the car and want to change lanes. You...

Big Jay Oakerson (43:45) and I went up to the roof to talk about smoking. How he started, how he tries to quit, how cool it is, what it does to you, the smell. Really all of it. As we did it, he smoked a cigarette and I smoked a cigar.    Tour Dates Brea - September 26-28 San Antonio - Oct 2 Dallas - October 3 Houston - October 4-5 Nashville - Oct 17-19 San Jose - November 7-9 Detroit - November 14 Cincinatti - November 17 Chicago - November 16   The Music Tex Williams - Smoke Smoke Smoke (the Cigarette) Motley Crue - Smoking In The Boys Room Oasis - Cigarettes & Alcohol Siouxsie Sioux and the Banshees - Nicotine Stains UGK (feat Too Short) - Cigarette

Succeed at Anything By Understanding the Importance of Discipline   1:21 What Is Discipline? 5:05 What Does Daily Discipline Look Like? 14:14 How to Become More Disciplined 20:42 Maximizing Social Media for Your Business With Jasmine Star 40:56 Challenge to Just Be You Resources Business Boutique Conference The Business Boutique Conference is coming back to Nashville Oct. 24–26. If you want to learn how to grow your business and chase your dream, you don’t want to miss this event. To save $10 on any Business Boutique Conference ticket, use the code BBWRIGHT. Business Boutique Academy Waitlist We are opening enrollment for the Business Boutique Academy on October 25! Text the code ACADEMYWAITLIST to 33444 to sign up for the Business Boutique Academy Waitlist and be notified the moment enrollment opens! 2020 Business Boutique Goal Planner Get going on your goals and make 2020 your best year yet! Order the new Business Boutique 2020 Goal Planner at BusinessBoutique.com/Planner and use the code BBPLANNER to receive Christy’s Setting Goals video that you can watch right now! If you have a success story you would like to share with the Business Boutique community, email me at podcast@businessboutique.com. New podcast episodes are available every other week. I have a lot of feelings—even my feelings have feelings. The worst part is, my feelings can easily drive my actions. But you know what I’ve learned? If you build your business, your life, your dreams, or your goals based on feelings, you’re going to be on one heck of a roller-coaster ride. One day you’ll be up (excited, motivated and charging forward) and another day you'll be down (tired, disappointed and on the brink of quitting). That's why I think it’s so important to talk about a skill that will help you create stability (something feelings don’t have) as you reach for your goals and chase your dream. What’s that skill? Discipline. I know, discipline is not an exciting topic. In fact, the word itself can have a negative connotation. You might think of the word in terms of disciplining your children or being disciplined in school or at work. But that’s not the kind of discipline we’re talking about. We’re talking about being a disciplined person. Why is discipline important? Because discipline will help you be successful no matter what dream you’re chasing—it’s that simple. Related: Ep 58: Perseverance in Your Business: How to Keep Going When You Want to Give Up What Is Discipline? Like so many qualities I teach about, discipline is not a gene only some people are born with. Discipline is a choice and a skill you can learn. You can actually cultivate discipline in your own life, even if you don’t feel like it comes naturally to you. The author Stephen King is a great example of this. He’s written countless bestselling books— many of which have become box office hits. He says there is one reason behind his success. You guessed it: discipline. In fact, he doesn't even believe in writer's block. He says it's just an excuse writers use when they don't have any motivation to write. Talk about some tough love. Stephen King writes 10 pages a day, even on birthdays and holidays. While you definitely won’t find me working on Thanksgiving or Christmas, I love the emphasis he places on the importance of discipline in making your dream a reality. I believe your success is not dependent upon your situation, your feelings, or how nice the weather is. It's dependent upon your level of discipline. I love how my friend Christine Caine puts it: Vision will inspire you, but discipline will get you there. What Does Daily Discipline Look Like? When you break it down, discipline in your day-to-day life is pretty straightforward. It looks like: Following through on what you said you were going to do, even when you don’t want to Holding yourself accountable, even when no one is watching Honoring your word, even when your heart’s not in it Sticking to the plan, even when you’re not motivated Keeping promises you made to yourself, even when you’re exhausted Getting back up and dusting yourself off, even when you’ve failed Choosing to be the person you want to be over the person you feel like being, even when you’re in a tough situation That sounds nice, doesn’t it? Related: Ep 79: Take Control of Your Life With the Power of Personal Responsibility Y’all, it is possible to be this kind of person. That’s why I want to give you three practical ways you can become more disciplined in your daily life.  How to Become More Disciplined 1. Take the first step. When someone isn’t motivated to do something they want to do, I always encourage them to find the lowest-hanging fruit or the quickest win. Starting with big goals can be overwhelming—and feeling overwhelmed before you start is enough to make you not even try. Related: Ep 78: How to Be Successful at Anything by Starting Small That’s why I want you to set small, realistic goals. For example, instead of saying you’re going to clean the entire house today (which would overwhelm anyone!), just start by putting away the laundry. What's amazing about taking one, small step is that once you start, you gain momentum. And that momentum propels you to take the second step. Once you put the laundry away, you’ll have enough momentum to tackle the dirty dishes. And after the dishes, you’ll naturally start cleaning the counters. Eventually, you’ll do more than you originally set out to do! Sometimes the tiniest step in a new direction is all you need to gain incredible momentum. 2. Set yourself up to win. This is really key for anyone who wants to be successful. Oftentimes, we set a goal or talk about a dream, but then we put ourselves in situations where we’re bound to fail. If you have a goal to eat fewer sweets, you probably shouldn’t keep mint Oreos in your pantry. If you need to work on your business more often, you should probably create an organized environment that gets you excited to work. If you want to exercise more often, maybe you oughta sleep in your workout clothes or set them out the night before. When you set yourself up to win, you make it possible to be a disciplined person. 3. Find accountability. Having accountability goes hand in hand with setting yourself up to win. If you want to work out more, join a workout group. If you want to become a better writer, join a writers meet-up. If you want accountability to read more, join a book club. So, what are your goals? What are your plans? In what area are you trying to become more disciplined? Surround yourself with people who have those same dreams and goals and who will support you, provide accountability, and cheer you on. The bottom line is this: Discipline is a decision you make. It's not a feeling or a gene. And it's not something negative that will make you miserable. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. Discipline is a tool and a skill that will truly get you to where you want to be. Cultivating Discipline With Dave Ramsey My guest today is a living example of the importance of discipline. Dave Ramsey is a New York Times bestselling author, host of The Dave Ramsey Show, CEO of Ramsey Solutions, and an unbelievable mentor and leader to me and so many others. Discipline is foundational to just about everything Dave teaches. Because, at the end of the day, discipline is what it takes to win at anything in life. On this episode, Dave and I talk about: How different personality styles relate to discipline How to stay motivated when what you’re doing isn’t impressive or exciting What discipline looks like tactically and practically Why it’s important to believe in yourself when cultivating discipline Challenge: Giving Credit as a Discipline Let’s talk about a trend I keep seeing all over social media. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been scrolling through Instagram or Twitter and noticed a catchy graphic, great quote or some other form of memorable content. Later in the day (or even a few days later), I'll be scrolling again and see that same piece of content reposted by someone else without giving credit to the person they copied it from. The post will have the same design, the same graphic, and even the same words. Now, here's the thing: I know when you see something on social media that really catches your eye, it's tempting to want to share it with your followers. And I think you should! But I want to give you a challenge. I want to challenge you to have the discipline to do a little digging to find out where that quote or content came from so you can give credit where credit is due. Or at least acknowledge that you don't know where the content originated, but that you didn’t create it. I'm not really interested in how not giving credit will hurt the person who originally created the content. I'm more interested in what it does to you and other people's perception of you. Because let me tell you, when your followers see a post you’ve shared that you didn’t create, more likely than not, they’ll know. After all, they’ve probably already seen it five other times on their social media feed! That’s why I want to challenge you to have the integrity and discipline to either create your own content or give credit when you share someone else’s. Related: Ep 51: How to Build Trust With Your Social Media Followers You are in control of what you put out into the world, and the impression and perception you create online is massively important. Remember, it’s the small things like this that will either build trust with your tribe or break it.

Succeed at Anything By Understanding the Importance of Discipline   1:21 What Is Discipline? 5:05 What Does Daily Discipline Look Like? 14:14 How to Become More Disciplined 20:42 Maximizing Social Media for Your Business With Jasmine Star 40:56 Challenge to Just Be You Resources Business Boutique Conference The Business Boutique Conference is coming back to Nashville Oct. 24-26. If you want to learn how to grow your business and chase your dream, you don't want to miss this event. To save $10 on any Business Boutique Conference ticket, use the code BBWRIGHT. Business Boutique Academy Waitlist We are opening enrollment for the Business Boutique Academy on October 25! Text the code ACADEMYWAITLIST to 33444 to sign up for the Business Boutique Academy Waitlist and be notified the moment enrollment opens! 2020 Business Boutique Goal Planner Get going on your goals and make 2020 your best year yet! Order the new Business Boutique 2020 Goal Planner at BusinessBoutique.com/Planner and use the code BBPLANNER to receive Christy's Setting Goals video that you can watch right now! If you have a success story you would like to share with the Business Boutique community, email me at podcast@businessboutique.com. New podcast episodes are available every other week. I have a lot of feelings-even my feelings have feelings. The worst part is, my feelings can easily drive my actions. But you know what I've learned? If you build your business, your life, your dreams, or your goals based on feelings, you're going to be on one heck of a roller-coaster ride. One day you'll be up (excited, motivated and charging forward) and another day you'll be down (tired, disappointed and on the brink of quitting). That's why I think it's so important to talk about a skill that will help you create stability (something feelings don't have) as you reach for your goals and chase your dream. What's that skill? Discipline. I know, discipline is not an exciting topic. In fact, the word itself can have a negative connotation. You might think of the word in terms of disciplining your children or being disciplined in school or at work. But that's not the kind of discipline we're talking about. We're talking about being a disciplined person. Why is discipline important? Because discipline will help you be successful no matter what dream you're chasing-it's that simple. Related: Ep 58: Perseverance in Your Business: How to Keep Going When You Want to Give Up What Is Discipline? Like so many qualities I teach about, discipline is not a gene only some people are born with. Discipline is a choice and a skill you can learn. You can actually cultivate discipline in your own life, even if you don't feel like it comes naturally to you. The author Stephen King is a great example of this. He's written countless bestselling books- many of which have become box office hits. He says there is one reason behind his success. You guessed it: discipline. In fact, he doesn't even believe in writer's block. He says it's just an excuse writers use when they don't have any motivation to write. Talk about some tough love. Stephen King writes 10 pages a day, even on birthdays and holidays. While you definitely won't find me working on Thanksgiving or Christmas, I love the emphasis he places on the importance of discipline in making your dream a reality. I believe your success is not dependent upon your situation, your feelings, or how nice the weather is. It's dependent upon your level of discipline. I love how my friend Christine Caine puts it: Vision will inspire you, but discipline will get you there. What Does Daily Discipline Look Like? When you break it down, discipline in your day-to-day life is pretty straightforward. It looks like: Following through on what you said you were going to do, even when you don't want to Holding yourself accountable, even when no one is watching Honoring...

Balancing Social Media in Business and in Life   1:20 Five Ways You Can Create a Healthy Balance with Social Media 18:51 Maximizing Social Media for Your Business With Jasmine Star 40:20 Challenge to Just Be You Resources Business Boutique Conference The Business Boutique Conference is coming back to Nashville Oct. 24–26. If you want to learn how to grow your business and chase your dream, you don’t want to miss this event. To save $10 on any Business Boutique Conference ticket, use the code BBWRIGHT. Business Boutique Academy Waitlist We are opening enrollment for the Business Boutique Academy on October 25! Text the code ACADEMYWAITLIST to 33444 to sign up for the Business Boutique Academy Waitlist and be notified the moment enrollment opens! 2020 Business Boutique Goal Planner  The NEW Business Boutique Goal Planner is almost here! join the waitlist today by texting BBPLANNER to 33444. If you have a success story you would like to share with the Business Boutique community, email me at podcast@businessboutique.com. New podcast episodes are available every other week. Let's be honest: Social media is hard to balance. Most of us have a love-hate relationship with it, right? We love to check Instagram and know what's going on. But then we hate ourselves for wanting to check it all the time. When we open Facebook multiple times a day, we feel guilty for not paying more attention to our kids or our work. So, we swing between two extremes: being on social media all the time or feeling like we can't be on it at all. That's why I think it’s so important to talk about how to balance social media. Because the truth is, social media in and of itself isn’t evil. It's all in how we use it. In fact, social media has a ton of great benefits: It allows you to stay connected with family and friends who live far away. It gives you a place to share exciting updates—from new babies to new homes. It's like having a giant virtual album of multiple years of your life. It allows you to connect with different groups of people who have similar passions. When it comes to your business, it’s free marketing! I want you to take advantage of these awesome benefits, but I still want to encourage you to build healthy boundaries around your screen time so it doesn’t consume your life. Here are Five Ways You Can Create a Healthy Balance with Social Media: 1. Know when not to use it. There are times to use social media, and there are times not to use social media. Some examples of times you shouldn’t use it are when you’re: Having dinner with your family On a date with your spouse Having lunch with a friend In the middle of any kind of conversation with another human being Related: Ep 70: How to Be Content in Every Situation  When you check social media while someone is trying to spend quality time with you, you communicate that they're not as important as whatever is happening on your phone. To avoid the temptation to even look down at your phone when you’re spending time with someone, put it out of sight completely. Before you take out your phone to check what everyone else is doing or to post what you’re doing, you can also ask yourself some important questions like: Is it more important that I know what everyone else is doing right now, or is it more important that I experience what I’m doing? Is it more important that the outside world knows what I'm doing right now, or is it more important that I experience it myself? I’m willing to bet, almost every single time, these questions are no-brainers. So put your phone down. Keep it in your purse or your pocket and be where your feet are. Be present in the moment. 2. Pick your balance. I can give you all the tips and tricks to balance social media, but at the end of the day, you have to decide the types of boundaries you need. You have to decide what time you're on and what time you're off, and what times you're responsive and what times you're unresponsive. I don't want to be the person who’s available 24/7, blasting out every single thing I do. But I also don't want to be a person who's not present on social media at all. We’re all different—that’s why we all have to figure out the balance that’s right for us. 3. Check yourself. This is simply accountability. It's easy to set goals and put up guard rails around what you want to do. You can have great intentions, but it’s so easy to fall back into bad habits. That’s why I love the screen time feature that’s available on most phones. You can get a report at the end of every week that lets you know how much time you spent on your phone over the past few days. It’s an eye-opener. Y'all, I dare you to check what your average screen time was this week. Does it fit within the boundaries you want to set? Check yourself and keep yourself accountable to the life you want to live. 4. Don’t mix business with personal. Normally, I talk about this in terms of your bank accounts: Don't mix your business finances with your personal finances. But you don't want to mix your social media usage either. Of course, you should post some personal stuff on your business page and some business stuff on your personal page. What I'm talking about here is getting on social media to post for your business and then two hours later, you're scrolling through cat memes and stalking your ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend. This is where we get sucked into the black hole of social media. If you go to social media to respond to direct messages or schedule a post for your business, do that and then get out before you waste a bunch of precious time. Related: Ep 62: How to Stay Focused and Eliminate Distractions in Your Business 5. Take breaks. It's always good to take periodic breaks from social media. Whether it's one day, one week or even one month—figure out what that frequency looks like for you. For me, I usually take breaks when I’m on vacation. If I go on vacation with my husband, I intentionally don't use my phone. I don't check social media or post updates. It's an amazing gift you give yourself (and others!) when you’re simply present. And it feels great when you’re free to disconnect and not stay up to date with the rest of the world. Your experience with social media doesn’t have to be this love-hate relationship anymore. Instead, take the pressure off yourself and find a healthy balance that’s right for you. Maximizing Social Media for Your Business With Jasmine Star I'm so excited about my guest today, Jasmine Star! Jasmine is a business strategist and photographer, and she helps entrepreneurs grow their impact through social media. I’ve been a fan of hers for a long time, and I'm so excited that she’ll be speaking at our Business Boutique Conference in October! On this episode, Jasmine and I talk about: Starting small and turning a hobby into a business Understanding the power of one follower Positioning your business as someone else’s solution Creating the right content for your target audience Getting long-term results on social media  Related: Ep 55: Making a Social Media Strategy That Works Challenge: Just Be You One of the things I think is really important in business and in life is to be yourself. I want everyone to intentionally make decisions in their life that make them feel more like themselves. I know this sounds crazy, but all day, every day, we tend to make decisions based on what other people think, what other people want, what other people say and what other people expect from us. Related: How to Be More Confident But here's the thing: What the world actually needs is for you to be you. The decisions you make in your life should make you feel like you’re being true to yourself—not what somebody else expects from you. Many of you know I have a baby girl on the way. And part of growing our family meant I needed a bigger car. I've been doing some car shopping the last few months and even posted about the journey on my Instagram story. I asked all of you what your favorite SUV was because I was overwhelmed by all the options. There are a million choices out there! Well, the key word in my question was SUV. I was 100% certain I wanted an SUV because I'm an SUV kind of girl. However, in addition to all the responses I got from those of you telling me about your favorite SUV, I got equally as many responses from people trying to convince me I needed a minivan. And that group made a great case. I mean, I was actually pretty impressed with the list of features you knew off the top of their heads. Minivans might be amazing, but here's the thing: They're not me. I think they're right for some people. But to me, minivans at their core are practical. They're easy to get in and out of. They come with vacuums and DVD players. They've got sliding doors and remotes to make them open. But I'm not a practical person. So selling me on your list of practical benefits will never work on me. I would never want to drive a vehicle that doesn't feel like me. The car I ended up getting is a mom SUV, because let's be honest, that's also me. That's the stage of life I’m in with three kids. But it's not just about the car, y'all—it's anything in life. The same is true when it comes to what your business should be, what your dreams should be and what your goals should be—they should be you. If you hate running, you shouldn't make running a 5K a goal. If you hate yoga, you shouldn't set out to go be a yoga master. If you hate business, risk, responsibility and unpredictability, you shouldn't build a business. It all comes down to knowing who you are and what's right for you, and then making decisions that are in line with those values. I don't know what your friends and family are telling you, but I want to give you a challenge and an encouragement: You have the right to be you. At the end of the day, we all need to make decisions in line with who we are—and we need to encourage each other to do so as well. That’s why your challenge today is to figure out what those things are. What are the things that make you you? Have the confidence to live your life in line with whatever makes you more like yourself.

