3 Lessons from Kevin Durant’s Win

Y’all know I don’t even blog on a Tuesday, but that Golden State win was blog worthy for anyone who is passionate about taking a non-traditional career path. I particularly wanna talk about what I learned watching KD (Kevin Durant) for those of you who are not fluent in basketball (and don’t feel bad I only know a little basketball). 

So, here’s the back story for those who don’t know and for those who do don’t judge my sketchy details. Durant used to play for OKC the team was great, but couldn’t win a ring. He left and people accused him of chasing a ring and not being loyal…blah…blah…blah 

Since GSW are celebrating a win that means he chased that ring in the right direction and here are three things we can learn from his pursuit. 

Three lessons from KD’s win:
1️⃣ To level up sometimes means you have to leave the space and place where you’re most comfortable. You might be functioning well there, but are you fulfilled? Yes, Durant, Westbrook, and the bearded one were an awesome trio, but they couldn’t take him where he wanted to go. Many people criticized his decision, but it looks like a smart choice. Be careful when listening to critics because most often the people criticizing you can’t get you where you want to go, but will be quick to tell you how to get there. 

Kevin Durant Photo Credit: Salt Lake Tribune

2️⃣ Be appreciative enough of the gift to be humble and wise enough to know you’re gifted and conduct yourself as such. In the face one of basketball’s greats, Bron Bron KD didn’t falter or faint. There was no time for to think man he’s great I wish I was too. He played in his greatness. 

3️⃣ Because you’ve lost before doesn’t mean you can’t ever win. Stay in the game.  

Now when you’re ready to stop playing by the rules you usually play by and ready to work with a winning team to #getyourInheritance book a Publishing Pow-Wow and evaluate your marketing game, so you can bring home the championship. 

Did you learn anything from last night’s game or the series? Share your insight with me.

#MompreneurMonday Top 2 Reasons Your Business is Struggling

It’s the first quarter and you may already be feeling overwhelmed by your bustling business or drowning in it. There are really two reasons why you’re struggling. 

No, it’s not because you don’t have enough engagement and nor is it because you don’t have enough exposure. They would both make it better, but here are the real reasons. 

You’ve either failed to plan for increased exposure and engagement or you’ve created a plan that you are not fully executing. 

So, here’s the deal, planning may seem daunting and it may seem like you don’t have the time to plan, but you are wasting your time by not sitting down and creating a cohesive plan. Trust me, I’ve lived in that space and that is such a waste of energy and effort. You’ll be doing 5,001 things and not seeing any real results. 

Have you been there??? Are you still living in this non-planning or haphazard planning space??? Download the 1st quarter of the Passion and Purpose Planner to see how easy it is to plan for your passion and purpose.

Click on the photo for access to the Passion and Purpose Planner

You waste your time even further by not actually executing the plan. Stop abandoning the plans you sit down and create or allowing the craziness that sometimes goes on when motherhood and business collide. 

Don’t worry, the Passion and Purpose Planner combines your planning for spiritual growth and cyberspace domination for your business. 

Speaking of worrying, what’s your biggest worry or fear when it comes to planning or the biggest problem you have when it comes to planning? Let’s talk about it so we can solve it. 

#MompreneurMondays: It’s Ok If You Can’t Quit Your Job

So, this might be the antithesis to all business advice out there, but I’m telling you it’s ok if you can’t quit your job. There’s probably more pressure than ever telling you that you’re not successful if you’re not able to quit your job. But listen here, it’s ok if you can’t quit your job. 

1️⃣ You can’t live someone’s narrative.

Most authors and lovers of literature are familiar with the unreliable narrator; you should be too. It very well may be the voice trying to convince you that you need to quit your day job. Be wary of stories coming from people who walked away from six-figure jobs to pursue their passion or those stories of people who catapulted to overnight success. Don’t let their story convince you that you’re not doing enough or doing it incorrectly, especially if you didn’t get all the details or the back end of the story. It’s okay if you can’t quit your day job. 

