There is an old saying that, no one succeeds alone, and while many agree with that saying, I want to pose a follow-up question. What if there is no one to help fuel your success? 

While we live in a world centered around having others to hold us accountable, we must understand success requires self accountability. Accountability partners are great, but who will hold you responsible when no one is around? Who will help you strive to reach your goal when temptation is staring you in the face? The success that you achieve starts with you and you alone.

According to Winston Churchill: "The price of greatness is responsibility." That responsibility that Churchill speaks of is a responsibility that starts with the individual. To be successful, it is essential to understand that you have a job to do. If no one else supports or helps you, you have to be able to have a focus that will remain the same. This type of attention and self-accountability is vital in your success, and here is why...

​Your life, your soul, your body, no one cares about it the way that you do. The most important thing to understand is that the only person that will make sure you fulfill your goals and your dreams is you. While your accountability partner may check in on you from time to time, who is going to check on you during the times no one is around? It is not to say that people do not care about you, but the truth is no one else will be as in tune with you and what you need to do except you! You are your biggest cheerleader, and you are the key to succeeding.

The truth is that not everyone will agree with you, not everyone will accept you, not everyone will support you, and that is okay! You must understand that if no one else believes in you, you will believe in yourself. Just because someone does not agree with your vision does not mean that it is in vain. Some of the most successful people had naysayers, but if they had given into the opinions of others, you would not see the results of their success today. Keep your vision first, and remember that no matter who supports it, you will fulfill what the Lord has placed on the inside of you.

The only one that can fulfill the vision that is inside of you is you. Whether, it is losing weight, starting a business, or even beginning a ministry, to succeed, you must put in the necessary work. No accountability partner or support person can finish the work for you; only you can do it. Distractions, procrastination, and obstacles are going to come, but when you have a purpose inside of you, you learn to push past those things and tap into what God has for you. Remember that if God brought you to it, he will bring you through it, but the one he is calling to do the work is YOU!

In closing, I encourage you to reflect on this scripture, "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also" James 2:26. The things placed inside of us require us to work. We must stop depending on others to push us and remember that we must complete the work that God has put on the inside of us. Start with self-accountability and work, and I promise you the rest will follow.

At our core, we are people pleasers we want to make everyone happy even if it means us being unhappy. We seek to please others so much so that we are willing to put our goals and dreams on hold for the sake of others. 

I found that over the years I have said too may yeses which led to frustration, overwhelm and resentment. Along the line, I found that pleasing people is not worth my time or sanity. Over the past year, I committed to saying no more often. As a result, I have seen my goals and dreams moving forward, and seeing that helped me understand that my no's were necessary. 

You must understand that what you do now is vital to what your life will look like later. When you are saying yes to everyone and everything you risk overcommitting your time, energy and even finances. While letting others down is hard and saying no seems like a selfish choice, it is the best thing that you can do for yourself. So how do you start saying no more?

​First, think about what you are working towards. What are your goals and dreams? Personal, financial and business. While you are examing your goals, consider them without others in mind. Yes, I said it! Do not think about family and friends, think about you! The reason you must examine these things is that when you know why you are saying you're no, it makes it easier to say no. 

​Emotions are typical when you are telling someone something they do not want to hear. Know that when you make a choice not to please people, their instant response may be backlash. Prepare yourself for this possibility ahead of time. In the midst of giving your no, stay strong in your why. Saying no is about setting boundaries, and most people do not like or respect boundaries. The thing about boundaries is they are necessary for your growth and success. 

​Saying no is not about hurting people, it is about helping you. Saying no to others is saying yes to self. The yes you give yourself is the best yes you can and will ever speak. I want to encourage you today, your no does not have to come with guilt and shame. You can rest in knowing that your dreams are a priority and you won't let anything stop you. So here is to saying no to others and yes to you, you can do it! 

From the time that we wake up in the morning, until the time that we lay our heads down at night, we are always making decisions. Decision making is often second nature to us as we are quick to make many decisions without even taking the time to think things through.


The problem with our decision-making skills is we often apply the same strategy to complex decisions as we do to our everyday choices. We see a business opportunity that pays plenty of money, so we decide to pursue it only to discover later it has ripped us from time, money, and the core of who we are. It is situations like these when our quick thinking leads to poor judgment.

We have to learn to stop making decisions so fast. One thing I have learned is that if something requires you to decide on a short clock, then it's best to say no. I know it may present an opportunity, but believe me when I say, another chance will come. Rushed decisions are not sound decisions. Good choices are those that provide allow you to take your time. When opportunities become available to you, I have learned it is best to take time, think things through and wisely come to a decision. 
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It is 6 a.m. your morning alarm is going off and you hit snooze. It's not until 30 minutes later that you realize that you have hit snooze one time to many and now your in a frenzy! Have you been there? Oh me too, too many times to count. While some mornings I still have this struggle, I have learned that a state of frenzy is not one I work best in.