Balancing Social Media in Business and in Life   1:20 Five Ways You Can Create a Healthy Balance with Social Media 18:51 Maximizing Social Media for Your Business With Jasmine Star 40:20 Challenge to Just Be You Resources Business Boutique Conference The Business Boutique Conference is coming back to Nashville Oct. 24-26. If you want to learn how to grow your business and chase your dream, you don't want to miss this event. To save $10 on any Business Boutique Conference ticket, use the code BBWRIGHT. Business Boutique Academy Waitlist We are opening enrollment for the Business Boutique Academy on October 25! Text the code ACADEMYWAITLIST to 33444 to sign up for the Business Boutique Academy Waitlist and be notified the moment enrollment opens! 2020 Business Boutique Goal Planner  The NEW Business Boutique Goal Planner is almost here! join the waitlist today by texting BBPLANNER to 33444. If you have a success story you would like to share with the Business Boutique community, email me at podcast@businessboutique.com. New podcast episodes are available every other week. Let's be honest: Social media is hard to balance. Most of us have a love-hate relationship with it, right? We love to check Instagram and know what's going on. But then we hate ourselves for wanting to check it all the time. When we open Facebook multiple times a day, we feel guilty for not paying more attention to our kids or our work. So, we swing between two extremes: being on social media all the time or feeling like we can't be on it at all. That's why I think it's so important to talk about how to balance social media. Because the truth is, social media in and of itself isn't evil. It's all in how we use it. In fact, social media has a ton of great benefits: It allows you to stay connected with family and friends who live far away. It gives you a place to share exciting updates-from new babies to new homes. It's like having a giant virtual album of multiple years of your life. It allows you to connect with different groups of people who have similar passions. When it comes to your business, it's free marketing! I want you to take advantage of these awesome benefits, but I still want to encourage you to build healthy boundaries around your screen time so it doesn't consume your life. Here are Five Ways You Can Create a Healthy Balance with Social Media: 1. Know when not to use it. There are times to use social media, and there are times not to use social media. Some examples of times you shouldn't use it are when you're: Having dinner with your family On a date with your spouse Having lunch with a friend In the middle of any kind of conversation with another human being Related: Ep 70: How to Be Content in Every Situation  When you check social media while someone is trying to spend quality time with you, you communicate that they're not as important as whatever is happening on your phone. To avoid the temptation to even look down at your phone when you're spending time with someone, put it out of sight completely. Before you take out your phone to check what everyone else is doing or to post what you're doing, you can also ask yourself some important questions like: Is it more important that I know what everyone else is doing right now, or is it more important that I experience what I'm doing? Is it more important that the outside world knows what I'm doing right now, or is it more important that I experience it myself? I'm willing to bet, almost every single time, these questions are no-brainers. So put your phone down. Keep it in your purse or your pocket and be where your feet are. Be present in the moment. 2. Pick your balance. I can give you all the tips and tricks to balance social media, but at the end of the day, you have to decide the types of boundaries you need. You have to decide what time you're on and what time you're off, and what times...

Dream Bigger and Build the Life You Want   1:24 Why We Stop Dreaming and Three Steps to Dreaming Bigger 21:17 Pursuing Your Wildest Dreams With Bob Goff 48:47 Encouragement to Remember that God is a Personal God Resources Business Boutique Conference The Business Boutique Conference is coming back to Nashville Oct. 24–26. If you want to learn how to grow your business and chase your dream, you don’t want to miss this event. To save $10 on any Business Boutique Conference ticket, use the code BBWRIGHT. 2020 Business Boutique Goal Planner  The NEW Business Boutique Goal Planner is almost here! join the waitlist today by texting BBPLANNER to 33444. If you have a success story you would like to share with the Business Boutique community, email me at podcast@businessboutique.com. New podcast episodes are available every other week. Growing up, I had this aunt named Gloria who I thought was the coolest person around. She was beautiful, independent, drove an amazing car, and had a Rottweiler who went everywhere with her. But the coolest thing about her was that she lived on a farm by herself. She had horses, chickens, pigs, goats and everything that went along with the ideal farm life I fantasized about. To me, her life looked like the greatest life ever. I would often look at her and think, That’s who I want to be. That’s the kind of life I want to have. Well, fast-forward a few years to my early 20s when I was working 80 hours a week at a nonprofit. I was looking to downsize from a three-bedroom apartment with roommates to a one-bedroom apartment where I could live on my own. During my search, I came across an ad in the newspaper for a 40-acre farm for rent just two miles from my job—not exactly downsizing, but gasp! I immediately picked up the phone and called the number on the ad. It was perfect for me. Okay, so I couldn’t afford the rent they were asking for, I had no idea how to run a farm, and I was working insane hours at my day job. So, if we’re being completely honest, it didn’t make any sense at all—everything about it was impractical. But, y’all! It was my dream to live on a farm, so you better believe I wasn’t going to let “practical” stop me from pursuing it. Related: Ep 60: How to Face Your Fears and Do It Scared The next day, I went to visit the farm in person. Once I left, I scrounged up enough money for the deposit and moved in a few days later. At 23, I was living my farm dream. Sure, I had to start a side business boarding horses in the empty stalls so I could afford the rent, but I couldn’t have been happier. Looking back on that experience, I could’ve easily missed out on living out that dream. Because the dream wasn’t happening on the time line I thought it would happen on (like in my 50s when I’d have more money, a spouse and kids), it would’ve been easy to convince myself that it wasn’t the right time. But you know what? More often than not, dreams aren’t practical, and they certainly don’t always come to life in practical ways. Thinking practically is just one of the many reasons our dreams get smaller and smaller as we get older. Why We Stop Dreaming It’s so easy to dream when you’re little, isn’t it? You believe you can do anything, be anyone, and accomplish all the big dreams in your heart. But at some point, life—and other people—gets to you. You get bogged down by people telling you to do more practical things that have a guaranteed path to success. So your dreams slowly start to fade into the background. Related: Ep 74: Find Your True Self and Get Back to You And if you do dream, you play it safe. You keep your dreams small and doable so you can control and contain them. You also convince yourself that dreaming any bigger is selfish when so many people (your kids, your husband, your church, etc.) are counting on you. Does that “logic” sound familiar? So often, we women believe our heart’s desires are selfish. When the reality is, God is the one who placed that dream in you to begin with. He never called you to live a small life, and He certainly never called you to stop dreaming. I know that dreaming is hard. You feel vulnerable (because what if it doesn’t work?), silly (because what will other people think?) and even a little scared (because what kind of changes will this dream bring?). But I want you to do it anyway. It doesn’t matter how long it’s been since you’ve stopped dreaming—it’s never too late to start dreaming again. I want you to dream so big that if God’s not in it, you’ll fail. Dream so big that you can’t see the path forward—so big that you need God to show up and perform a miracle to make it happen. Friend, this is possible. Dreaming again will feel weird at first, but I believe it’s a practice—not a onetime thing. If you need to get back to dreaming big for your life, I’ve got three steps to help. When you practice these three steps, little by little you’ll see your dreams—and the real you—come back to life. Three Steps to Dreaming Bigger Step 1: Own it. Dreaming again starts with owning what you want out of life. Honestly ask yourself, What do I want for my: life future children marriage business finances faith journey What do you want? Your answers to these questions are your hopes and dreams. And when you acknowledge your dreams, you give yourself permission to desire those things. Because, friend, you are allowed to want more! Related: Ep 78: How to Be Successful at Anything by Starting Small So many of us spend our lives trying to convince ourselves and others that we’re fine with how things currently are—that we don’t want more for our lives. But I’m here to tell you that life is about more than Legos and laundry. It’s okay to desire something more! God wants you to live an abundant life, and He’s prepared to “give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4 NIV). Your dreams matter. Acknowledge and own what you want, and then trust God to provide it. Step 2: Say it out loud. I know. This is scary! But do you know why saying your dream out loud to someone is scary? Because it makes the dream real. When you say your dream out loud, you take the dream out of the battlefield of your mind, where the voices of fear and doubt attack. Only then, do you bring your dream into the real world, where it can take on a life of its own. On top of that, when you tell people you love and trust about a new dream, you have accountability to work toward it, and your loved ones will rally around you to help make it happen. Related: Say It Out Loud This Year You’ll hear things from them like: “I have several friends in a running group. You could meet up with them to train for your first 5K!” “A guy at my church does graphic design. I’m sure he’d help you with your logo and website!” “Oh, my cousin works in real estate. He can help you get your house on the market!” As silly as it sounds and as vulnerable as it feels, a dream takes on so much power when you say it out loud. Step 3: Write it down. Writing down your dreams is another level of accountability to yourself. The action turns your dreams into goals and your goals into a plan. You go from being a dreamer to being a doer. No longer is your dream just a conversation you had with a friend that you might forget about. Instead, you’ve now painted a clear picture for yourself of what you need to do to make that dream a reality. Your heart’s desires are not bad things or selfish things—they are God things. That’s why I want you to own your dreams, say them out loud, and write them down on paper. And I also want you to get your hopes up, sister, because our God is the God of hope. He will make a way for you and all those big dreams in your heart. Pursuing Your Wildest Dreams With Bob Goff I’m so excited about my guest today! Bob Goff is a New York Times bestselling author, speaker and the host of the Dream Big podcast. If you’ve read his book Love Does, then you know about his crazy determination to not only dream big, but also find ways to bring those dreams to life. On today’s episode, Bob and I talk about: Tapping into our inner child and dreaming like we used to Living an engaged life Getting over the obsession of caring what others think about you Dreaming big for your life again Encouragement: A Personal God One of the things I’ve noticed in my walk as a believer is that so often we want formulas for our faith. We want a road map that we can reference for how God is going to help us through whatever situation we’re going through. But God doesn’t always do things that way. God does not work in formulas. He’s not going to treat you and your situation the same way He would treat it for your friend, neighbor or coworker. Even if you’re both going through a similar situation, you likely won’t experience the same journey or results. Why is that? Does God take someone a different route because He sees something they don’t—or because He likes them more than He likes you? Years ago, I asked my mentor Eve why she thinks there are so many denominations within Christianity. My question was: How could we all love the same God but have different ideas around how to love Him? Our conversation went a little something like this: Eve: “Christy, look at Scripture. When Jesus healed the blind, how did He do it? Me: “Well, a lot of different ways. One time he used water, another time He used mud, and another time He just spoke it.” Eve: “Exactly. He had a lot of different methods to get to the same result.” When we have a certain experience with God, we tend to get together with other people who have had that same experience, and collectively we think our way is the right way. So those who were healed by mud got together with others who were healed by mud, and they believed God always heals with mud. And those who were healed by spit got together with others who were healed by spit, and they believed God always heals with spit, and so on. Don’t we also do that in life? We see our way of doing things and think it’s the only way or the right way. We think, If God did something in my life, then that must be the way He will always work. So our way becomes the rule for everyone else. We think, This must be the way you worship. This is the way you hear from God. This is how you practice obedience. But you know what? God is not only bigger than the box we try to put Him in—He’s also much more personal than that. God will take people down different paths that lead to the same destination: restoration. It’s easy for us to pass judgement on someone who is going in a different direction than the way we went. But what we don’t realize is, God is taking them that way on purpose. Your relationship with Him is personal, so your path with Him will be personal. So, if you’re seeing a friend, coworker or neighbor going down a different path or handling a situation differently than you would, don’t be discouraged. It doesn’t mean God has forgotten about you. It doesn’t mean He doesn’t have good plans for you. And it certainly doesn’t mean your friend is “doing it wrong.” It might just mean that God is using a personal approach with them, and He’ll do the same for you.  