2️⃣ Your bills have to be paid. 

Bottom line. Point blank. Period. Your bills must be paid (and having health insurance is a plus). If you have young lives depending on your decisions and you paycheck you are not a failure, a punk, nor is your faith weak if you’re not willing to take the leap. If you can’t afford it, don’t push yourself into an unnecessary struggle or take on an extra dose of mom guilt. When Satan told Jesus to cast himself from the top of the mount for angels to catch him Jesus reminded Satan that we should not tempt God. Meaning, don’t purposefully put yourself into tricky situations  just to see the word of God fulfilled in your life. You’re not doing anything wrong by starting a business and maintaining your full-time job until your business takes off. Really, it’s okay if you can’t quit your job. 
Now, if quitting your day job is what you want to do:

• Set a quit date. 
• Calculate how many units you need to sell per month to replace or exceed your monthly income.
•  Determine what you need to do monthly, weekly, and daily in order to start generating that type of income.  That includes what type of content you’ll use to promote your business on social media. 
• Get a jump start today with 10 Sexy Content Ideas to keep your audience coming back (FREE DOWNLOAD).     

Seriously, it’s okay if you can’t quit your job now as long as you’re working towards what is best for you and your family. 

P.S. Pursuing Your Passion in a Godly Fashion will be available for pre-order this week. I’m one happy mompreneur. 

Release Date: 10/28

3 Ways to Discover Your Passion

Everything ain’t for everybody–being an entrepreneur may be the new craze, but is that your passion? 

Don’t fall into the trap and chase a dragon you don’t even want to ride. What you should pursue is your passion. Here are three ways to discover your passion. 

1. Return to your first love. 

What did you love doing as a child? Painting? Horseback riding? Writing? Don’t put a value on it right now. Don’tconsider the likelihood of you having a career in this field or how hard it is. If you like it, love it, or get some sort of satisfaction out of doing it, start doing it again. Don’t make your age a factor. Leslie Jones of, SNL and Ghostbusters didn’t hit the SNL stage until 47.  If you need further encouragement check out this Huffpost Article on 13 people who made a career change later on in life. 

Photo from hollwoodreporter.com

2. Make a list of all the things that you are good at.

 Often people who can’t figure out what their passion is are torn between all of their many talents and gifts. After you’ve made your list cross out the things that you enjoy doing the least. You can be good at something yet not be passionate about it. When I worked in retail I loathed every millisecond of it, but I was good at it because I am good with people. Once you figure out what you’re good at and like to do, cross section it with careers that will allow you to do both. 

3. Relax.

 Stop comparing yourself to everyone else who seems to have found their passion and look within yourself. What do you have strong opinions about? What gets you excited? And maybe, just watching television gets you excited. Turn that into a gig, do recaps and rundowns, create your own YouTube show, or show on your city’s local public access station. 

What difficulty have you had finding your passion? When did you discover your passion? What do you recommend others do who are searching for their passion in life? 

Want more inspiration and preparation for Pursuing Your Passion? Follow my publishing company Inheritance Books on Twitter @InheritBooks to join our passion party leading up to the release of my fourth book, Pursuing Your Passion in a Godly Fashion, Prayers for Creative Christians and Entrepreneurs. 

Release Date: 10/28/16

These 4 Things Should Be Enough

It is great to have people in your life that support you, uplift you, and motivate you, but at the end of the day you need these four things to keep you moving forward when pursuing your passion. 

1️⃣ Confidence in the Spirit of God living within you and working with you should be enough to move you forward. 
2️⃣ Your quality of life should be enough motivation to move forward. 

3️⃣ Your belief in your ability should be enough to push you forward.

4️⃣ Your passion should be enough to push you forward. 

What’s your biggest internal motivator​?

