"In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can." -- Nikos Kazantzakis
​

Despite what the people tell you, success is not something that can be wished into existence, its something that has to be worked toward. As we journey in life, we often find ourselves faced with doubt and fear that we do not have what it takes to make an impact.

We often feel we aren't good enough, we don't know enough, or someone else will do it way better than us. We want to make an impact yet we easily allow limiting mindsets to shy us away from walking in our purpose. So many great ideas we leave on the shelf because we feel unqualified, or because someone told us we aren't good enough. How can we possibly make an impact if we aren't willing to push past mindset barriers?

Success often requires more of us than we are willing to give but at our core, we all have the opportunity to succeed. 2018 does not have to be just another year of failure for you. Even if you only reach one goal, that is enough. Join me today as I share three steps to help you succeed in 2018.

When we think of taking action, we often think of the execution phase! The truth is taking action is so much more than that. Being able to take action begins with getting clear on WHAT you want to do, WHY you want to do it, and HOW you're going to do it. As a leader, there are many decisions that you have to make, but adequately examining those decisions, and developing logical outcomes, is what grows you to become a great leader.

There will be many decisions that you have to make for the sake of your business and team. Every decision you make impacts you, your team, and your audience. A simple process to streamline decision making is Clarify, Communicate, Take Action.

• Clarify: Start by getting clear on your what, where and why. 
• Communicate: Communicate your What, Where and Why (write it down, tell your team,  etc.).
• Take Action: Execute what you have communicated.

We are often under the impression that we can execute first and plan later. I am here to tell you, that is a recipe for disaster. Although it may take longer, don't take action on a whim, clarify, communicate, then take action.
​

To be successful, you must be willing to put in work. Remember I said you have to be ready to show up when no one else will? Well, its true. Because your business, that's your baby, and you are responsible for what it produces. Be willing to put in the late nights, and early mornings it takes. Be prepared to do your research and get educated. Be willing to do whatever it takes to produce excellent results. You will never be able to do BIG things if you won't MOVE in BIG ways.

It is imperative that we do not focus on how to get the best results in the quickest way possible. Putting in work isn't about how FAST we can do something. Stop rushing the process and acting as though you will die tomorrow.  The development of some results take weeks, months, and even years. That is not something meant to scare you but to prepare you. Good things take time. 

Stop looking for quick results and start looking for ways to give your best to your customer or audience. If you want to build an empire that can breed success you must be willing to put in the work that success takes!

Finally, you must be willing to stay the course. So, you launched your online store, and no one has brought a thing, you created an online class, and no one purchased it, you started a blog yet no one is reading it. The truth that you may not want to hear is that sometimes you won't see results right away. But trust me when I say, good things come to those who WORK and WAIT. It's easy to allow no audience to discourage you, but don't give up. Stick it out, and in due time the people will come.

Giving up is the easiest thing that you can do! Instead of giving up, allow those setbacks to motivate you to work harder and develop even better for the next time. Stop using small delays as excuses to give up. Let them push you to be better. If you do not commit to your cause, no one else will. You are your first audience member. So keep showing up, keep putting in the work and know that in due time you will reap results.

To be successful in the business world, you have to be willing to fight for you! Start by taking action in your goals, putting in the work necessary and do not give up. Remember why you are doing it and who you are doing it for. No matter what you do, don't give up! Believe in YOU even when no one else does! Your future is bright and your tribe is waitron on you. What will you do to be better for your (future) tribe today?

Until next time,

​Tamika

New year, new me, I'm sure you have heard this term right? We start off every year with a bang. We have so many things that we want to do, some many goals that we want to reach but come mid-Jan even February, that passion that we had to achieve those goals wears off. The more we focus on what are big goals entails, the more we begin to lose focus on the small steps that must taken to get there. 

Now if your like most people, there are big things that you want to accomplish this year, and part of you may fear you will never reach those goals. Today I am here to tell you that no matter how daunting the task can seem, any goal you set can be accomplished. It starts with minimizing your big goals in to daily to-dos! Join me today as I share with you, how to make your big goals achievable ones.
​

In order to know how to execute a plan to reach your goal you must be clear on your goal. Whatever your goal may be, analyze it! Most goals that we have are vague such as start a business, earn six figures, lose weight. The more vague we make our goals the more unrealistic they become.

Analyzing your goal starts with understanding what it takes to achieve that goal. Make your goal as specific as possible, so if you want to lose don't just make your goal lose weight this year, get specific. "I will lose 25 pounds by 12/31/2018". Instead of having a vague goal with no real way to determine that it was reached, you now have a specific goal with a specific deadline. 

Once your goal is specified, write down what it takes to achieve that goal. Consider the time, dedication and effort that it will take to reach that goal. If you don't have a plan of action behind your goal, your goal is nothing more than a wish. From the beginning you must have a mindset of I WILL achieve this goal, then you must plan what it takes to execute that goal.
​

Now that you are clear on what your goal is, you need to determine how you are going to achieve that goal. This is where you determine exactly what is needed to complete the task. So do you need equipment before you produce a podcast? Do you need to create content before you start your blog? Do you need to hire someone to create your website? Break down your big goal into a list of actions that are needed to reach your goal! From start to finish, write out every task and/or tool needed to complete your goal, project and/or business idea.  
​

 ​Take 1-3 of your tasks on your list that is needed to complete your goal and work on it. Setting 1-3 tasks is simple enough to reach, but challenge enough to work. While some of your tasks you may be unable to do due to lack of funds or opportunity, start mapping out the ways to make those tasks work. If money is an issue, the map out how you are going to save your money so that you can complete the task. Each day do something to move the needle forward on your business.

