When in Doubt, Ask for HELP

me and El at Brooke's wedding

Hi Friend!

Hope you are having a wonderful week! Wanted to let you know that every Wednesday morning I will be writing a new blog post, so if you already subscribe to my blog, you will be getting an inspirational post in your inbox at that time every week! If you haven’t joined us yet and want to get my weekly posts, head on over to https://baileyheard.com/, put in your name and email address on the home page, and hit the “Go” button!

So much has been going on in the Heard household lately. As you know by now, The Ellie Project is officially here in the flesh! What you might not know is after 10 months of training, I am about to take my certification exam to become a certified life coach through The Institute of Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC) (www.ipeccoaching.com), a program accredited with the International Coaching Federation (ICF). It’s consumed much of my time this past year, but it has been worth the investment in money and in time. Once my certification is complete, I’m excited to spend the rest of this year coaching, traveling to speak, and sharing The Ellie Project (along with A Gray Faith) with as many people as I can.

I graduated from Baylor with a B.B.A and majored in Entrepreneurship, but nothing could truly prepare me for being an entrepreneur.   It takes serious dedication and commitment to making a living through owning your own business. Some days I question whether I have what it takes. Those are days when I can get really down on myself and I feel completely discouraged. Honestly, I had one of those days this week. Total melt down. I pretty quickly pulled myself out of those negative thoughts by remembering how God has repeatedly provided for my family in every possible way. I believe with all my heart He has called me to share my family’s story, my personal experiences about His faithfulness, in hopes of supporting others through life’s challenging seasons. When I reconnect to those thoughts I am back on track to trusting God’s bigger plan for Ellie’s and my life.

“God gives the talent, we must give the effort.” Growing up, I remember being obsessed with this quote written on the wall of the gym where I trained almost daily as a gymnast. It stuck with me because it puts responsibility back in our court to not just sit back and wait, but to do something with what God has given us. With that said, I would like to ask for your help. It was because of each and every one of you I have been able to create this speaking, writing, and coaching ministry. After Andrew passed away and I was compelled to finish what he started by sharing the message of A Gray Faith, it was you who hired me to speak across the country and gave me the opportunities to share Andrew’s book. It was because of those opportunities I was able to put the investment into completing Andrew’s next book, The Ellie Project. So I humbly thank YOU for connecting me with those amazing individuals who opened doors for me to inspire and encourage women and families while also allowing me to provide for my family.

As I start this new chapter with The Ellie Project, I need your help to connect with more churches, women’s groups, Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS), etc., or anyone who needs an inspirational speaker (I even speak at corporate inspirational breakfasts). I’m completely open to new opportunities. For example, someone recently connected me with a contact from Gold Star Wives, a group made up of the widows/widowers whose spouses died while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States. I am open to anything where you think I can be of service. I would also love to invite you to put together groups of 15 or more people in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and allow me to come and share my story with your group of family and friends. E-mail me at [email protected] for more details.

If you know of anyone who owns boutiques, mom and pop shops, brick and mortar stores, book shops in Texas or around the country, and can connect me with them to see if The Ellie Project and/or its accompanying stationery would be a good fit for their stores, I would be beyond grateful for that connection as well.

Lastly, if you follow any other blogs that have guest blogging or guest videos or radio interviews that you think I would be a good fit for, please shoot me a heads up! Also, please let me know of any media outlet contacts you may have, such as newspapers, radio, TV, magazines, etc. I would be so honored if you would recommend me to those people and share those contacts with me.

I know that was asking a lot, but truth be told, I can’t do this on my own. I truly believe we succeed with and through other people, and you have proven this truth to me from day one. The subtle lesson from this blog post is to not be afraid to ask for help. It doesn’t make you look weak or stupid– it’s actually quite the opposite. Please share in the comments about a time when you asked for help and had an exceptional outcome from being so courageously vulnerable. We all need to hear about these experiences. Many of us are afraid to ask for help when doing so may be exactly what we need to do to stretch us out of our comfort zones and into more of the life we want to create!

Hope you know how grateful I am for you, for your support, your encouragement, and your genuine care for my family. I am where I am today in great part because of YOU! So THANK YOU from the top, middle, and bottom of my heart! Love and Blessings.