Dream Bigger and Build the Life You Want   1:24 Why We Stop Dreaming and Three Steps to Dreaming Bigger 21:17 Pursuing Your Wildest Dreams With Bob Goff 48:47 Encouragement to Remember that God is a Personal God Resources Business Boutique Conference The Business Boutique Conference is coming back to Nashville Oct. 24-26. If you want to learn how to grow your business and chase your dream, you don't want to miss this event. To save $10 on any Business Boutique Conference ticket, use the code BBWRIGHT. 2020 Business Boutique Goal Planner  The NEW Business Boutique Goal Planner is almost here! join the waitlist today by texting BBPLANNER to 33444. If you have a success story you would like to share with the Business Boutique community, email me at podcast@businessboutique.com. New podcast episodes are available every other week. Growing up, I had this aunt named Gloria who I thought was the coolest person around. She was beautiful, independent, drove an amazing car, and had a Rottweiler who went everywhere with her. But the coolest thing about her was that she lived on a farm by herself. She had horses, chickens, pigs, goats and everything that went along with the ideal farm life I fantasized about. To me, her life looked like the greatest life ever. I would often look at her and think, That's who I want to be. That's the kind of life I want to have. Well, fast-forward a few years to my early 20s when I was working 80 hours a week at a nonprofit. I was looking to downsize from a three-bedroom apartment with roommates to a one-bedroom apartment where I could live on my own. During my search, I came across an ad in the newspaper for a 40-acre farm for rent just two miles from my job-not exactly downsizing, but gasp! I immediately picked up the phone and called the number on the ad. It was perfect for me. Okay, so I couldn't afford the rent they were asking for, I had no idea how to run a farm, and I was working insane hours at my day job. So, if we're being completely honest, it didn't make any sense at all-everything about it was impractical. But, y'all! It was my dream to live on a farm, so you better believe I wasn't going to let "practical" stop me from pursuing it. Related: Ep 60: How to Face Your Fears and Do It Scared The next day, I went to visit the farm in person. Once I left, I scrounged up enough money for the deposit and moved in a few days later. At 23, I was living my farm dream. Sure, I had to start a side business boarding horses in the empty stalls so I could afford the rent, but I couldn't have been happier. Looking back on that experience, I could've easily missed out on living out that dream. Because the dream wasn't happening on the time line I thought it would happen on (like in my 50s when I'd have more money, a spouse and kids), it would've been easy to convince myself that it wasn't the right time. But you know what? More often than not, dreams aren't practical, and they certainly don't always come to life in practical ways. Thinking practically is just one of the many reasons our dreams get smaller and smaller as we get older. Why We Stop Dreaming It's so easy to dream when you're little, isn't it? You believe you can do anything, be anyone, and accomplish all the big dreams in your heart. But at some point, life-and other people-gets to you. You get bogged down by people telling you to do more practical things that have a guaranteed path to success. So your dreams slowly start to fade into the background. Related: Ep 74: Find Your True Self and Get Back to You And if you do dream, you play it safe. You keep your dreams small and doable so you can control and contain them. You also convince yourself that dreaming any bigger is selfish when so many people (your kids, your husband, your church, etc.) are counting on you. Does that "logic" sound familiar? So often, we women believe our heart's desires are...

Take Control of Your Life With the Power of Personal Responsibility   1:25 Three Reasons You Might Not Be Accepting Personal Responsibility 19:39 The Importance of Personal Responsibility with Rachel Hollis 33:12 Encouragement to Choose Could Over Should Resources Business Boutique Conference The Business Boutique Conference is coming back to Nashville Oct. 24–26. If you want to learn how to grow your business and chase your dream, you don’t want to miss this event. To save $10 on any Business Boutique Conference ticket, use the code BBWRIGHT. 2020 Business Boutique Goal Planner  The NEW Business Boutique Goal Planner is almost here! join the waitlist today by texting BBPLANNER to 33444. If you have a success story you would like to share with the Business Boutique community, email me at podcast@businessboutique.com. New podcast episodes are available every other week. Taking control of your life sounds like a nice idea, doesn’t it? But let’s be real: So often we feel like we actually don’t have any control at all. We feel like we’re tossed left and right by the seasons of life and the people in our life. You know what, though? We actually have more control than we think we do. Your situation right now might be really hard—maybe it’s harder than anything you or I have ever been through. But here’s the great news: That’s not your only story, and it’s certainly not the end of your story. You Can Take Control of Your Life If you’ve ever seen the hit ABC show Shark Tank, you know the story of how Daymond John built his clothing company, FUBU, from nothing. Daymond was raised by a single mother. When he was 10, he started working to help his mom make ends meet. The hip-hop movement inspired him to start a clothing line, so he started sewing sweat shirts and hats in his mother’s living room. (By the way, when he first officially launched his clothing company, he was still working as a server at Red Lobster!) Today, FUBU has brought in more than six billion dollars in global sales.1 Let’s look at one more example: Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx. (Who else is grateful for this shapewear brand?) Nobody handed Sara her fame and fortune on a silver platter. In fact, she failed the LSAT twice, worked as a chipmunk character at Disney World, and even spent seven years selling fax machines door to door before she ever started working on her idea for Spanx. When she pitched the idea for Spanx, she was met with rejection after rejection, until finally she convinced one manufacturing company to produce her product. Today, Sara is one of America’s richest self-made women.2 Do you know what stories like those reveal to me? We often fall into the trap of believing our situation is impossible to climb out of. Meanwhile, others—like Daymond and Sara—are refusing to be defined by their circumstances. Instead, they’re taking control of their lives and changing the outcome. Related: Ep 70: How to Be Content in Every Situation The truth is, you have control in the good and the bad times. The way you view your life—and your belief about the amount of control you have—will have a major impact on how your life turns out, whether you reach your goals, and how your story unfolds. Your ability to take control of your life is connected to the amount of personal responsibility you’re willing to take. It’s also connected to the amount of determination you choose to have in your life. The important thing to note here is that taking personal responsibility for your life is more dependent on you, your choices, your beliefs and your actions than anything else going on around you. Whatever your situation, I know it’s real. I’m not discounting what you’re going through—I know your situation is a factor in your ability to be successful. But I also believe your circumstances should not define you. Because there is a person who can change circumstances, who can fix broken things, and who can choose something different—and that person is you. That’s why today, I want to talk about three major reasons we often feel like we’re not in control of our lives. Three Reasons You Might Not Be Accepting Personal Responsibility There are three different obstacles I’ve faced in my life—and seen other women face in theirs—that could have easily led me to believe I didn’t have the ability to control my destiny. Let’s walk through each and talk about how we can overcome them moving forward. 1. A victim mentality A victim mentality is all about your beliefs. You don’t believe you have any control of your situation, so you sit back, wait and pout. You have a pity party, and you invite everyone else to join. When you have a victim mentality, it’s always someone else’s fault that you can’t have what you want, do what you want, or be who you want to be. It’s never your fault. This victim mentality is really common and can come from many outside sources, like teachers, parents or the culture around you. But you’re not born with the idea that you’re not in control of your life—this belief is learned. That’s why I want to encourage you to change your attitude. Because guess what? Your belief system is just that—it’s yours. You get to choose what you believe. If you start looking for examples of optimism, perseverance, persistence and determination, I’m willing to bet you’ll find them—because they’re out there. No one is going to change your attitude for you—you have to do it. You can choose to believe something better than what you were raised to believe. You can choose to believe something different than what you’re surrounded by every day. You can choose to change your attitude and take control of your life. 2. Exhaustion As women, we’re experts when it comes to running ourselves ragged. We go nonstop, 24 hours a day. We do whatever it takes to be a great mom, wife, business owner, church member, and then some. And because we’re doing all the things, we’re constantly tired. That reminds me of a really challenging season I went through in the fall of 2017. I was still adjusting to being a mom of two while launching my new book and traveling a ton for speaking engagements. I remember coming home one day and telling my husband, “I don’t know why I do this. I don’t have to do this.” And I’ll never forget what my husband said in response: “Yes, you do know why you do this. You know about the lives that are being changed and how God is using you. You’re just tired.” There was such wisdom in his words—he was spot on. The reality is, I love my work! But in that moment, I didn’t feel in control because I was so tired. I was moving nonstop and feeling like a passive participant in my life. All along, there was one simple solution: rest. Related: Ep 76: Practice Self-Care and Give Yourself Grace So, if you’re just feeling discouraged, it doesn’t mean you’re not in control of your life. You might just be tired. You can fix that by going back to your why and getting some well-deserved rest. 3. Inactivity This is one of the hardest obstacles to face because it’s often disguised by holiness. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a woman tell me she was not taking action on something because she was waiting on God. And you know how I always respond? I tell them, “God can steer a moving vehicle. He cannot steer a stalled car.” If you’re praying and asking God to direct you, as you’re walking, He will direct you. Instead of waiting for a lightning bolt from the sky or for an angel to appear in your living room, why don’t you get up and do something? Sometimes we sit around under this banner of holiness while waiting our life away for God to show up. All the while, God is there telling you to get moving! He’s attracted to activity. He will show you the next step after you take the first step.     Related: Ep 72: Push Forward and Get Unstuck This doesn’t mean you abandon God and move ahead of His plans. But God does give us free will and calls us all to take personal responsibility for our lives—we are stewards, after all. If you look at the parable of the talents in the Bible (Matthew 25:14–30), you read that God honors active participants in this life, not passive ones. So get moving, sister! What brave step—or even baby step—of faith can you take today? What knowledge do you already have that can inform your decisions today? Stop procrastinating! There is certainly wisdom in waiting sometimes, but don’t use waiting as an excuse to do nothing. We are partners with God in this life on Earth, and you have more control than you think you do. I don’t know which one of these obstacles you struggle with the most—maybe it’s a combination of all three like it has been for me—but I hope this message encourages you. It’s just like my friend Christine Cain says, “I’m living proof that you can start bad and finish good.” The Importance of Personal Responsibility with Rachel Hollis I’m so excited to have my good friend Rachel Hollis on the show today! She’s a #1 New York Times bestselling author, a motivational speaker, the host of the Rise and Rise Together podcasts, and the founder and CCO of The Hollis Company. On this episode, Rachel and I talk about: Being a good steward of your gifts and resources Why we struggle with the victim mentality and how we can change that How to talk yourself into things versus out of things One of the biggest lies women believe and how we can get over it Encouragement: Choose Could Over Should “I should do that…” All day long, I tell myself about all the things I should be doing. But you know what I realized recently? Almost all my should’s started as could’s. My ideas begin as creative, fun, exciting dreams—like I could make handmade invitations for Carter’s birthday party, or I could get these party favors and decorations. But once the could’s make it onto my to-do list, they instantly become should’s. Before I know it, it’s been weeks or months, and I’m still holding my feet to the fire of this long list of should’s. There I stand with a list of 75 things I now feel like I have to do. They’re no longer optional. They’re no longer creative options that could be fun. They become laws that I now have to follow. When in actuality, I came up with that list. That list started as an idea in my head, and no one is holding me to that list but me. And yet we do this to ourselves all the time, don’t we? The high expectations start and end with us. When, in reality, other than paying taxes and feeding your family, there are very few things in life you have to do. Related: 3 Quick Steps to Reduce Stress You don’t have to go all out for your child’s party! Did you know that? You don’t have to, but you tell yourself all day, every day, that you do. The words we use are exhausting—they’re words of bondage. I just want to remind you: The person in control of your life, your to-do list, your tasks and your responsibilities is you. You get a choice in what you do and what you don’t do. You get to choose what is a could and what is a should. Maybe it’s as simple as changing your words. Instead of telling yourself all day long that you should do something, what if you just changed it back to could? A could gives you options. A should has burden tied to it.

Take Control of Your Life With the Power of Personal Responsibility   1:25 Three Reasons You Might Not Be Accepting Personal Responsibility 19:39 The Importance of Personal Responsibility with Rachel Hollis 33:12 Encouragement to Choose Could Over Should Resources Business Boutique Conference The Business Boutique Conference is coming back to Nashville Oct. 24-26. If you want to learn how to grow your business and chase your dream, you don't want to miss this event. To save $10 on any Business Boutique Conference ticket, use the code BBWRIGHT. 2020 Business Boutique Goal Planner  The NEW Business Boutique Goal Planner is almost here! join the waitlist today by texting BBPLANNER to 33444. If you have a success story you would like to share with the Business Boutique community, email me at podcast@businessboutique.com. New podcast episodes are available every other week. Taking control of your life sounds like a nice idea, doesn't it? But let's be real: So often we feel like we actually don't have any control at all. We feel like we're tossed left and right by the seasons of life and the people in our life. You know what, though? We actually have more control than we think we do. Your situation right now might be really hard-maybe it's harder than anything you or I have ever been through. But here's the great news: That's not your only story, and it's certainly not the end of your story. You Can Take Control of Your Life If you've ever seen the hit ABC show Shark Tank, you know the story of how Daymond John built his clothing company, FUBU, from nothing. Daymond was raised by a single mother. When he was 10, he started working to help his mom make ends meet. The hip-hop movement inspired him to start a clothing line, so he started sewing sweat shirts and hats in his mother's living room. (By the way, when he first officially launched his clothing company, he was still working as a server at Red Lobster!) Today, FUBU has brought in more than six billion dollars in global sales.1 Let's look at one more example: Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx. (Who else is grateful for this shapewear brand?) Nobody handed Sara her fame and fortune on a silver platter. In fact, she failed the LSAT twice, worked as a chipmunk character at Disney World, and even spent seven years selling fax machines door to door before she ever started working on her idea for Spanx. When she pitched the idea for Spanx, she was met with rejection after rejection, until finally she convinced one manufacturing company to produce her product. Today, Sara is one of America's richest self-made women.2 Do you know what stories like those reveal to me? We often fall into the trap of believing our situation is impossible to climb out of. Meanwhile, others-like Daymond and Sara-are refusing to be defined by their circumstances. Instead, they're taking control of their lives and changing the outcome. Related: Ep 70: How to Be Content in Every Situation The truth is, you have control in the good and the bad times. The way you view your life-and your belief about the amount of control you have-will have a major impact on how your life turns out, whether you reach your goals, and how your story unfolds. Your ability to take control of your life is connected to the amount of personal responsibility you're willing to take. It's also connected to the amount of determination you choose to have in your life. The important thing to note here is that taking personal responsibility for your life is more dependent on you, your choices, your beliefs and your actions than anything else going on around you. Whatever your situation, I know it's real. I'm not discounting what you're going through-I know your situation is a factor in your ability to be successful. But I also believe your circumstances should not define you. Because there is a person who can change circumstances, who can fix broken...