That's why I have created a morning routine! I have discovered the beauty of using your mornings for time to prepare your soul and mind for the day. From the time you wake until the time you go to sleep, but I am telling you if you take time for you in the morning it will help you be focused, productive and in a better mindset for the day! 

So why a morning routine?

It helps you set the tone for your day!
It is easier to get into a state of reaction than it is to get out of it. When you start your day hectic you are in a state of survival but when you start your day in a mindset of peace and clarity, it takes you out of a state of reaction and into a state of clarity. And while I understand that while ANYTHING can happen during the course of your day, it helps your mind to go back to that zen state. 

So you may be thinking...

How do I create a morning routine?
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By finding what works for you! Start exploring how much time you have available and then structuring a tentative schedule surrounding your time. Most importantly, your morning should be about limiting what you are reacting to.

Starting your day browsing social media, responding to emails and watching videos places you in a state of reaction. You are reacting to the needs and attentions to people. While it may seem innocent you need to start your time pouring into you.
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Motivation, the one thing that is often hard to find and quick to lose. If you are anything like me, or any other human on this earth for that matter, you've lost your motivation at one time or another. Losing motivation seems the most hard when so many people around you are raving of motivation in the very thing that you lost motivation in.

The truth is losing motivation is not always a bad thing in fact, losing motivation, can be the one thing that can help move you forward in your goals and vision. You may be thinking, Tamika you are crazy!!! HEAR ME OUT HERE!

What if losing motivation was the key to you stepping back and allowing your fire to get reignited, so that you can come back bigger, better and stronger than before?? We have got to stop allowing a loss of motivation to be the thing that makes us stop, and instead allow it to be the thing that brings growth and self improvement in the very area we are lacking in.

Recently I lost my motivation, but through that season, I have found that just like motivation is lost, it can also be gained. So here my top 3 tips for rediscovering your motivation! 

Yes I said it UN-PLUG! I know you use your Pinterest, your YouTube and your Instagram to keep up with things and people. But the very things you are giving your energy to can be the very things that are causing you not to move forward. We often incorporate these things into our everyday lives and later we realize that it is the same thing that sucked us dry.

Schedule the time that you spend on these outlets and set limits. Yes, I said set limits! There comes a time when you have to stop looking for comfort in the lives of others and learn to find motivation within yourself.

Take time to rediscover the gifts and talents you have!

Don't allow keeping up with the gifts and talents of others to make you miss the work you need to do to move toward your goals. 

When you unplug from the noise of other people and things you allow yourself to plug into you! And when you plug into you, you allow yourself the opportunity to be the best you for the people that you are trying to reach!
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When you unplug, you are allowing yourself the opportunity to reconnect with your vision. Take time to revisit why you got started in the first place. We often get so caught up in the work that we lose focus of the WHY behind the work. Ask yourself:

• What/Who am I doing this for?
• What inspired me to start in the first place and how can I add to it?

Make sure to visit your vision often. It is so easy to get so focused on what you are doing that you often lose focus of why you are doing it. Learn to reconnect with the reason behind your work often.

If you don't have a vision or an overall goal, then now is the perfect time to discover it! Set your vision, make it clear, then work towards it daily. 
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Listen I can't put it any other way other than this, you have to be poured INTO so that you can pour OUT to others.

We spend so much time serving the needs of others that we miss serving the needs of self.

Taking care of self is VITAL!

How can you reconnect and find that spark again?

• Listen/Connect with motivational speakers that inspire you. Don't just listen to success stories, listen to those of struggle, allow that struggle to motivate you that you too can do it!
• Learn to clear your mind, put your thoughts to paper (or fingers to keyboard haha). This is one of the most therapeutic ways to get all your feelings in front of you. Once you do, you can begin to examine those thoughts and evaluate how to move forward.
• Read, read, and read some more. I don't care if its an online magazine. Reading is something we do mindlessly and something that doesn't require you to think too much! Reading is great for your mind and is also a great opportunity for inspiration!

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Allow your cup to be filled so that you can fill the cup of others!

Friend, remember that losing motivation is not an alone battle, it happens to all of us. Remember to reconnect with your vision. Don't allow loss of motivation to remove you from your vision, rather use it as inspiration to come back bigger and better than ever before! I believe in you!

​Tamika

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

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.
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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. 
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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?
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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:
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• 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 

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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.
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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