5 Steps to Transform Your Gloom to BOOM

“Don’t let today’s disappointments cast a shadow on tomorrow’s dreams.” ~Unknown

How many times have you gotten yourself super psyched about a new dream? You see it in your mind. You feel yourself running through that finish line. You hear the introduction before you go on stage. You see the direct impact you make on a community from the generous gift you donated. You call your closest girlfriend and share your well thought out plan and you have her full support. You sit down and put your pen to the paper, your fingers to the keyboard and your ear to the phone. You are in hustle mode and no one can stop you! Except…. You. 

But, it’s not really you, because it’s really those 6 organizations you called who said they cannot support you at this time. As well as the two banks that denied your loan and of course the dear family members who made it clear that what you are doing is outrageous and you need to be more realistic.

Ma’am, I am here to remind you that no one can stop you except you. Your vision is your vision. Your actions are your actions and your will is your will. You are here with a divine appointment to act on the gifts, strengths and visions that are inside of you. So I am going to give you a five step strategy to press pass the gloom to focus on your BOOM.

1. Acknowledge potential challenges and attack them.

Finances, time, degrees, children, transportation, education, fear of rejection… list them all. Any and everything you foresee as a roadblock, write them down and create a plan to turn them into hurdles. Get the support you need. It’s harder to stray from a well written plan than a great idea in your mind. 

2. Get to know you.

What makes you tick? What makes you sick? What turns you on? What stops you in your tracks? What makes your blood boil? What encourages you? We all have those people, places things and thoughts that trigger us to run faster or come to a sudden halt. Write them down and acknowledge them. Which ones are you comfortable with? Which ones do you want to shift? How can you strengthen the areas you want to strengthen? You are entitled to every emotion you feel whenever you feel it, however, it’s up to you to know why you feel it and how those emotions serve you and hurt you.

3. Now you know. A.C.T.

Now that you can identify your triggers, what are you going to do with them? You are going to create a strategy to stand on your emotions instead of losing yourself in them. In life, the actions you take speak volumes about the person you are. Honor your truth and stand in your greatness. You have Acknowledged your challenges and now you are Creating your “Win Strategy” to stay proactive in your thoughts and responses. As you continue to work your plan and focus on the inner work, you will see the Transformation in your daily life and soon realize the fears and the challenges you once endured are part of your history.  Acknowledge. Create. Transform.

4. Celebrate you.

We learn early on that we celebrate major milestones and accomplishments. Graduations, retirements, birthdays, weddings, etc. are certainly worth celebrating, but when we breakdown the essence of each of those celebrations, you are the common denominator. You are the reason the celebration exists. You are powerful and amazing! Why wait for a major accomplishment five years from now when you do great things everyday? Celebrate you! Every goal you complete and every step you take is a power move on your life journey. 

5. Actions speak louder than thoughts.

With all of the planning and strategies you have created, old and new obstacles will show up. Remember, the key to the planning and strategizing is the action. You have to look those fears and those people in the eye and do it afraid. Stick to your plan and stick to your truth. You are only as great as the person you allow yourself to be. Tell that negativity to step aside so you can run on!

You are loved. You are great. You are here on purpose. Show up and show out!

 

Kristin M. Young, “The Marriage Enthusiast” is a proud supporter and staff member of Heal a Woman to Heal a Nation, Inc. She is committed to supporting women in their journey to wholeness as individuals and in their marriages. Let Kristin know your thoughts, share with us on FB or tweet using hashtag #hwhn!

3 Steps to a Powerful Workshop

At HWHN, we've hosted workshops, conferences and retreats for over 10 years. If you're interested in building the capacity of your business or non-profit to serve more people, then hosting live (or online) events is an excellent method.

However, many of us have attended boring or poorly run programs. Hosting a successful workshop or training is a worthwhile way to build your team, develop new skills and effectively impact your community. Here are our top 3 tips for a powerful experience when your group comes together.

1. Start with the End in Mind

Seems like a DUH, right? However, too many of us miss this step. It is crucial to work with your team to envision the end of your program right at the beginning. Work with your team to answer the following questions:

• What are our goals of the workshop? How many people do we want to serve?
• How long of a session will it take to accomplish these goals?
• Who will this workshop benefit?  How will we get our participants to trust our session over a similar one? 
•  Are these the skills, tools and information that’s most important to our participants?
• What is our budget for the workshop?

Once you have the answers to these key questions and your vision is clear, it’s time to solidify the details for a strong foundation.

2. Build an audience

In our live events trainings we share that we are all in the business of the 3Ms. Marketing. Marketing. Marketing. To ensure motivated and engaged participants in your target audience it’s important to provide them with the benefits of working with your team before they ever enter the room. 

The number of attendees should have been determined in step one. So during your marketing and promotions time frame, educate your audience on the benefits of the program. What will they learn, why your staff is capable of educating them on these skills and what other top of mind problems would your session solve. Now, using many mediums to reach your audience is key. Flyers aren’t enough. Social media isn’t enough. Use it all! Email marketing, social media, gorilla marketing, calls, speaking engagements and the whole nine yards. 

3. Create the Experience

Now that your logistics are together and you’ve prepared your participants by allowing them to self-select, it’s time to ensure your time together is a memorable experience. Participants use all their senses to experience an event. Consider this as you plan and execute your workshop session. Consider this: 

 Ask your participants:  survey your participants to see what they want most to prioritize learning, and keep your finger on the pulse of their needs 

Build in breaks: Try not to go over 90 minutes without a break of some kind. Free time, breaks, and socializing help your participants bond and to keep them focused when in the learning environment.  

Also, take into account the space in the room for activities and hands on learning, the materials offered to support the different learning styles and last but not least what signature moment can you organically create to support making the experience memorable for your participants.

Our most important step is to have a great time! Remember to breathe, and spend time getting to know the people who are present in the room – they’re who you’re serving!