HI!
Before we dive in, I have to tell you the cutest story that happened to me this morning. I was working in my office and my sweet Ellie Grace woke up, crawled into my lap, and proceeded to tell me about how she was going to kiss a boy. Yes, she is only 4 and, no, she has not been seeing me do any of that these days. I chalked it up to the Disney movie she watched last night. While it was somewhat uncomfortable (she is 4, after all…I guess I was hoping we wouldn’t enter this territory until she was, I don’t know, 40? Kidding! Sorta…) I was still chuckling on the inside as I asked her what she thinks her daddy would say about that. She gave me a perplexed look, so I told her, “This is exactly what your dad said about that!” as I pulled out her book (The Ellie Project) and turned to the letter “K.”
I read, “Ellie, be careful with your kisses, they are more powerful than you think!”
Andrew’s book to Ellie is such a gift, as it allows me to discuss tough topics with her in a way she can grasp, as well as teach her valuable life lessons. I have been learning some powerful life lessons of my own as I grow and expand my business. Just this weekend I attended a women’s conference in Dallas. I get fired up learning new things and hearing the success stories of individuals in my similar field. Today I want to bring some of the powerful lessons I learned at the conference to you by sharing my top two takeaways from this weekend:
1. Turn hate into creative inspiration – One of the speakers this weekend was Beyoncé Knowles father, Matthew. He shared a story about how Beyoncé would use the negative things others said about her to inspire her creative genius. For example, when people called her a “gold digger,” she went to the studio and wrote a song about being an independent woman, thus the song “Independent Woman” was birthed. My takeaway from her actions was instead of allowing the negativity of others to get us down, we have the choice to take that negativity and use it as creative fuel for something positive.
2. Make it your business to find your calling – They played a clip of Oprah’s final show in which she shared this powerful message:
“We are all called. Our real job is to figure out what that is and to get about the business of doing that. A calling lights you up and lets you know that you are exactly where you are supposed to be, doing exactly what you’re supposed to be doing. Live from the heart of yourself. Know what sparks the light in you so you can illuminate the world. Start embracing the life that is calling you and use your life to serve the world.”
Amen to that! Would love to hear one of the most powerful life lessons that you’ve learned in the comments below. If you want to do some brainstorming around your calling, click here to set up a complimentary Discovery Session with me. I so enjoy getting to know you better through these sessions.
Thank you for spending time with me today! Love and Blessings.
P.S. I hope Blue Ivy gets the copy of The Ellie Project that I gave to her granddaddy for her 🙂 Click here to get your copy of The Ellie Project!
P.P.S For the love of all things entertainment, I’m so sad Giuliana Rancic left E! News. Just had to express that. Who’s with me? Don’t judge. 🙂
Bailey, ever since I received my two copies of Ellie’s book, God has inspired me to tell as many people as I can about the book. I shared it Sunday evening with our pastor’s wife, who is an elementary school teacher and she was as excited about it as I am. I have given a copy to my granddaughter and sent one to my great-niece. I love, love, love this book.
Amy!! Your comment made my day! Thank you so much for sharing this with me and for sharing Andrew’s book with your friends and family! That is the best compliment. If there is ever an opportunity to come speak to the women at your church I would love it!! Thank you again for all of the love and encouragement. Blessings Amy!
She needs to save those kisses for her papas.
Amen Papa!! I will tell her to save those kisses for you and Pop Pop!! Love you so much Mark. Just got the sweetest letter in the mail today from your amazing 97 year old mom!! Love her so much.