Pathways to Your Passion: Hello August

The eighth month of the year is here. For teachers that it the dawn of another school year is on the horizon, for parents it means their kids are someone else’s problem, and for us dreamers it’s time for us once again to reassess our goals.

You might be tired of these blog posts about goals, but come December you’ll be thanking me for holding you accountable. So, where are you? I’ll go first.

Here are the writing goals I began the year with: 

I am nowhere near where I need to be to finish and begin all of these projects, but not because of procrastination. My writing career under went some changes. In the process one of the items on my vision board  came to fruition (I’ve launched my own publishing company).  I did complete Tempted to Touch–it’s with the editor now undergoing inspection. That’s all that I’ve finished. I started working on a new novel and these characters will not go away. All of the projects on my list are important to me, but new projects that popped up have become my main focus. That leaves me with only one option it’s time to re-prioritize my goals. If you need to do so as well then do it. 

They are your goals and flexibility is allowed. The only thing not allowed is giving up.

My revised goals now look something like this: 

• I’ve begun a new novel, Children of God-set in the Dominican Republic and it will tackle the events that have transpired there this summer with regard to their anti-Haitian legislation. That can’t wait. I must finish that. 
• Begin Birthright (special collaboration project) 
• Finish Riches of Grace

Now it’s your turn–have you met your goals? on track to meet them? in the process of revising them?

There are only four months left in the year yes squeeze all the pulp out of 2015. 

#FridayFinds: A-Z Writing Tips: A Motivational Guide for Authors

Our #FridayFind comes from author and publisher, Barbara Joe Williams, who is no stranger to The Neophyte Author. If you want to get your writing rolling look no further, Barbara has the answer for you. 

 

Synopsis

 

Genre

Non-Fiction/Self-Help. I wrote this book to help aspiring as well as published authors with their writing goals. Hopefully, this book will motivate them to write and keep writing.

Synopsis

“If you’re looking for a place to get started writing, this is it. Chock full of

helpful tips, this book will have you writing in no time. Just like it says:

you don’t have to get your manuscript perfect, you just have to get it done.

There’s nothing like A-Z Writing Tips to cure writer’s block. Buy it! Use it!” Felicia S.W. Thomas, author of 80 Proof Lives.

A brief (brief) excerpt

 

One valuable piece of advice for any author is this: Get a partner. Not a writing partner,

but another author you can share ideas with, proofread each other’s work, and

keep each other motivated to write. Staying motivated to write every day is the

key to becoming a great writer. Don’t let writer’s block or anything else block

you from getting your writing done.

Bio

Barbara Joe Williams is an Amazon bestselling author, indie publisher, and motivational speaker living in Tallahassee, Florida. She is a Navy veteran, a graduate of Tallahassee Community College, and Florida A & M University. Barbara is also the founder of Amani Publishing, LLC (2004), and the co-founder of the Tallahassee Authors Network since September 2008. She has published books for over thirty authors and the following for herself:  

 Holiday Hotel 2: A Valentine’s Day Story (2015), A-Z

Marketing Tips (2015), A Cup of Barbara Joe (2015), Holiday Hotel: A sexy short

story (2014), Forgive

Us This Day (Anniversary Edition, 2014), First Class Love (2014); You Don’t Even Know My Name (2014); A Writer’s Guide to Publishing &

Marketing (Volume 2, 2013); Double Proposal

(2013); Losing My Soul (2013); The 21

Lives of Lisette Donavan (Anthology, 2012), A Man of My Own (2012), A Writer’s Guide to Publishing & Marketing

(2010), Moving the Furniture: 52 Ways to Keep Your Marriage Fresh (2009),

Courtney’s Collage (with Sherille Fisher, 2007), How I Met My Sweetheart (Anthology, 2007), Falling for Lies (2006),

Dancing with Temptation (2005) and

Forgive Us This Day (2004). Her novel, Forgive Us This Day (Anniversary Edition), was recently reviewed in USA Today by Michelle Monkou. It was a recommended a “must-read” romance.