Tips From an Etsy Expert on How to Make More Money Online   1:17 Tips From an Etsy Expert on How to Make More Money Online with Melissa Kaiserman 25:50 Encouragement on What to Consider When Receiving Feedback   Resources Business Boutique Conference The Business Boutique Conference is coming back to Nashville Oct. 24–26. If you want to learn how to grow your business and chase your dream, you don’t want to miss this event. To save $10 on any Business Boutique Conference ticket, use the code BBWRIGHT. If you have a success story you would like to share with the Business Boutique community, email me at podcast@businessboutique.com. New podcast episodes are available every other week. Making money online has never been easier. You can start a successful business tomorrow with nothing more than an idea and a Facebook page—or, in Melissa Kaiserman’s case, an Etsy store. Melissa’s story began like so many of yours. She was using Dave Ramsey’s envelope system and wanted a wallet that would help her divide her cash into different categories. When she couldn’t find one she loved, she decided to make one herself. And then she made the “mistake” of showing it to her friends—because, of course, they all wanted her to make them one! Her wallets were a hit. This gave her the idea to simplify her design so she could create more wallets in less time and also make a profit by selling them online. She opened a shop on Etsy—A Time for Everything—and hit publish on her first wallet listing. Y’all, in just under a year, Melissa’s Etsy store was providing full financial support for her family! Related: How to Make Money on Etsy I love stories like Melissa’s because women often find it hard to believe that their talents, passions or hobbies can actually be profitable. Melissa’s story is one of many that proves it’s possible. In fact, her success on Etsy led to even more opportunities. Today, not only does she still have her online shop, but she’s also blogging and selling courses to help other people succeed on Etsy. You can see why, when it comes to the topic of making money online and successfully selling on Etsy, I wanted to talk to Melissa Kaiserman! She and I took a deep dive into all the things. We started by talking through the pros and cons of choosing Etsy as your selling platform. How to Make Money Online by Selling on Etsy There are so many good things to say about starting and growing your business on Etsy. Thankfully, Melissa was able to narrow it down to her top three pros: 1. People know about it. Etsy currently has 41 million active buyers.1 That’s right—a whole lot of people immediately think Etsy when they need a unique, handmade item. If you’re just getting started selling online, it’s going to be a while before you can get 41 million people to start scrolling through your personal website. I always tell you to hang out where your customers are. And in this case, your customers are hanging out on Etsy! 2. You’ll get organic Google searches. SEO (search engine optimization) is just a fancy term for the likelihood that your product, page or Etsy store will pop up on Google when someone searches a particular word or phrase. And the good news is, Etsy does a great job of getting products found on Google. There are also some strategies you can do on your own to increase the chances of your Etsy store showing up on Google search results. I’ll say more on that later. Related: Ep 41: Digital Marketing Strategies That Work 3. It’s easy to use. I like to think of Etsy like a “business in a box.” They make it so easy to set up a shop and maintain it. Not only does Etsy walk you through the whole process, but they also provide the tools to create a profile page and online presence. Plus, they handle the hosting, order intake, and even accept payment for you. These are all things you’d have to figure out on your own if you decided to start selling from a personal website. I know all of those pros make Etsy sound great, but I want to make sure you’re aware of some of the cons as well. Things to Consider Before Choosing Etsy: 1. You have limited control. Because Etsy handles everything for you, there are some limitations to consider. You’ll have to operate within their rules and guidelines, and you’ll be limited with how you can represent your shop online. 2. They charge fees and take a portion of your profits. Don’t be mistaken—selling on Etsy is not free! Etsy charges you 20 cents to publish each listing in your store. If your product sells, you’ll owe them a 5% transaction fee. And if you use Etsy Payments, they’ll also collect 3% plus a 25-cent payment processing fee on top of everything else. Related: Pricing Strategies: How to Set Prices 3. There will be a lot of competition. To say there are a lot of sellers and products for sale on Etsy would be an understatement. I’m talking 2.2 million sellers and more than 60 million items for sale.2 There are a lot more buyers than there are sellers, so keep in mind that Etsy wants to be as helpful as possible to the buyer. This means that even if someone is shopping in your store, Etsy will show the customer related products from someone else’s store (potentially distracting them away from your products). So, you end up competing for your customers even after you’ve gotten them to click on your page. Related: Ep 57: Standing Out From Your Competition With Your Unique Selling Proposition The competition may be fierce, but I still wholeheartedly believe that Etsy is a great place to start (and grow!) your business. That’s why Melissa and I came up with five tips you can use to maximize your Etsy shop and attract more customers. Top Five Tips for Selling on Etsy: 1. Don’t focus on the competition. I know we just talked about how competitive the marketplace is on Etsy, but if you choose to use this platform, don’t let the competition be your focus. Melissa made that mistake early on. She spent a lot of time obsessing over other shops on Etsy and looking for people who were copying her products. At the end of the day, even when she did find copycats, knowing wasn’t helpful. All it did was cause her anxiety in her first couple of years in business. She finally realized she couldn’t control what other people did. All she could control was where her focus was. 2. Do your homework and be prepared. Things like registering your business with your state and collecting sales tax is not exciting stuff, I know. But when you take care of that stuff on the front end, you’ll have the peace of mind to focus on the important stuff—like making and selling your products. Don’t wait until tax season to figure this stuff out! 3. Prioritize your photos. Etsy is a visual marketplace. When there are thousands of options for the same type of product you sell, people are going to click on whatever product looks the best. You could have the best product in the world, but if the photo is awful, people are just going to scroll right past it. Oh, and by the way, the less people click on your shop, the lower you’ll appear on Etsy’s search results. Here are a few quick tips to make sure you have top-notch photos: When you’re taking the photos, make sure the background isn’t cluttered. Use a clean, white backdrop with lots of natural light. Make it really clear what the product is. Don’t confuse buyers by cluttering a bunch of other items around your product. Yes, it’s a good idea to style your photos, but make sure your product is the focus of the shot. Give your store a clean and consistent look by photographing all of your products with a similar theme. Make sure you have at least one close-up of your product—that’s the photo you want to be your thumbnail. You can post up to 10 photos for each product, so use the more styled photos to complement the close-up. 4. Write great product descriptions. Product descriptions are so important for the customer. If you can be really detailed in your descriptions, you’ll receive fewer messages with questions that could have been answered on the product page. Here are a few quick tips for writing great product descriptions: When choosing a title for each product, use the words potential customers would use. This increases the likelihood that your product will appear during a search. That’s SEO at work! Don’t use the cute, branded name you came up with, because no one is going to search for those words! More simply put, you don’t want to make it hard for the customer to find your stuff. Again, this is exactly why you want to use keywords and keyword phrases that your potential customer would use in a search. Your images can also work as product descriptions. Show your product at scale and describe details in some of your images by including text overtop of them. This is ideal for those customers who tend to skip product descriptions! If you’re unsure about whether you provided enough details in your product description, just ask yourself: If there were no photos at all, would my customer understand what my product is? Related: 5 Steps to Writing Awesome Etsy Product Descriptions 5. Serve well. Did you know that 81% of purchases on Etsy are actually repeat purchases? 3 I’m definitely one of those customers! I remember working with a designer on Etsy to create a custom Christmas card a few years ago. She took such good care of me that the following year, I didn’t bother searching Etsy for another cute design. I just went straight to the same designer I’d worked with before. The easiest way to get repeat customers is to take really good care of them. Under-promise and over-deliver every time. Not only will they come back to you, but they’ll also tell all their friends about you. No matter what platform you end up choosing, the important thing is that you just start. I know you’ve got a lot to offer the world, and I’m willing to bet your idea can be profitable. So stop waiting until you’re ready, because “ready” is a myth. Just go for it! Encouragement: What to Consider When Receiving Feedback Earlier this year, I trained for the Nashville Rock ‘n’ Roll half marathon. It wasn’t going to be my first time running a race while pregnant. I actually ran that same race when I was five months pregnant with my second son, Conley. I trained, took my time, and was able to finish the race in two and a half hours. I had a positive experience to base this year’s race on. But while I knew I’d run the race before and assumed I could probably do it again, many people didn’t feel the same way. On my first day of training for this year’s race, I was gearing up to go out on a seven-mile run. Before I started, I posted a quick update on my Instagram. Y’all, that Instagram Story got so many responses. And I quickly noticed that each response was either an encouragement or a warning. On the one hand, I got tons of messages that said things like, “Yes! You can do this! So inspiring!” And on the other hand, I got responses that said the complete opposite. People warned me and told me it wasn’t worth the harm I’d do to my body or my baby. They shared their horror stories of going into preterm labor and encouraged me not to race. These polar opposite responses made me realize one thing: When you get feedback from people (good, bad or in-between), it’s more about them than it is about you—because the feedback will come through the filter of their experience. Related: Ep 40: Top Traits of Highly Successful Women For example, the moms who ran while pregnant and had a healthy experience were telling me if they could do it, so could I, while the moms who had a scary experience warned me to avoid the mistake they’d made. Both types of feedback were a reflection of where these people were coming from. This is so important to remember in your business as well. When you ask for feedback or when you get feedback from your customers, family, well-meaning friends, or strangers on Facebook, keep in mind that while feedback is valuable and helpful, it’s also being filtered through their unique experience. You can and should learn from other people’s mistakes and take into account their tips and tricks. But you also have to keep in mind that just because someone else had that experience, it doesn’t mean you will. So, I encourage you to keep asking for feedback and advice. Just keep in mind that the unique perspectives, experiences and circumstances of the people giving the feedback can impact whether it’s helpful or not. On today’s #AskChristyWright segment, we talk about how to attract your ideal customer on social media and how to determine if it’s the right time to start paying for advertising.    

Tips From an Etsy Expert on How to Make More Money Online   1:17 Tips From an Etsy Expert on How to Make More Money Online with Melissa Kaiserman 25:50 Encouragement on What to Consider When Receiving Feedback   Resources Business Boutique Conference The Business Boutique Conference is coming back to Nashville Oct. 24-26. If you want to learn how to grow your business and chase your dream, you don't want to miss this event. To save $10 on any Business Boutique Conference ticket, use the code BBWRIGHT. If you have a success story you would like to share with the Business Boutique community, email me at podcast@businessboutique.com. New podcast episodes are available every other week. Making money online has never been easier. You can start a successful business tomorrow with nothing more than an idea and a Facebook page-or, in Melissa Kaiserman's case, an Etsy store. Melissa's story began like so many of yours. She was using Dave Ramsey's envelope system and wanted a wallet that would help her divide her cash into different categories. When she couldn't find one she loved, she decided to make one herself. And then she made the "mistake" of showing it to her friends-because, of course, they all wanted her to make them one! Her wallets were a hit. This gave her the idea to simplify her design so she could create more wallets in less time and also make a profit by selling them online. She opened a shop on Etsy-A Time for Everything-and hit publish on her first wallet listing. Y'all, in just under a year, Melissa's Etsy store was providing full financial support for her family! Related: How to Make Money on Etsy I love stories like Melissa's because women often find it hard to believe that their talents, passions or hobbies can actually be profitable. Melissa's story is one of many that proves it's possible. In fact, her success on Etsy led to even more opportunities. Today, not only does she still have her online shop, but she's also blogging and selling courses to help other people succeed on Etsy. You can see why, when it comes to the topic of making money online and successfully selling on Etsy, I wanted to talk to Melissa Kaiserman! She and I took a deep dive into all the things. We started by talking through the pros and cons of choosing Etsy as your selling platform. How to Make Money Online by Selling on Etsy There are so many good things to say about starting and growing your business on Etsy. Thankfully, Melissa was able to narrow it down to her top three pros: 1. People know about it. Etsy currently has 41 million active buyers.1 That's right-a whole lot of people immediately think Etsy when they need a unique, handmade item. If you're just getting started selling online, it's going to be a while before you can get 41 million people to start scrolling through your personal website. I always tell you to hang out where your customers are. And in this case, your customers are hanging out on Etsy! 2. You'll get organic Google searches. SEO (search engine optimization) is just a fancy term for the likelihood that your product, page or Etsy store will pop up on Google when someone searches a particular word or phrase. And the good news is, Etsy does a great job of getting products found on Google. There are also some strategies you can do on your own to increase the chances of your Etsy store showing up on Google search results. I'll say more on that later. Related: Ep 41: Digital Marketing Strategies That Work 3. It's easy to use. I like to think of Etsy like a "business in a box." They make it so easy to set up a shop and maintain it. Not only does Etsy walk you through the whole process, but they also provide the tools to create a profile page and online presence. Plus, they handle the hosting, order intake, and even accept payment for you. These are all things you'd have to figure out on your own if you decided to start...

