By Dr. Stacia Pierce Some might argue that we are living in the worst of times, with frightening statistics of terrorism on the rise, economic recession, teen pregnancies at an all-time high, widespread famine and disease and rampant drug abuse. It can paint a dismal picture, but as Christians, however, we know it is when the world seems at its darkest hour that the light of God's hope shines its brightest! I believe we are living in the best of times for this very reason. We live in a world ripe with possibilities. There have never been more technological advances—blogs, websites, chat rooms, video streaming, podcasts and more—to communicate the Gospel to the world. We live in an incredible era of entrepreneurship and a global marketplace where opportunities for success and prosperity for the believer have never been greater. The world as we know it is changing and whether you experience the best or the worst of times will be more a matter of your perspective than your circumstances.
Whatever change you are going through—whether good or bad—having the right attitude can boost you out of your current position and into a better one in no time. Think of seasons of change as being good for you. They are God's way of keeping you sharp and moving forward. Instead of letting your dreams flicker out at the onset of opposition, shut out the clamorous notions of defeat and get inspired to succeed! There has never been a more opportune hour than now.
I penned my best-selling book, Inspired to Succeed, for this very reason. Throughout my life, I've found there are secrets and timeless principles coded in God's Word that, when applied, will accelerate your success and give you an amazing advantage. I have lived my life centered on these principles, driven by the promises that God wants us to have the best in this life and in the world to come. As a result, I have experienced success in every arena of life—in my marriage, family, ministry, businesses, authorship, health and spiritual walk. I’ve had to overcome many adversities and setbacks but despite it all, I’ve succeeded. You can too! God designed you for unlimited and unimaginable success. I Corinthians 2:9 reads, "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." You were created for nothing less than an incredible existence. Transform your life with these four secrets taken from my new book, Inspired to Succeed.
4 Secrets to Stay Inspired to Succeed
1. Pay attention to your promptings. As a Christian, you have been given an inner compass in the person of the Holy Spirit to help you thrive not merely survive in tough times. The Holy Spirit will prompt you with ideas that will lead you to new possibilities and profit. Cultivate your private time with the Lord. One particular night after praying about ideas for naming my nail polish line, I dreamed I was watching a commercial about the nail polish, complete with a runway, flashing cameras and a red carpet. When I awoke, the name for my polish line came to me loud and clear: "Superstar Nail Lacquer—the polish that makes every girl feel like a star." I recorded the dream and took action. In just a short time, the idea struck a chord with fashionistas across the country. Salons across the U.S. began stocking it by the case and online sales at
www.styleshoppe.com grew rapidly. I know that idea came from God, because of the awesome results. Don't ignore your promptings. Make the Holy Spirit your number one business partner and He will lead you to roads of revenue. It's a biblical promise (Isaiah 45:3 and 48:17, Proverbs 8:12 and 8:21, John 14).
2. Realize creativity is your key to increase. Wherever it's used, creativity is a vital tool for success in life. Average people let tough times sap them of ideas. Those who succeed in life stay innovative to get ahead. Creativity is your way out of your present situation. When you are facing challenging times, you’re not supposed to quit, you're supposed to get creative. You have God-given creativity that you can use to succeed in life. You might not have the creativity to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, but you do have the creativity that keeps your kids clothed and fed in lean financial times and that keeps your marriage alive in a world of separation. Begin to use your creativity to succeed and prosper in the seasons you find yourself in.
3. Set up your children for success. As you successfully navigate through change, use your creativity to establish your children's success. You never know what the job market will be in the future. Although both of my children have done exceptionally in school and can take corporate jobs if they want to, they have options. Both of my kids have businesses they oversee and manage. My son has a line of clothing called Boy Brilliance (www.boybrillance.com), which features smart T-shirts, hip thinking caps and cool clothes for boys. My daughter's business, the Billionheir Girls Club (www.billionheirgirlsclub.com), features her own line of preppy clothes, accessories, DVDs and girl growth tools. When we were strategizing business ideas with our children, we carefully thought about what our family standards were and what we wanted our business names to represent. As a result, we chose names that stand for royalty, intelligence, character and quality. Every creative idea flows from that foundation and my son and daughter enjoy using their creativity to make it grow. How can you stimulate creativity in your children? Use your creativity to leave a legacy of success for your children (Proverbs 13:22).
4. Dream big and work toward some impossibilities. High aspirations fuel dream motivation. Don't downsize your desires to what's safe and comfortable. Think big! (Proverbs 23:7) Whatever you focus on, you attract. Focus on opportunities, not impossibilities. I can remember when I first had the idea to launch my own perfume. At first, it started as nothing more than a far-fetched thought, but I wrote it down. Soon, my entire focus began to shift toward making that dream come true. While praying over it one morning, a strategy for how I could design my bottles at a fraction of the cost came to me. I immediately got to work investigating how to make it happen. During a period of six months, my dream unfolded and now my fragrance Inspire is the latest craze online and at specialty boutiques. If I focused on all the impossibilities, I would never have stepped out on faith and taken the first step. What can you do right now to activate your dream? Start by defining it. Write it down. Create a storyboard about it with pictures and words. Then get to work and go for it! You were created to dream it and do it!
To visit Dr. Stacia Pierce, log on to
www.ministry4women.com
Posted By: The SISTAHS Ministry
Tuesday, November 11th 2008 at 8:42AM
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