All of her books are available on Kindle and Nook.

 

 

Amazon page: http://goo.gl/hCOkBb

Email:  amanipublishing@aol.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/barbara.williams.31105674

Website:  www.Barbarajoe.webs.com

Twitter:  @Barbarajoe22

 

 

Pathways to Your #Passion: Are You a Brand?

Branding. The one word that drives almost every author crazy. One of my very first posts on The Neophyte Author was about branding, “Building My Brand (and yours)”. I didn’t know what I was doing then and I’m not claiming that I’ve got the answer now–there’s a reason this blog is called The Neophyte Author. One thing that I realized was after establishing a brand you want to make sure that what you’ve established as your brand is actually being recognized in other people’s mind.

I was going to do that evaluation when my one year anniversary came, but since it blew right past me in December I decided to let the sleeping dog lie. Actually, I didn’t want to have to deal with the idea of rebranding if I wasn’t successful. However, if when you’re brand isn’t an instant hit rebranding isn’t the first step for me or you. After a review of Born at Dawn was published on USA Today I realized it’s a fine time for some reflection for me and for you.

A brand needs time to be developed before you can decide it doesn’t work. Take Coca-Cola for example, during it’s first year nine servings of were sold per day. Doesn’t sound like the start to a brand who’s logo was trademarked in 1888 is still recognizable today and is probably responsible for several thousand cavities. 

Are You a Brand (only in your head or in other people’s eyes)?

What is your catchphrase, your one liner, your slogan? What is it that you do in one sentence. I write fiction for the renewed mind.

• This line should adequately reflect your product, your purpose/mission, and who your audience is.

Check the break down

Writing Fiction for the Renewed Mind

What do I do: I write made up stories (Writing Fiction)

Purpose: Entertain and Edify (Fiction and Renewed Mind)

For Whom: Christians. Will non Christians like it? I hope so, but my intended audience are those who are already Born Again. (For the Renewed Mind a reference to Romans 12:2) 

Are You and Your Brand Synonymous?

Are you who you say you are? Check. In today’s social media driven world we’re all only one Google search away from, what is done in the dark being revealed and what was said in a corner being shouted from a mountaintop.

If you’re not who say you are you better get right. This is particularly true if you are a Christian author. What we do requires a level of transparency, consistency, and commitment that other genres don’t require. People do not expect J.K Rowling to be a wizard or that James Patterson has committed any of the crimes that fuel his legal thrillers. However, when you proclaim the name of Christ there is an expectancy that you are what you are selling and promoting. If you’re speaking life you need to full of it and people should be able to recognize that.

Who are you and what are the markers of your brand?

Personally, I’ve known for a long time that I’ve got a way of capturing the grit or the pulp of life in words. During grad school my peers would say I’m good with the vernacular. I was offended at first, but then I realized that my brand of writing is gritty, grimy, and for the everyday person. Yesterday that was confirmed by Michlle Monkou of USA Today who said that, ” Gritty, inspirational, and powerful mark Lockley’s brand of fiction.” The grit is me and the inspiration and power have come from God’s redeeming and transforming power. While God makes all things new He is able to use what we were to influence those He wants to reach and touch.  Consider a couple of the authors of the Bible:

Luke the physician–a doctor. Someone good at describing things and who also has the skill to put things in laymen’s terms is the author of two very spellbinding books of the Bible–his own epistle and Acts.

Paul–formerly known as Saul who had a penchant for letters before His conversion. When he was Saul he used his love of letters to persecute Christians and when he gave himself to Christ the Lord used that same passion and letter writing ability to pen a majority or New Testament. He did need a little rebranding, but the Lord took him through that process.

We’re able to look at these men and recognize their brand and distinguish their writing from other books of the Bible. Now what about you–does anyone recognize the marker’s of your brand without you telling them? Are you a brand? Have you established of the basic tenets of branding to test the water? Regardless, of the answer let’s remember Coca-Cola, let’s remember that only one hundred and twenty were assembled in the Upper Room and look at how many have received the Spirit of Christ since then. This is only the beginning and you can always begin again. 