How to Be Successful at Anything by Starting Small   1:21 The Importance of Starting Small 6:06 How to Start Small 21:07 #AskChristyWright Resources Business Boutique Conference The Business Boutique Conference is coming back to Nashville Oct. 24–26. If you want to learn how to grow your business and chase your dream, you don’t want to miss this event. To save $10 on any Business Boutique Conference ticket, use the code BBWRIGHT. If you have a success story you would like to share with the Business Boutique community, email me at podcast@businessboutique.com. New podcast episodes are available every other week. Give yourself permission to be a beginner. We have a bad habit of calling successful people an overnight success—as if they just woke up one day on top of the mountain. But, in most cases, that’s just not true. In reality, most successful people started small doing something unimpressive. Here are just a few examples I can think of: Television pioneer Oprah Winfrey started her career as a news anchor in Nashville, Tennessee—way before it was the cool and popular city it is today.1 Y’all, she was even demoted once from an anchor job she had in Baltimore.2 (I bet that person still regrets that to this day!) And then there’s self-made millionaire Dave Ramsey. He grew his business from a card table in his living room to a multimillion-dollar company with more than 850 team members—and he’s helped millions get out of debt and change their family tree. Did you know that world-famous author J.K. Rowling was living on welfare when she wrote the first Harry Potter book?3 And finally, let’s talk about Ellen Latham—a name many may not recognize. But I bet they recognize the name of the business she started: Orangetheory Fitness. The massively successful chain of fitness studios actually started in a spare room of Ellen’s house.4 Do you see what I’m talking about? The early stages of their careers did not look impressive by any means. But, eventually, because they were consistent and refused to let their humble beginnings define them, their careers surpassed even their wildest dreams. Related: Don't Be Sorry for the Struggle The Importance of Starting Small Let’s just go ahead and acknowledge that starting small is not fun. You’re probably not going to update your friends about it any chance you get, or post pictures about your journey on Facebook. But you know what? Starting small is actually one of the most important steps in building your business—or anything for that matter—wisely. That’s why it’s so important to give yourself permission to be a beginner. Aside from the fact that it works and is proven, starting small makes your dreams and your goals so much more attainable. As you begin to think about your big dreams and goals, what usually happens? Fear creeps in, doesn’t it? You start to doubt that any of your dreams are even possible, because they’re just too big and overwhelming. But when you embrace the idea of starting small, your dream doesn’t feel so crazy after all. How to Start Small The commitment to start small requires persistence, dedication and a go-getter attitude—qualities I know you’ve got in you! That’s why I want to give you a few do’s and don’ts that you can use as a guideline as you chase your dreams. 1. Don’t wait until you’re ready. “Ready” is a myth. Because let’s be real—do we ever feel ready for anything in life? Related: How to Be More Confident There’ll always be a new doubt or excuse that will try to convince you it’s just not time yet. But the truth is, the only way you figure anything out for yourself is by doing it—by learning on the job. Early on in my career, I learned something important: Say yes before you know how. When an opportunity comes your way and you don’t feel ready, qualified or educated enough, it doesn’t matter. Just get out there and get moving—ready or not. 2. Do take baby steps. When you break down your big idea and big dream into baby steps, you begin to see the impossible become possible. For example, if you want to train for a marathon, you don’t start by running 15 miles. You start by training for a 5K. If you want to open a boutique, you start with an Etsy store. If you need more sleep, you start by winding down and turning off the screens 10 minutes earlier than you normally would. If you miss seeing your friends, you send one text to one friend and set up one lunch date. Baby steps. What you’ll find—in business and in life—is that small changes tend to make the biggest impact. It’s the small things you do repeatedly that make up life-change that actually lasts. That’s why I don’t want you to think of your dream in terms of giant leaps you need to take. Instead, think: What’s one baby step I can take this week? 3. Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing. In our overconnected culture, it’s so tempting to get on social media and compare your journey to someone else’s. But you shouldn’t compare your small steps to someone else’s giant leaps. I love the quote by Theodore Roosevelt that says, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” I wholeheartedly believe you cannot be present for your dream and for your life if you’re looking and comparing it to everyone else around you. And you can’t make changes or improvements if you’re too busy obsessing over someone else’s progress. Take the focus off everybody else and instead focus on your life, your business, your dreams and your values. Stay in your lane and run your race. And as you take small steps, be confident in knowing that those are faithful steps God will honor. Related: Ep 70: How to Be Content in Every Situation 4. Do keep it simple. When I graduated from college with no money and no job, I remember trying to convince myself that I needed to purchase a bunch of new suits for job interviews. It’s ridiculous, isn’t it? But we do this in business too. We say we need a new laptop, a new studio or new equipment to get started. Let’s be honest—no, you don’t! Often, our desires and efforts to buy new things are not really because the business needs it. We’re just trying to justify and validate our dream. The truth is: Working on your business is what validates the business, not the stuff you buy. In the words of Arthur Ashe, “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” 5. Don’t go into debt. There is this myth in the business world that somehow business debt is different from personal debt. As if the debt belongs to the business and not to you. But they’re the same thing. Because guess who has to pay that business debt at the end of the day? You do. Business debt is no different than personal debt. In both scenarios, you’re giving up power, ownership and control—three things you really should maintain. The worst part is, when you take on debt to do anything, every decision you make will become dependent upon the debt you owe. It’s all debt, and it’s all a bad idea. Save up for the things you want and be scrappy in the meantime. Related: Ep 24: Money Pitfalls to Avoid in Your Business 6. Do make a plan and set goals. You don’t just need the dream. You need a plan for how you’ll get from where you are today to where you want to be. And once you have that plan, it’s critical to set goals that will get you there. For example, if you want to become a teacher, your plan might be to get a teaching certificate within two years. That’s a great plan. Then, you might set goals like: take the PRAXIS exam before August, or enroll in courses that start this fall. Related: Ep 13: How to Write and Reach Your Goals When you make a plan for where you want to be, and then set goals for how you’re going to get there, you’re much more likely to make that dream a reality. Because I promise, you will not get to where you want to be by accident. Get Started Today! There is no such thing as an overnight success. You’ve got to put in the hours and the work required to accomplish your big dreams. And it’s totally possible when you start small, use what you have, and grow slow. Remember, the impressive things in life often start as unimpressive things. Someone who has done this really well is my friend Melissa Kaiserman. She’s the owner of A Time for Everything and Makery Space. Melissa is going to be my guest on the show next week, and she’ll share all of her secrets on starting small and working on Etsy. So, make sure you tune in to that bonus episode! #AskChristyWright On today’s #AskChristyWright segment, we talk about how to attract your ideal customer on social media and how to determine if it’s the right time to start paying for advertising.  

How to Be Successful at Anything by Starting Small   1:21 The Importance of Starting Small 6:06 How to Start Small 21:07 #AskChristyWright Resources Business Boutique Conference The Business Boutique Conference is coming back to Nashville Oct. 24-26. If you want to learn how to grow your business and chase your dream, you don't want to miss this event. To save $10 on any Business Boutique Conference ticket, use the code BBWRIGHT. If you have a success story you would like to share with the Business Boutique community, email me at podcast@businessboutique.com. New podcast episodes are available every other week. Give yourself permission to be a beginner. We have a bad habit of calling successful people an overnight success-as if they just woke up one day on top of the mountain. But, in most cases, that's just not true. In reality, most successful people started small doing something unimpressive. Here are just a few examples I can think of: Television pioneer Oprah Winfrey started her career as a news anchor in Nashville, Tennessee-way before it was the cool and popular city it is today.1 Y'all, she was even demoted once from an anchor job she had in Baltimore.2 (I bet that person still regrets that to this day!) And then there's self-made millionaire Dave Ramsey. He grew his business from a card table in his living room to a multimillion-dollar company with more than 850 team members-and he's helped millions get out of debt and change their family tree. Did you know that world-famous author J.K. Rowling was living on welfare when she wrote the first Harry Potter book?3 And finally, let's talk about Ellen Latham-a name many may not recognize. But I bet they recognize the name of the business she started: Orangetheory Fitness. The massively successful chain of fitness studios actually started in a spare room of Ellen's house.4 Do you see what I'm talking about? The early stages of their careers did not look impressive by any means. But, eventually, because they were consistent and refused to let their humble beginnings define them, their careers surpassed even their wildest dreams. Related: Don't Be Sorry for the Struggle The Importance of Starting Small Let's just go ahead and acknowledge that starting small is not fun. You're probably not going to update your friends about it any chance you get, or post pictures about your journey on Facebook. But you know what? Starting small is actually one of the most important steps in building your business-or anything for that matter-wisely. That's why it's so important to give yourself permission to be a beginner. Aside from the fact that it works and is proven, starting small makes your dreams and your goals so much more attainable. As you begin to think about your big dreams and goals, what usually happens? Fear creeps in, doesn't it? You start to doubt that any of your dreams are even possible, because they're just too big and overwhelming. But when you embrace the idea of starting small, your dream doesn't feel so crazy after all. How to Start Small The commitment to start small requires persistence, dedication and a go-getter attitude-qualities I know you've got in you! That's why I want to give you a few do's and don'ts that you can use as a guideline as you chase your dreams. 1. Don't wait until you're ready. "Ready" is a myth. Because let's be real-do we ever feel ready for anything in life? Related: How to Be More Confident There'll always be a new doubt or excuse that will try to convince you it's just not time yet. But the truth is, the only way you figure anything out for yourself is by doing it-by learning on the job. Early on in my career, I learned something important: Say yes before you know how. When an opportunity comes your way and you don't feel ready, qualified or educated enough, it doesn't matter. Just get out there and get moving-ready or not. 2. Do take baby...

How to Attract More Customers to Your Business   1:21 Four Ways to Find More Customers 17:29 Attracting New Customers to Your Business with Reina Pomeroy 33:23 Encouragement That That Will Transform Every Relationship Resources Business Boutique Conference The Business Boutique Conference is coming back to Nashville Oct. 24–26. If you want to learn how to grow your business and chase your dream, you don’t want to miss this event. To save $10 on any Business Boutique Conference ticket, use the code BBWRIGHT. If you have a success story you would like to share with the Business Boutique community, email me at podcast@businessboutique.com. New podcast episodes are available every other week. “Christy, how do I get more customers?” The most common question I’m ever asked—more than questions about social media, goal setting or time management—is how to get more customers. I get this question almost every single day. But before we go any further, I need to bust a myth you might be believing that is keeping you from getting more customers. For as long as I can remember, I’ve heard people say: “If you build it, they will come.” How many times have you heard that line? How many times have you believed that simply creating a website meant people would visit? Or opening a store meant people would stop in? Related: Market Research: How to Know What Your Customers Want I hate to tell you this, but it’s just not true. No matter what you build, customers don’t show up out of the blue. Why not? Because . . . They’re busy. They’re distracted. They’re tired. They have hundreds of other messages vying for their attention. We have to stop building these big, awesome, impressive things and wondering why customers aren’t showing up. We have to do something different. Instead of sitting back and waiting for customers to come to you, it’s time for you to go after your customers. You have to figure out where your ideal customers hang out and build relationships with them. And only then, when you’ve added value to their lives, can you invite them to become a customer. So, how do you actually do that? I’ve got four different tips to get you started! Four Ways to Find More Customers   1. Get scrappy. Some of you are sitting around waiting for some sophisticated formula or fool-proof plan to attract more customers. I hate to break it to you, but business doesn’t work that way. Business is a science and an art, which means that while there are certainly best practices to keep in mind, there’s no perfect path to success. Most business owners become successful not because they’re sophisticated, but because they’re really stinkin’ scrappy. They’re willing to get their hands dirty and try a bunch of different things to get the word out. They’re willing to show up at other businesses with donuts, coffee, samples and a business card. They’re not afraid to pick up the phone and do some cold calling. The bottom line is, you have to be willing to do the hard work of building relationships—and that takes a whole lot of scrappiness. 2. Get referrals. When you need your hair colored or your house cleaned, who do you want to hire? Someone you trust, right? And how do you find someone you trust? You ask your friends! Y’all, this is so important! Referrals are just another way of describing word-of-mouth marketing—the most effective form of marketing. The best part is, it’s free! So, if you’re not actively incentivizing your current clients to refer their friends and asking them for testimonials, you’re missing out on an amazing opportunity to find new customers. 3. Improve your marketing. I want you to take a good look at your marketing efforts as a whole. Look at the different ways you’re marketing your business—from your website to your social media posts and the emails you send. Then I want you to ask yourself:  Is the design clean and beautiful? Is the copy clear? Is your call to action direct and obvious? Try to pinpoint what’s working and what’s not. Get to the root of the problem before you look for a solution. For example, if you’re not getting any sales from your online store, is it because no one is visiting the website or because people are visiting but not buying? Knowing exactly why you’re not getting sales will help you know what you need to change and improve. Related: Branding the Look and Tone of Your Business 4. Try something new. If you keep doing the same things you’ve always done, you’ll just keep getting the same results. So, if you want to grow your business by increasing your customer base, you have to be willing to experiment to find out what works best for your target market. Try something new on social media, on your website, on your Esty store, or even in person as you pitch your product or service to someone. Try a new promotion and see what kind of buzz you get. Or maybe you need to show up at a different place and meet a different group of people. When you try new approaches, you are much more likely to find fresh, innovative ways to attract more of your ideal customers. Related: Keep Things Fresh by Trying Something New Finding more customers is not as hard as it sounds. In fact, there are so many different ways to do it. Let’s recap the four you should start with. Get scrappy: Don’t worry about a sophisticated formula—just show up and meet new people. Get referrals: Encourage your current tribe to market for you. Improve your marketing: See where you can make tweaks and adjustments to your marketing strategy. And finally: keep experimenting, trying new things, and doing more of what works. You got this! Attracting New Customers to Your Business with Reina Pomeroy Reina Pomeroy is an expert at sales and attracting more customers. She’s the founder of Reina + Co., host of the Fueled with Heart podcast and the creator of the Dreamy Client Magnet program. I love how she encourages business owners to be heart-centered, where their passion for the work and the customer always gets first priority. On this episode, Reina and I talk about: How to make more sales by serving your customers well How to work on your money mind-set Why you don’t need more followers to get more customers How to network and build relationships the right way The One Quality That Will Transform Every Relationship I was on a panel a few years ago at a Ramsey Smart Conference alongside #1 bestselling author Les Parrott. Les is a brilliant clinical psychologist and relationship expert. We were a part of a Q&A session, and someone in the audience asked Les for his best piece of marriage advice—no small question. His answer completely changed my life. Turns out, his best piece of marriage advice was simply to have empathy. That’s it: empathy. Put yourself in your spouse’s shoes as often as possible. This advice has been transformative for me. I have used this nugget of wisdom so many times since that night. It has helped my husband and I dissolve conflict, increase understanding, and improve our connection. It seems so obvious, but I wonder why we don’t do this more often in life with all of our relationships. We tend to judge ourselves by our intentions (they’re always good, of course!), but we judge others by their actions. Seeing the world from only our perspective leads to conflict, misunderstanding and broken relationships. If we’re going to have healthy relationships, we have to be willing to see the situation from the other person’s point of view. And you can do that by empathizing. By putting yourself in the other person’s shoes and giving them the benefit of the doubt. Whether it’s your spouse, best friend, coworker or customer, empathizing will transform every relationship and every interaction you have.  

How to Attract More Customers to Your Business   1:21 Four Ways to Find More Customers 17:29 Attracting New Customers to Your Business with Reina Pomeroy 33:23 Encouragement That That Will Transform Every Relationship Resources Business Boutique Conference The Business Boutique Conference is coming back to Nashville Oct. 24-26. If you want to learn how to grow your business and chase your dream, you don't want to miss this event. To save $10 on any Business Boutique Conference ticket, use the code BBWRIGHT. If you have a success story you would like to share with the Business Boutique community, email me at podcast@businessboutique.com. New podcast episodes are available every other week. "Christy, how do I get more customers?" The most common question I'm ever asked-more than questions about social media, goal setting or time management-is how to get more customers. I get this question almost every single day. But before we go any further, I need to bust a myth you might be believing that is keeping you from getting more customers. For as long as I can remember, I've heard people say: "If you build it, they will come." How many times have you heard that line? How many times have you believed that simply creating a website meant people would visit? Or opening a store meant people would stop in? Related: Market Research: How to Know What Your Customers Want I hate to tell you this, but it's just not true. No matter what you build, customers don't show up out of the blue. Why not? Because . . . They're busy. They're distracted. They're tired. They have hundreds of other messages vying for their attention. We have to stop building these big, awesome, impressive things and wondering why customers aren't showing up. We have to do something different. Instead of sitting back and waiting for customers to come to you, it's time for you to go after your customers. You have to figure out where your ideal customers hang out and build relationships with them. And only then, when you've added value to their lives, can you invite them to become a customer. So, how do you actually do that? I've got four different tips to get you started! Four Ways to Find More Customers   1. Get scrappy. Some of you are sitting around waiting for some sophisticated formula or fool-proof plan to attract more customers. I hate to break it to you, but business doesn't work that way. Business is a science and an art, which means that while there are certainly best practices to keep in mind, there's no perfect path to success. Most business owners become successful not because they're sophisticated, but because they're really stinkin' scrappy. They're willing to get their hands dirty and try a bunch of different things to get the word out. They're willing to show up at other businesses with donuts, coffee, samples and a business card. They're not afraid to pick up the phone and do some cold calling. The bottom line is, you have to be willing to do the hard work of building relationships-and that takes a whole lot of scrappiness. 2. Get referrals. When you need your hair colored or your house cleaned, who do you want to hire? Someone you trust, right? And how do you find someone you trust? You ask your friends! Y'all, this is so important! Referrals are just another way of describing word-of-mouth marketing-the most effective form of marketing. The best part is, it's free! So, if you're not actively incentivizing your current clients to refer their friends and asking them for testimonials, you're missing out on an amazing opportunity to find new customers. 3. Improve your marketing. I want you to take a good look at your marketing efforts as a whole. Look at the different ways you're marketing your business-from your website to your social media posts and the emails you send. Then I want you to ask yourself:  Is the design clean and beautiful? Is the copy clear?...