If you are working a 9-5 all day, get creative, use your breaks or your commutes to work on something toward your goal, even if you are just utilizing that time to do research. During my day job, I spend time getting educated by listening to videos and podcasts on the things in areas I am working to progress in. During my commute, I am reading articles and learning tools to more forward in achieving my goals.

If you knock out one task during your commute and or breaks, guess what? You have the rest the time to work on the other two. If one of your tasks is really big and thats the only thing you got done, that okay, simply readjust the rest of the week. Never let a day go by where you do not do at least one thing to move  forward toward your goals.
​

And finally, setting a deadline is a vital part of completing a goal. Your deadline should not be so close that its unattainable nor should it be so far away that you can slack off. Set a deadline that you know you will have to work toward but allow yourself enough space in the event of obstacles. Reaching a goal is not meant to be a race, it is NOT about getting there as fast as you can, its about getting there as best as your can. Deadlines force you to work hard with limited opportunity to slack off. Don't dread your deadline, but let it inspire you to reach your goal and reach it well.
​

In closing I want to say that any one can create goals and reach them but its about doing it with grace. You want to give the best you can to your goals so you can create your best for your audience (even if your audience is just you). Knowing your end goal is important but you must know how to get from start to finish in order to be successful. I leave you with these tips and wish you well in your goal planning.

​Tamika

I want to hear from you what step do you need to work on most in order to reach your goal?

When I first started working in a call center, one thing I can say I lacked was confidence. At times, I would have customers on the phone asking me questions, and my hesitant responses would lead to their doubt and disbelief. As weeks passed and I gained more understanding of the systems, I was able to confidently give responses, establishing trust and leaving customers satisfied. During this time I learned that confidence is everything!

As growing entrepreneurs we all have areas we are growing in and may not feel confident in, but learning to exude confidence even when you don't feel as confident, is vital. When you do not have confidence in yourself, how can someone else have confidence in you? Having confidence is one of the determining factors in business success. Join me as I share some of my top confidence boosting tips.

Getting rejected is can be one of the most challenging things we face. Discouragement often quickly leads to lack of confidence. Part of gaining confidence is learning to use discouragement as motivation to do better the next time. When you display confidence you do not concentrate on your weakness, rather you learn to maximize your strengths, When you get rejected, ask yourself what can I learn or what area can I grow in so that I don't make this same mistake again? Don't focus on the weakness/set back, instead focus on developing and growing the area you are strong in.
​

One of the biggest causes of lack of business confidence, is not being clear on what you have to offer. If you aren't clear on what you have to offer and why what you are offering is important, your audience won't be able to resonate with your vision. When you are confident and sure that what you have to offer is good, then you are able to confidently promote that thing. 

If money is your why, that will truly show to your customers. One thing I know for sure is not many people like to simply give their money away to a person who is money hungry. When you have a connection with people, when you have a story and a why, displaying that confidence is natural. Focusing on your ideal audience, allows you to take YOU out of the equation and to focus on them. Take time and get clear on your vision and your ideal people to develop confidence in what you have to offer and who you have to offer it to! 
​I blogged more about knowing your why here. 
​

And finally, practice being confident. I know that it sounds silly but practice makes perfect. Determine ways to be confident in all situations, and not just when the opportunity arises. Learn to be confident even in the little things so that you can be confident in the big things. 

Alright guys thats all for now! Until next time! Be confident and flourish on!

Tamika

One of the most challenging things that we face in business and in life is the feeling of being stuck. Its the feeling that you get when you know that you should be further along than where you are but you have challenges getting there. While sometimes we are the creator of these challenges, getting past them always seems to be the piece of the puzzle we can't figure out.  So how do we get past this feeling of being stuck?
​

Most times we aren't able to get past feeling stuck, because we haven't taken enough time to examine why we are feeling stuck. Sometimes we may not be able to figure out why we feel stuck, but if you can get to the root of it, you can determine how to get out of that feeling. Some things to ask yourself when you feel stuck is:
​

• Do I still have passion for what I am doing?
  • When you no longer have passion, it stunts the growth of your work. You may often find yourself distracted, and thinking about other things. If you realize you no longer have passion, then revamp and start working on what will bring you passion.
• Am I spending to much time doing things that I am not good at?
  • If you have to do everything for your business it is easy to feel worn down. Consider outsourcing the things that you are not good at or passionate about to people who can do it well. 
• Where do I see myself in 5/10 years?
  • When you examine where you WANT to be, its more easy to start eliminating the things that are stopping you from being there. If there are things holding you back and limiting you, once you get clear on where you want to be you can focus on what is needed and what is not needed to get there 

​

Sometimes redefining your WHY is exactly what is necessary to getting past the feeling of stuck. Sometimes feeling stuck is because you are not doing what you want to do for WHO you want to do it for. While I have blogged about determining your why in your business, you must also determine your WHY in everyday life. When we are not clear about our WHY it is easy to feed someone else WHY. 

The more we feed the WHY of others, the more we are limiting ourselves.

Sometimes we find ourselves on jobs that we have no passion for, simply because we are trying to make someone else happy. Stop focusing on the thoughts and opinions of others and focus on you.

Get a piece of paper, and write down your goals, write down the things that when you fulfill will make YOU happy. Do not think about anyone else, not a kid, not a spouse, not a family member, just you, what will fulfill or satisfy you once your complete it. Get clear on that goal and the find a plan to execute it.

A plan is nothing short of a piece of paper unless it is executed.
​

Finally, the most important thing is to remember that just because you are stuck doesn't mean you need to stop. When you are in a season of being stuck in your business or life, remember that there is always a way out if you work for it. Do NOT settle for being stuck and determine it as your best. When you change your mindset and stop focusing on the LIMITS, you can start focusing on the possibilities. When you feel stuck imagine your end goal being fulfilled and find whatever is needed to reignite that passion again. 

Until next time Flourishers,

Tamika