Post your work, an excerpt, a link to your work or some type of ad you use to promote your work/brand in the comments and let’s assess your brand. 

 

Pathways to Your #Passion: 2015 Goals and Visions

So, if you’re over 18 you’re probably already familiar with the rhetoric that surrounds the ringing in a New Year–“New Year, New Me”, “This year is going to be better than last”, etc. etc. etc.

Now, in all honesty many people abandon this motto after January or at least after the first trial or obstacle of the New Year smacks them in the face, which is why I generally don’t set resolutions. However, this year I’ve been entertaining two things: vision boards and goal setting. Neither one of them are new concepts and as an educator I’m quite familiar with goal setting, but I’ve never applied the  practice to my new writing career.

Goal Setting

I think my soul sis, Unoma Nwankwor’s posts about goal setting have rubbed off on me. In one of her recent Facebook posts she quoted the late Dr. Myles Munroe in which he stated that your goals should, “create your priorites, determine your desicions, dictate companions, and predict your choices.”  That inspired me to set some wiriting goals (I know I should probably have goals for other areas of my life–give me a break).

Vision Boards

Vision boards have been around for awhile, but I have been kind of hesitant to create one. A certain part of me felt like, one it’s kind of New Agey and two it kind of takes away from the whole notion of “have your way in my life, Jesus” if I’m drafting up my vision. I believe in Habakkuk 2:2, when it says write the vision, the word meant write the vision that the Lord had given the prophet not the vision the prophet wanted to write, but after some investigating and polling I decided it couldn’t hurt to give it a try. So, I created a vision board. My understanding is there are no rules to vision boards except making sure you have a clear objective.

I divided my vision board into two parts: the inner man and the outer man–what I want for my spirit in 2015 and what tangible things  I want. I included some scriptures that spoke to the vision I was creating and my faith. Two of those scriptures are:

“If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles. Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks. Yea the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver. For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God. Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows. Thou shalt decree a thing and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.” Job 22:23-28

“And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper.” 2 Chronicles 26:5 

These scriptures will keep me focused on my ultimate goal–to hear my Father say, “Well done thou good and faithful servant.” while at the same time they address the fact that I still long for some of the things that the Gentiles long for. I want to be a powerful Christian (decree a thing), I want to live comfortably (gold as dust), and I want to prosper (God made him to prosper). 

The second half of my vision board addresses the areas of my life that I’d like to see the manifestation of these scriptures–in my writing and in my home. A vision is only a vision until you put the leg work to it, but having one gives your legs some direction to walk in. 

What are your goals for 2015? What does your vision for 2015 look like? Please share your goals and vision boards and as I update you on my progress I look forward to hearing about how you have progressed in 2015. 

#Pathways to Your #Passion: Stay in Your Lane

There is nothing new under the sun, which means that regardless of what you’re passionate about there is someone who shares the same passion and may be making great gains in the field or industry that you are trying to break into. As you look at their resume it seems like you’re standing next to a giant and you are a dwarf. They’ve made so many gains and in such a short time–how could you possibly compete?

Don’t.

Let me say that again. Don’t.

The pathway to your (your) passion is not a competition. Nor is it a race. It’s a marathon.

You’re going to go around the track a lot of times. Some laps you’ll eat up and others will beat you down and have your legs feeling like jelly. You’ll see other runners turn the corner while you’re still holding an aching rib, but don’t fix your eyes on their race, instead with patience run the race that is set before you (Hebrews 12:1). Stay in your lane. 

 

The pathway to your passion is yours and you don’t have to replicate anyone else’s success or try to match or beat their time. What you have to do is walk or run the course that Lord has laid out specifically for you recognizing that there is no limit to what God is able to do for you, through you, and to you.

 

See you on the other side of your passion.