Practice Self-Care and Give Yourself Grace   1:22 The Importance of Making Self-Care a Priority 18:00 Giving Yourself Grace with Ashley LeMieux 44:15 Challenge to Act the Way You Want to Feel Resources Get Christy's 10 Ways to Take Care of You by filling out the form here! Business Boutique Conference The Business Boutique Conference is coming back to Nashville Oct. 24–26. If you want to learn how to grow your business and chase your dream, you don’t want to miss this event. To save $10 on any Business Boutique Conference ticket, use the code BBWRIGHT. If you have a success story you would like to share with the Business Boutique community, email me at podcast@businessboutique.com. New podcast episodes are available every other week. The Importance of Making Self-Care a Priority The moment I became a momma, everything changed. My first son, Carter, was born in January of 2015, and he instantly became my entire world. This tiny human consumed my every thought, concern and desire. It was beautiful and awesome, but it was also really hard. Now, I’d gone through many hard seasons before this one. I’ve walked through seasons where I worked 80 hours a week, lost all my friends, and didn’t have much of a life outside of work. But, for whatever reason, there’s nothing quite like that feeling of losing yourself when children come into the picture. Not only do they instantly become the center of your universe, but they also just need you a lot. And that’s exactly what happened to me. I lost myself when I first became a mother. I no longer felt like Christy. I no longer felt like the young, independent, fun person I’d always known myself to be. I had so many interests—and I still do—but I wasn’t doing any of those things because taking care of Carter consumed my world. Related: Find Your True Self and Get Back to You I know many of you have probably experienced this as well. You begin to create habits and grooves where all you think about is your kids. That was definitely me, even more so when Conley came into the picture a very short time later. I got into a habit of identifying myself as Carter and Conley’s mom. That was my first point of identification. Now, I love being their mother. It’s the greatest joy of my life. But it’s not the only part of me. I quickly realized that, in keeping up with the day-to-day demands of my job, my children and my household, the first thing to go was me. The first things to go out the window were my interests and anything that brought me joy and rest (outside of my family). This was the first time in my life that I experienced this kind of guilt. Anything I wanted to do for myself felt selfish in the grand scheme of being a mom, so I wasn’t taking care of myself. Related: Getting Rid of the Guilt Doesn’t this happen to so many of us? We forget about the things that make us feel like us: exercise, shopping, pedicures, time with girlfriends or time alone. Those things become luxuries we’ll indulge in only if there’s time leftover. And you and I both know there is never time leftover. There will always be something more demanding of your time, attention and energy until you put yourself at the top of your priority list. Self-Care Is Your Responsibility If you feel rushed, run down, busy, burned out, grumpy or resentful in your own life, it’s probably because you haven’t taken care of yourself. And there’s only one person who can fix that: you. The most important truth you need to know about self-care is that it’s up to you. That’s why it’s called self-care. No one can do it for you. No one can make you take time off work, take a vacation, soak in a bubble bath, get a pedicure, or make you value yourself but you. So, if you’re sitting around and waiting for someone to give you permission to take care of yourself, it’s not going to happen. Now, don’t get me wrong. Loving your children more than life is not a bad thing. But, it’s still okay to want more for your life. It’s not wrong to have a busy season, but you have to stop putting everyone else first and then resenting them for it. The truth is that what your people need from you more than a warm meal on the table or a ride to soccer is a woman in their life who has come alive—a woman who is full of joy and is confident and happy to be doing whatever it is she’s doing. And, by the way, self-care is a way of life. It doesn’t mean taking a bubble bath once a quarter and hoping it’s going to wash your troubles away. I’m talking about valuing yourself and making yourself a regular, consistent priority in your own life. It’s about filling your own tank. It’s just like when you drive. If you run out of gas on the side of the road, it’s so much more frustrating and stressful to get the gas you need to fill up your car. But, if you keep your tank full, it’s pretty easy to stay moving and get a refill when you’re running low. So, stop waiting until you’re on the verge of a nervous breakdown to throw up a flag, raise your hand, and ask for help. Stop waiting until there’s a crisis. Instead, keep your tank full. Stop Apologizing for Taking Care of Yourself So, how do you keep your tank full? Do the things you love to do regularly. It might feel a little awkward or selfish the first time you do it. But I want you to know you don’t have to apologize for it—not the first time you do it or the hundredth time. A few years ago, I was hanging out with some of my mom friends when one of them said she was taking a trip to Florida with a girlfriend. The exciting update was immediately followed by a long list of reasons she needed to go. I wanted to stop her and tell her she didn’t have to explain herself. She didn’t need to have a list of reasons to take this trip. She didn’t have to validate it to us or to anyone else. And I want to say the same thing to you today. The sad part is that I don’t think my friend was trying to justify it to us. I think she was trying to justify it to herself to get through the guilt of doing something for herself. The truth is that doing something for yourself should be a consistent priority, and you never have to be sorry for doing it. Related: Finding Your Purpose Through Intentional Living  I’m not saying you should neglect your family or any of your responsibilities. I’m saying that, in order to take care of them, you have to take care of yourself. Taking care of yourself is not selfish. It’s self-preservation, and it’s smart. So, let me ask you: What brings you joy? What gives you energy and fills your tank? What makes you feel rested? Make a list, save it on your phone, or put it by your bedside, and then start to integrate those activities into your life—not just on your birthday or on a holiday, but on a regular basis. When you do this, not only will everyone around you benefit but you’ll enjoy your life so much more. Giving Yourself Grace with Ashley LeMieux I’m so excited for you to meet my good friend Ashley LeMieux. She’s the founder of The Shine Project and Shop Ashley LeMieux. And she’s also the author of the upcoming book Born to Shine: Practical Tools to Help You Shine, Even in Life’s Darkest Moments. Ashley exemplifies this truth so beautifully. Despite the hard roads she’s walked, she shines so brightly. About seven years ago, Ashley was fresh out of college, newly married, and working as an intern at an inner-city high school in Arizona. At that school, she worked with soon-to-be first-generation college students who didn’t have many resources or mentors to help them reach their potential and pursue higher education. Ashely was so passionate about these students, and she wanted to be the person to help them build a successful life. She already had a successful blog called The Shine Project, so she used that platform to advocate for these students and raise money to send them to college. In her first year of doing this, she was able to raise enough money to send 10 students to their freshman year of college. It was an amazing accomplishment, but she wanted to do more. Ashely felt strongly about building a business where these students could work while in college. So, she taught herself how to make jewelry, then taught the students to make it, and they sold the products online. Today, not only are these students learning a valuable skill, but through the sales, The Shine Project is able to send even more students to college. On this episode, Ashley and I talk about: Pushing past fear to make your dreams come true Knowing what your next step should be Taking care of yourself when devastation strikes Turning your pain into your power Giving yourself grace in difficult seasons Challenge: Act the Way You Want to Feel On the last episode of the podcast, I told you the story of my recent trip to the beach with my husband. We were so excited to be taking a vacation—just the two of us. We had booked this amazing hotel that (based on the website’s photos and descriptions) we thought would be right on the beach. Unfortunately, when we arrived, we realized it was all a lie. The hotel actually sat on a busy street. As you can imagine, I was so disappointed. I shared that story with you to challenge you to under-promise and over-deliver for your customers. But, today, I want to share the second part of that story. After being completely frustrated by the hotel, I quickly started researching other hotels to see if I could find a last-minute room that overlooked the beach. I found one just down the street that looked beautiful, but it was so expensive. Plus, we would have had to pay a fee to cancel our current reservation. After about 20 minutes of research, I decided it wasn’t worth all the money and hassle. I realized in that moment that I had two choices: I could continue being disappointed and get frustrated every time a motorcycle drove by. I could change my attitude. I literally told my husband, “We’re not changing hotels. Instead, I’m going to change my attitude right now. I won’t bring this up again. We’re going to have an awesome vacation. Thank you for letting me explore my options, but now that we know it’s not right to move, we’re going to stay at our current hotel, and I’m going to have a great attitude about it.” Related: How to Be Content in Every Situation In that instant, I flipped a switch in my mind, and I made a choice to have a great attitude. Here’s what I want you to take away from that story: You’re going to find yourself in situations in which you’re unhappy or disappointed. It’s inevitable. If you can fix the problem, certainly explore your options. But, if you can’t fix it, my challenge to you is to change your attitude. Flip that switch in your mind, and let it go. Not only will it benefit everyone around you, but you’ll have a much better time as well. You are in control of your feelings. Your feelings are not in control of you. You don’t have to feel a certain way to act a certain way. You can act the way you want to feel, and your feelings will follow.

Practice Self-Care and Give Yourself Grace   1:22 The Importance of Making Self-Care a Priority 18:00 Giving Yourself Grace with Ashley LeMieux 44:15 Challenge to Act the Way You Want to Feel Resources Get Christy's 10 Ways to Take Care of You by filling out the form here! Business Boutique Conference The Business Boutique Conference is coming back to Nashville Oct. 24-26. If you want to learn how to grow your business and chase your dream, you don't want to miss this event. To save $10 on any Business Boutique Conference ticket, use the code BBWRIGHT. If you have a success story you would like to share with the Business Boutique community, email me at podcast@businessboutique.com. New podcast episodes are available every other week. The Importance of Making Self-Care a Priority The moment I became a momma, everything changed. My first son, Carter, was born in January of 2015, and he instantly became my entire world. This tiny human consumed my every thought, concern and desire. It was beautiful and awesome, but it was also really hard. Now, I'd gone through many hard seasons before this one. I've walked through seasons where I worked 80 hours a week, lost all my friends, and didn't have much of a life outside of work. But, for whatever reason, there's nothing quite like that feeling of losing yourself when children come into the picture. Not only do they instantly become the center of your universe, but they also just need you a lot. And that's exactly what happened to me. I lost myself when I first became a mother. I no longer felt like Christy. I no longer felt like the young, independent, fun person I'd always known myself to be. I had so many interests-and I still do-but I wasn't doing any of those things because taking care of Carter consumed my world. Related: Find Your True Self and Get Back to You I know many of you have probably experienced this as well. You begin to create habits and grooves where all you think about is your kids. That was definitely me, even more so when Conley came into the picture a very short time later. I got into a habit of identifying myself as Carter and Conley's mom. That was my first point of identification. Now, I love being their mother. It's the greatest joy of my life. But it's not the only part of me. I quickly realized that, in keeping up with the day-to-day demands of my job, my children and my household, the first thing to go was me. The first things to go out the window were my interests and anything that brought me joy and rest (outside of my family). This was the first time in my life that I experienced this kind of guilt. Anything I wanted to do for myself felt selfish in the grand scheme of being a mom, so I wasn't taking care of myself. Related: Getting Rid of the Guilt Doesn't this happen to so many of us? We forget about the things that make us feel like us: exercise, shopping, pedicures, time with girlfriends or time alone. Those things become luxuries we'll indulge in only if there's time leftover. And you and I both know there is never time leftover. There will always be something more demanding of your time, attention and energy until you put yourself at the top of your priority list. Self-Care Is Your Responsibility If you feel rushed, run down, busy, burned out, grumpy or resentful in your own life, it's probably because you haven't taken care of yourself. And there's only one person who can fix that: you. The most important truth you need to know about self-care is that it's up to you. That's why it's called self-care. No one can do it for you. No one can make you take time off work, take a vacation, soak in a bubble bath, get a pedicure, or make you value yourself but you. So, if you're sitting around and waiting for someone to give you permission to take care of yourself, it's not going to happen. Now, don't get me wrong. Loving your children more than life is...

What would you do with a nine-hour layover in Chicago? Would you: Keep it safe and sit at the airport reading a book to ensure you didn’t miss your connecting flight? Grab your best friend, do as much exploring as possible, and make it back to the airport just in time to board? I don’t know what you’d pick. But can you take a wild guess which one I’d choose? That’s right, I’d choose option two any day. But do you know what I’ve noticed? There are actually people out there who would choose the first option every single time. Crazy, right? Even more shocking, one of them is a very good friend of mine. Related: 5 of the Most Important Qualities You Can Teach Your Kids When I was a junior in college, I got the opportunity to travel to Europe for my Western Civilization class. The week before we left, I remember receiving a very detailed itinerary from our trip leader, and the first thing I noticed was a nine-hour layover in Chicago. Normally, I wouldn’t get pumped about a nine-hour layover anywhere. But, I was a 21-year-old southern girl who had never been up north. So, the potential to have a big chunk of time to sightsee, shop, and eat my way through a very cool northern city got me pumped. I immediately called one of my good friends who was also going on the trip. Our conversation went a little something like this: Me: Guess what? We have nine hours in Chicago! We can go sightseeing, tour the city, and try new restaurants! Friend: No, we can’t. Me: We can’t? Friend: No. We can’t do that. We can’t leave the airport. Me: How do you know? Did you read something I missed? Friend: No. I’m just sure we can’t go. Me: Did someone tell you that? Like a leader or a past participant? Friend: No. I’m just sure we can’t go. Me: That’s so interesting, because I am so sure we can. I learned something about myself and other people that day. There tend to be two personality styles when it comes to trying new things. There are those who, when in doubt, assume they can’t. And there are those who, when the information or rules are not clear, assume they can. But you know what? Regardless of how you’re wired, you will go further and faster in life when you assume that you can. More importantly, someone who assumes they can do whatever it is they want to do is more willing, able and confident to try new things. And trying new things in life and in business is vital to growth. Your life will be small and predictable if all you ever do is what you know—if you only ever stick to is what is safe. That’s not the life God wants for you. He wants you to push the limits, get outside your comfort zone and try something new. Related: How to Push Past Your Comfort Zone and Try Something New Oh, and in case you were wondering, a group of 21-year-olds who were paying for a trip to Europe can, in fact, leave an airport to run around Chicago for a few hours. And once my friend got all the approvals she needed, we had an amazing time exploring the city. I don’t want you to miss out on all that God has prepared for you. That’s why I want to encourage you to train yourself to assume you can. Because when you do, you’ll try new things, see new things, experience new things, and grow in new ways. Now, don’t get me wrong: I’m not saying you need to change things just for the sake of changing them. If something in your life is rocking and rolling, keep doing that. However, don’t let things get stale in your life. Don’t keep doing what you’ve always been doing simply because you’ve always done it that way. Bring renewed vigor into your life by mixing things up a bit. Here are three tactical things you can do this week to try something new: 1. Add some personality. Maybe, up until this point, everything has been strictly business—in work, in your parenting, and in your marriage. That’s no fun! I want to encourage you to add some playfulness and humor into the mix. Don’t just show your followers the good stuff. Laugh at yourself as you show them some failures and mistakes you’ve experienced that week. Tell them all the ridiculous things that happened. People love that kind of realness. When you add personality to your business, it not only makes it fun for your followers, it makes it fun for you. Win-win! 2. Show behind the scenes. Have you ever noticed how reality TV shows will always show a person’s backstory before they get on the stage to sing or dance? Y’all, that’s on purpose. People love to hear other people’s backstories, especially when there’s a redemption angle. So, what can you share to become more relatable? I love the quote by Fred Rogers (Mister Rogers) that says, “Frankly, there isn’t anyone you couldn’t learn to love once you’ve heard their story.” This week, why not try pulling the curtain back and revealing a few secrets? 3. Learn something new. This is probably my favorite. You’ll never know the limits of your capabilities if you don’t learn something new. There are so many ways to do this: Listen to a new podcast, attend an event, read a new book, or seek out a new relationship. When you invite something new into your business and life, every part of you experiences growth. I know new things can be scary and overwhelming. But I promise you that everything you want— everything that’s good and worthwhile in the world—exists outside your comfort zone. So, assume that you can, try something new, and I promise you’ll be glad that you did. Embracing Change with Kelsey Humphreys Kelsey Humphreys is the queen of trying new things. Hence why introducing her consists of a long list of talents: She’s a speaker, comedienne, author, musician, YouTuber and host of The Kelsey Show podcast. In everything she does, she keeps one mission top-of-mind: To get you laughing and keep you moving toward your goals. I love that she uses so many different avenues to accomplish that mission. But how was she able to discover all those talents she’s capable of? You got it: By having the courage to try new things. Kelsey started her career in corporate advertising. She worked her way up the ladder when, one year, a frozen yogurt company reached out and asked her if she would run all of their marketing and branding for their more than 200 stores. This new giant client allowed her to leave the corporate world to start her own business as a freelancer. But when this major client was sold to another company, Kelsey had two options: She could seek out new clients and continue building her freelance business, or she could do what she really wanted to do—start her own show. The rest, as they say, is history. On this episode, Kelsey and I talk about: How to discover who you are by trying new things How to overcome the fear of rejection What to do with failure when you try something new Discovering new avenues for pursuing what you love How to fit new things into what you’re already doing Related: Learning From Failure: How to Dust Yourself Off and Move Forward Setting the Right Expectations Every spring, my husband and I take an extended weekend vacation to the beach—just the two of us. After the long winter season, all we want is to spend a few days with the sun beaming down on our faces. As we were planning this trip, we kept coming across this one hotel that had great reviews. People recommended it again and again. It had a beautiful infinity pool overlooking the beach and oceanfront rooms. It had everything we wanted, so we booked it. The day finally came when it was time to fly down to Florida. But the moment we pulled into the hotel, I was confused. This hotel was not on the ocean. It was on a busy street. I was mystified because every single photo we saw online showed the hotel right on the beach. I was amazed at how they managed to manipulate the photos to suspiciously remove the busy street where the hotel actually sat. As you can imagine, all my excitement and anticipation for this trip diminished. I’d looked forward to walking out of the hotel and immediately stepping onto the sand. I’d fantasized about listening from my balcony as the waves crashed on the shore. And now, none of that would be possible. But here’s the thing: If the hotel’s website had mentioned that this hotel was on a busy street that led to another street actually connected to the beach, I wouldn’t have been disappointed when I arrived. I would’ve known exactly what I was signing up for, or I would’ve booked a different hotel that offered what I was looking for. It’s so easy to do this in business. You want to attract more customers, so you make big, grand promises. But do you know what happens if you don’t meet those expectations? Your customers are disappointed because you overpromised and under-delivered. Related: The Right Way to Handle Your Competition So, I want to encourage you to do something different. I want you to under-promise and over-deliver to your clients. Be incredibly realistic and conservative with your quotes, timelines and capabilities. Be conservative about what you know you can do, and then blow your customers away. Exceed their expectations. When you do this, not only will your customers be much happier, but they’ll come back, too. 1:19 Three Tactical Things You Can Do This Week to Try Something New 13:37 Embracing Change with Kelsey Humphreys 41:44 Challenge to Set the Right Expectations for Your Customers Resources Business Boutique Conference The Business Boutique Conference is coming back to Nashville Oct. 24–26. If you want to learn how to grow your business and chase your dream, you don’t want to miss this event. To save $10 on any Business Boutique Conference ticket, use the code BBWRIGHT. Sponsors DesignCrowd Check out our friends at DesignCrowd. If you’re looking for design work for your business, anything from a logo – to business cards – to your website, DesignCrowd is offering you, my Business Boutique listeners, a special offer to save up to $100 when you start your next project. Simply enter the discount code “BB” when posting a project on DesignCrowd. Or visit DesignCrowd.com/BB. If you have a success story you would like to share with the Business Boutique community, email me at podcast@businessboutique.com. New podcast episodes are available every other week.

Do you remember dreaming about what your first job would be after college? Maybe you pictured yourself putting on business clothes every day, sitting in creative brainstorming meetings and—arguably the best part when you’re a broke college student—finally getting an adult paycheck. I know I sure did. Unfortunately, that wasn’t what happened—not even close. My first job after graduating was as an advertising coordinator at a local newspaper in Nashville, TN. I was so excited about this position. From the name alone, I thought it sounded perfect for me. I envisioned myself working across every department and helping them come up with creative ways to market their messages. Well, it wasn’t long before my little fantasy was crushed. Turns out that “advertising coordinator” was really just a fancy title for data entry. I spent my days inputting data into a decades-old software program that crashed every few hours. Every day, I walked into a gray cinder block building with gray walls, gray ceilings, gray cubicles and fluorescent lights. I died a little inside every day I worked there. It was a mind-numbing, miserable job for someone like me—creative, energetic and a people-person. But the problem wasn’t only that the job made me miserable. I couldn’t be myself. I wasn’t doing something I was good at. I wasn’t in a position that made me come alive, gave me energy, or brought me joy. I wasn’t even using my strengths or talents. I wasn’t being me. Related: Recognizing Your Gifts Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever been in situations, gone through seasons, or even spent years feeling like you lost yourself? Feeling like you didn’t even recognize who you were anymore? I meet so many women who feel like they’ve gotten lost in motherhood, their careers or in other people’s expectations of them. That last one—other people’s expectations—reminds me of a fascinating book called The Top Five Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware. Bronnie spent years working in palliative care. During her time caring for the terminally ill, Bronnie wrote a blog that later became a book about the most common regrets of the people she cared for. The number one regret was having worked too much. But the second one really surprised me. It was not having lived a life that was true to themselves. What Bronnie learned is so important. It’s an opportunity for us to adjust our perspective and start making choices today that will help us avoid that same regret. Because a life well-lived is one where we live as our truest selves. Women often tell me they’ve lived for other people for so long they don’t even know what they want anymore. Even worse, they don’t even know who they are anymore. If this is you today, I want to encourage you: You don’t have to stay there and wonder who you are or where “the real you” went. I want to give you five questions you can ask yourself that will help you get back to you. Consider them road signs to point you in the right direction. Related: Push Forward and Get Unstuck Five Questions to Help You Discover Your True Self 1. What do you want? Don’t ask yourself what your spouse wants, what your kids need, or what all your friends think you should do. Ask yourself what you want. That’s a tough question to answer because we so often consider our own desires to be selfish. But the truth is that the desires of your heart are not bad things. They are God things. In fact, Jesus asked this same question. A blind man once approached Jesus asking for mercy. Jesus responded by asking him, “What do you want me to do for you?” (Luke 18:41 NIV). Don’t you think Jesus knew what this blind man wanted? Jesus didn’t need the blind man to tell him, but I believe Jesus wanted to draw out those desires in him. And He wants to do the same for you.  2.Where do you want to be? If you don’t know where you’re going, you’re never going to get there. That’s why I think it’s so important to ask yourself where you want to be in one, three, five and even 10 years. It’s too easy to get caught up in the day-to-day rut of life. We’re so overwhelmed with what’s happening right now, we forget to plan for the future. But if you don’t stop and ask yourself where you want to be in the future, then you’re going to be in the same place one, three, five and even 10 years from now. Look ahead. Think about where you’re going. Give yourself a sense of direction—not just for the person you are today, but for the person you’re going to become. Related: Finding Your Purpose Through Intentional Living 3. What gives you energy? What breathes life and energy into you? Your energy level is a great indicator of how much an activity or commitment is in line with your true self. Have you ever noticed how completely drained you are when you do something you’re not good at or that you don’t enjoy or care about? Sure, what you love might still make you tired, but it’s the good kind of tired—the kind where you want to wake up and do it all over again. So what activities from your past or present do that for you? 4. What makes you feel like yourself? Too many times in my life, I’ve done things for other people to make them happy, and I hated myself in the process. I’ve even made purchases that I didn’t want to make with money I didn’t have because I didn’t want to hurt the salesman’s feelings. Isn’t that ridiculous? I bet you’ve done similar things. Because, as women, we just hate to say no. I’m willing to bet you’ve made commitments and said yes to things you didn’t want to do. But it shouldn’t be that way! Let’s start asking a different question: What makes you like yourself? When are you the proudest and most confident? Do more of that. 5. What makes you come alive? Before you got married, had children, and started your career or business, I bet you had a set of strengths and talents you offered the world around you. If we’re not careful, we’ll stop offering who we are and what we have, and instead become who we think the world needs us to be. Chores completed. A warm meal on the table. A ride to soccer. But what if instead of going around asking yourself what everybody needs, you asked yourself what it is that makes you come alive? What your husband needs from you more than a warm meal on the table, and what your kids need from you more than a ride to soccer, and what your job and business need from you more than tasks completed, is a woman in their lives who has come alive. I believe every single one of you was created on purpose and for a purpose. And nothing makes me come alive more than watching women set free to pursue their God-given gifts. When you do that, you can get back to you, live as your true self, and make God proud in the process. Getting Back to You with Chrystal Evans Hurst Chrystal Evans Hurst comes from a powerhouse family. You probably know her parents, legendary pastors Tony and Lois Evans, and her siblings Priscilla Shirer, Anthony Evans and Jonathan Evans. Every single one of them has dedicated their lives to full-time ministry. I feel like Chrystal and I are kindred spirits. We both get energized by encouraging women to live out the truest version of themselves. Chrystal is a speaker, author of the books She’s Still There, Show Up for Your Life and Kingdom Woman, host of the Chrystal’s Chronicles podcast and a great friend of mine. Chrystal also has five kids! So, y’all, if anyone has an excuse to not live as her true self because she’s busy and overwhelmed, it’s her! But nonetheless, she’s doing it, and you can too. In this episode, Chrystal and I talk about: The key to living your most authentic life How to dig up your gifts when you don’t think you have any Signs you’re not living your truest self Enemies who lead to a distracted life Challenge: You Get to Choose The other day, I was talking with a college-aged woman who I mentor. She was telling me about a friend of hers who is toxic and full of drama and negativity. So, I asked her the most obvious question I could possibly think of: “Why are you friends with her?” She responded, “Well, she goes to my church, and we’re in the same friend group.” Still confused, I responded, “But why are you friends with her? You’re not a child anymore. As an adult, you get to choose who you spend your time with. So, why are you friends with her? Why do you want to be friends with a toxic person who brings you down?” That might sound harsh, but it actually led to a great dialogue between us. We might not be 19 anymore, but sometimes we still struggle with letting go of toxic friends as well. A few years ago, I was still hanging out with a woman who always just made me feel terrible after we’d spend time together. We’d meet up for coffee, and then I’d come home and complain to my husband about all the ways she brought me down. One day, he asked me the same question I asked my mentee: “Why do you hang out with her? Why are you friends with her?”  I couldn’t come up with a logical reason. That’s when I knew I had to cut her out of my life.  Related: How to Be More Confident Do you have anyone like that in your life? Let me shoot straight with you: Why do you spend time with people who bring you down, make you feel bad about yourself, or bring negativity into your life? Friend, your life is just that—yours. You not only have the right to protect it, you have the responsibility. That’s why my challenge to you is this: Make some choices. Figure out who in your life might need a few degrees of separation or need to be removed all together. Don’t spend your life with people who bring you down. You have the right to choose your friends. 1:20 Five Questions to Help You Discover Your True Self 16:38 Getting Back to You with Chrystal Evans Hurst 42:12 Challenge to Choose Your Friends Resources Business Boutique Conference The Business Boutique Conference is coming back to Nashville Oct. 24–26. If you want to learn how to grow your business and chase your dream, you don’t want to miss this event. To save $10 on any Business Boutique Conference ticket, use the code BBWRIGHT. Sponsors DesignCrowd Check out our friends at DesignCrowd. If you’re looking for design work for your business, anything from a logo – to business cards – to your website, DesignCrowd is offering you, my Business Boutique listeners, a special offer to save up to $100 when you start your next project. Simply enter the discount code “BB” when posting a project on DesignCrowd. Or visit DesignCrowd.com/BB. If you have a success story you would like to share with the Business Boutique community, email me at podcast@businessboutique.com. New podcast episodes are available every other week.

Several years ago, I met someone I’ve admired from afar for years. I was on the road for the spring Business Boutique event in 2016, and we had booked someone who I consider to be a mega-celebrity speaker: Christine Caine. I couldn’t believe I was going to meet her in person and share a stage with her. I would have been grateful simply for the privilege of shaking hands, taking pictures, and hanging out with her. It felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But it was even better than that. We became friends in real life. The following year, she even invited me to speak on her conference tour, Propel Women. Of course, I agreed. We traveled around the country and spoke at six different events. And this relationship has only continued to grow. She was one of the first people I texted when I found out I was having a baby girl. And she is someone who I continually lean on for mentorship and guidance. Christine is just one example of the many incredible people I’ve had the privilege of building relationships with through Business Boutique over the last five years. Not only have these connections benefited my personal life, but they’ve also helped my business as well. It’s true what they say: “It’s all about who you know.” The quality of your life is a direct reflection of the quality of your relationships. The same is true in business. The quality of your business is a direct reflection of the quality of your relationships. Every opportunity that you will ever have in your lifetime will come through people. So regardless of what type of business you’re in, you’re in the people business. Related: Building Business Relationships That’s why I want to help you with something that many people find intimidating: networking. I meet so many women who are terrified of it. They often feel like making new connections is only for outgoing personalities. But I don’t believe that to be true. So today, I want to bust three myths we believe about networking so you can stop believing these lies and take advantage of all it has to offer. Three Myths We Believe About Networking Myth #1: There’s only one way to do it. When you think about networking, you probably picture talking to strangers at a formal event and a lot of awkward interactions. It’s no wonder you want no part of it! But do you know what networking really is? Meeting people and making connections. That’s it. It’s really that simple. And you can build relationships with people anywhere and at any time. I’d be willing to bet you’re already doing this every single day. As women, we’re naturally relational and enjoy connecting with new people. It’s what we do. You don’t need to have a pitch or an agenda or be in a formal setting to meet someone new. Stop thinking about networking as anything more than making a new friend. Related: 4 Friends You Need for Your Business Myth #2: You have to be extroverted. Introverts might experience more anxiety when walking into a roomful of people, but they actually have the advantage. Why? Because introverts are gifted at connecting one-on-one and building deep, quality relationships. They may not want to work the room or be the life of the party, but they’re going to walk out of there with at least one real connection. Here’s a tip for you introverts: Start small. Scan the room and see if you can find just one person who looks inviting (bonus points if they’re also alone). Walk up to them and introduce yourself. I guarantee that anyone in that room who is standing by themselves will welcome a friendly face because they’re probably feeling exactly how you are. Keep in mind that this doesn’t have to only be in-person. You can make connections online. For introverts, it’s a great way to get out of your shell and get some practice under your belt. Myth #3: You’ll come off as self-seeking. We all have this fear that people will think we have an agenda or we’re going to take advantage of them when we’re networking. It’s the same reason we feel weird about selling. But there’s a tried and true way to get over this: Focus on what you can give, not on what you can get. Here’s what’s so beautiful about this idea: It will help you in business, marketing, speaking, life and networking. Basically, it will help you everywhere. I want you to approach everything in your life by focusing on what you can give. I guarantee the person on the other side of the conversation will feel the difference. Related: How to Sell Without Feeling Slimy When you walk into a trade show or event, don’t walk in there thinking, How can I get a business card or a new client or a referral? Instead, think about how you can provide solutions and real value. When you have that mindset, I’m willing to bet you’ll get more than you can imagine in return. Remember, people buy from those they know, like and trust. So just focus on the relationship. Business can happen later. Because, at the end of the day, networking is just a fancy word for making new friends who can play a role in building your dream and your business. How to Make the Right Connections with Ken Coleman Ken Coleman is an expert when it comes to making the right connections in life and in business. He went from having zero experience or education in broadcasting to become nationally known by strategically positioning himself in proximity to the right people. Today, Ken is the host of The Ken Coleman Show and The EntreLeadership Podcast. He’s also the author of One Question and the brand-new book The Proximity Principle: The Proven Strategy That Will Lead to the Career You Love. Ken’s work is centered around helping people figure out what they’re passionate about so they can move into a life and career they love—just like he did. In this episode, Ken and I talk about: The secret to methodical growth in your career How to start a business or change jobs without going back to school When to give up on a dream and when to persevere How to learn from professionals even when you don’t live near them The difference between audacious and obnoxious The Most Important Quality You Can Have Many of you may already know, but I am expecting my third child (a baby girl!) in September. So, of course, I’ve been thinking a lot about being a mom and the qualities I want my children to have. I often think, What do I want for my children? Who do I want them to be? What prayers should I pray for them? For as long as I can remember, there has been one particular quality that I have wanted above all others: Confidence. I have seen how it can be a game-changer in your life. When you’re self-assured, you’ll reach for bigger dreams and write scarier goals. You’ll ask for more and assume you’re capable of doing whatever it is you want to do. You’ll withstand peer pressure (even in adulthood), put yourself out there, and take more risks. Related: How to Be More Confident  Like networking, people tend to think confidence is just for extroverts and the social butterflies. It couldn’t be further from the truth. Confidence is a skill and freely available to anyone Fear, on the other hand, establishes limits in your life. Nothing will build your confidence like pushing beyond your comfort zone, trying something new, going after what you’re afraid of, and realizing you are capable of far more than you imagined. Friends, don’t stay stuck feeling like your fears will always rule you. Confidence is a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it becomes. Over time, it will become authentic. Don’t wait until you’re not scared to do the thing you want to do. Work on cultivating confidence in your own life and then go do it scared. 1:21 Three Myths We Believe About Networking 14:21 How to Make the Right Connections with Ken Coleman 50:55 Encouragement to Cultivate Confidence in Your Life Resources The Proximity Principle by Ken Coleman Ken Coleman's new book, The Proximity Principle: The Proven Strategy That Will Lead to the Career You Love, gives you a proven plan that will lead you to more opportunities than you’ve ever seen before. And it's available now! Use the code BBPROXIMITY at checkout to receive a bonus Business Boutique podcast episode with Ken Coleman where we talk about the 5 Steps to Living a Life of Significance. Order The Proximity Principle today at KenColeman.com. Business Boutique Conference The Business Boutique Conference is coming back to Nashville Oct. 24–26. If you want to learn how to grow your business and chase your dream, you don’t want to miss this event. To save $10 on any Business Boutique Conference ticket, use the code BBWRIGHT. Sponsors DesignCrowd Check out our friends at DesignCrowd. If you’re looking for design work for your business, anything from a logo – to business cards – to your website, DesignCrowd is offering you, my Business Boutique listeners, a special offer to save up to $100 when you start your next project. Simply enter the discount code “BB” when posting a project on DesignCrowd. Or visit DesignCrowd.com/BB. If you have a success story you would like to share with the Business Boutique community, email me at podcast@businessboutique.com. New podcast episodes are available every other week.

You know those awful dreams where you’re desperately trying to run away from someone or something and you can’t get away? You feel like your feet are stuck in blocks of cement. And when you try to scream for help, all that comes out is air. I’ve had that same kind of dream more times than I would like to admit. Regardless of the scenario, the theme is the same: I can’t get away because I’m not in control. Sometimes we can feel like that in real life too. You want to get ahead in your business. But no matter what you do, you just can’t take it to the next level. Or maybe it’s your relationship. You used to laugh and play and go on dates. But not anymore. Or maybe you feel like you’ve lost a piece of yourself, and you can’t figure out why you just don’t have the same gusto or energy you used to have. Related: Perseverance in Your Business: How to Keep Going When You Want to Give Up Feeling stuck is hard. But you know what? This is not a bad dream where you can’t run away or scream for help. This is real life, and you are more in control than you realize. With a few small changes, you can regain momentum and get unstuck. Today, I want to share five practical steps you can take to get back to pursuing your goals. Five Steps to Help You Get Unstuck Step 1: Go Back to Your Why We talk about your why all the time at Business Boutique. Knowing it will answer questions like: Why are you doing this? Why is this important to you? Why does this type of success matter to you? I love that these questions can apply to any area of your life—parenting, goal-setting, your marriage, your business, etc. Wherever you’re feeling stuck, remind yourself why this thing or person or work is a gift from God. When you go back to your original motivation, you return to a perspective you probably lost along the way—when you got busy, tired and stuck. Let your why reignite the fire within you. Step 2: Get Moving The very meaning of the word stuck means a lack of movement. But it’s a lot easier to stay moving once you get moving. That’s why your only objective in this step is to take a baby step toward some kind of physical activity. For some, that might be just getting out of bed and putting on clean clothes. For others, it’s putting on makeup or going for a walk. Don’t think about all the things you need to do yet; focus on the smallest step you can take to get moving. It doesn’t have to be directly related to your end goal either. Even just going for a run can you give you the energy you need to get back to work. Step 3: Focus on One Thing at a Time A long to-do list is overwhelming. When you look at all the work that needs to get done, it’s easy to believe you can’t accomplish all of it. Instead, I want you to pick the most urgent task and focus on completing just that one thing. Checking off the first activity from your list will give you a great sense of satisfaction. It’s a quick win, and it’s progress. And any progress is positive. Step 4: Change What You Say We have a tendency to make our problems bigger with the words we use. Confession: I’m the queen of this. If I’m a little overwhelmed, I magnify the issue by talking about it a lot. Related: Is It Fear, or Wisdom? If you only think about how overwhelmed you are and how stuck you feel, then that’s exactly where you’re going to stay. You fan the flame when you talk about it day in and day out. That’s why Step 4 is to change your attitude and change your words. I love how Brené Brown puts it: “Talk to yourself like you would someone you love.” Step 5: Pray The power of prayer is real. If God cares about every dream in your heart, don’t you think He cares that you’re feeling stuck? He’s a way-maker. He makes a way when there seems to be no other way. If you’ve never experienced this, start now. I want to encourage you to pray about the big things and the small things and everything in between. Related: Inviting Faith Into Your Business You might be feeling stuck right now, and we all do in different seasons of life and business. But that’s not where you have to stay. Remind yourself of your why, get moving, focus on one thing at a time, change what you say, and pray. I’m confident that God will get you through this. Persevering When You’re Stuck with Jordan Lee Dooley I am so excited to introduce y’all to Jordan Lee Dooley. She’s a creative entrepreneur, author, speaker, coach and the host of The SHE Podcast. Jordan is an accidental entrepreneur. In college, her boyfriend at the time (now husband!) encouraged her to find a creative outlet. She loved hand lettering, so she started selling mugs on Etsy. It grew so quickly that she had to recruit the help of her sorority sisters to package and ship her products. Her Etsy store expanded to include a personal blog and social media accounts where she would write and share stories of the women in her life. People loved it. That’s when Jordan realized she was running more than just a mug shop. Today, SoulScripts is a lifestyle shop and movement of women supporting other women. On this episode, Jordan and I talk about: The temptations that keep us stuck How to know what the next right step is Why research and trying new things is important Learning from the season you’re in How to take informed steps of faith Living Your Version of Success I’ve noticed something while working with women of all ages and stages of business: We have a lot of different ideas about what success looks like. Years ago, when I was doing research for Business Boutique, I talked to some women who just wanted to make a couple extra hundred dollars a month to help pay for their kid’s sports. Others wanted to run a seven-figure business, grow a team, and open multiple locations. Here is what is so beautiful: The heart behind both of those dreams, and everything in between, is what really matters. Because it’s not your top-line or bottom-line growth or how many team members you have that’s important. It’s whether you’re happy and feel successful in your dream. If you want to make a little extra money for soccer or a trip to Disneyland, that’s valid and worthy and you should chase that dream. If you want your company to be a national brand and have multiple locations, that’s also valid and worthy. Both of those dreams are important because they’re yours.   Related: Shake Off Your Shame Don’t look to others to define success. Just make money doing what you love. So, how do you define success? Write it down. It might change in the future, so just focus on your version of success right now. In my research, I found that as women achieved their version of success, their dreams and goals got bigger. As their confidence grew, their dreams grew. You have the right—in fact, you have the responsibility—to chase your version of success. So, what’s that going to be? #AskChristyWright On this segment of #AskChristyWright, we talk about the pros and cons of launching a course versus a subscription membership site. If you have a question for me, call my toll-free number 844-944-1074 for a chance to be featured on the show. 1:27 Five Steps to Help You Get Unstuck 16:48 Persevering When You’re Stuck with Jordan Lee Dooley 42:58 #AskChristyWright 45:48 Challenge: Live Your Version of Success Resources Business Boutique Conference The Business Boutique Conference is coming back to Nashville Oct. 24–26. If you want to learn how to grow your business and chase your dream, you don’t want to miss this event. To save $10 on any Business Boutique Conference ticket, use the code BBWRIGHT. Sponsors Check out our friends at DesignCrowd. If you’re looking for design work for your business, anything from a logo – to business cards – to your website, DesignCrowd is offering you, my Business Boutique listeners, a special offer to save up to $100 when you start your next project. Simply enter the discount code “BB” when posting a project on DesignCrowd. Or visit DesignCrowd.com/BB. If you have a success story you would like to share with the Business Boutique community, email me at podcast@businessboutique.com. New podcast episodes are available every other week.

A periscope clip of James Inman on the the Doug Stanhope podcast at Barleycorns in Wichita, KS. Why not add @gregchaille for more periscope clips?      James Inman meets up with Doug, Andy Andrist, Junior Stopka, Chaille pre show at Barleycorns in Wichita, KS to apologize for everything. Doug's new special is now out on Seeso.com. Click here to sign up now and use offer code "stanhope" to get your first 2 months free! Recorded Oct 15, 2016 at Barleycorns in Wichita, KS with Doug Stanhope (@DougStanhope), James Inman (@jzenman), Andy Andrist (@AndyAndrist), Junior Stopka (@JuniorStopka), and Ggreg Chaille (@gregchaille). Produced & Edited by Ggreg Chaille. LINKS: James Inman Merch "The Greyhound Diaries" - https://www.amazon.com/Greyhound-Diary-James-Inman/dp/1411649222   Misogynist Clown CD - https://www.amazon.com/Misogynist-Clown-Outtakes-Bootlegs-Complete/dp/B01DKO6VLY/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476761551&sr=8-2-fkmr1&keywords=james+inman+comedy   Pander Monkey CD - https://www.amazon.com/Pander-Monkey-Bootlegs-Complete-Explicit/dp/B01DFGMYS6/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476761551&sr=8-3-fkmr1&keywords=james+inman+comedy   ESPN 30 for 30 “Catching Hell” - http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=13883887 *Remember, #Bartman any time the CUBS play.   TWEET @DougStanhope your review of "The UnBookables" DVD   Amazon Prime - https://www.amazon.com/Unbookables-Unavailable/dp/B01BNZKTE2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476499094&sr=8-1&keywords=the+unbookables   Google Play Store - https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/movies/the-unbookables/cid=UV0183-NPVB21210_CN-0000000000301989 Support the Innocence Project - http://www.innocenceproject.org/   Closing song, "VodkaSodaBurg", by Birdcloud recorded live opening the Doug Stanhope & Friends show at Zanies in Nashville - Oct 05, 2016.   Doug's DVD/CDs are all available at DougStanhope.com    Order Doug's audio book, "Digging Up Mother", HERE.        

                       Doug, Andy Andrist, Junior Stopka and Chaille squeeze in a podcast before the show at Penguins in Cedar Rapids. Doug's new special is now out on Seeso.com. Click here to sign up now and use offer code "stanhope" to get your first 2 months free! Recorded Oct 12, 2016 in the storage basement of Penguins Comedy Club in Cedar Rapids, IA with Doug Stanhope (@DougStanhope), Andy Andrist (@AndyAndrist), Junior Stopka (@JuniorStopka), and Ggreg Chaille (@gregchaille). Produced & Edited by Ggreg Chaille. LINKS: Stanhope Sept-Oct 2016 Tour Dates with Andy Andrist & Junior Stopka - http://www.dougstanhope.com/tour-dates/ Support the Innocence Project - http://www.innocenceproject.org/   Closing song, "VodkaSodaBurg", by Birdcloud recorded live opening the Doug Stanhope & Friends show at Zanies in Nashville - Oct 05, 2016.   Doug's DVD/CDs are all available at DougStanhope.com    Order Doug's audio book, "Digging Up Mother", HERE.            

Bill Peters pregame at Nashville - Oct. 8, 2015

Kaiton's Corner: Canes at Nashville - Oct. 8, 2015

Bill Peters postgame at Nashville - Oct. 8, 2015

Highlights from the San Jose Sharks vs. Nashville Predators game on Oct 25, 2011.

Highlights from the San Jose Sharks vs. Nashville Predators game on Oct 25, 2011.

Kaiton's Corner: Canes at Nashville - Oct. 1, 2011