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Reflecting – Back, Forward, and Upward!
Reflecting – Back, Forward, and Upward!
by Danika Deva, NACWE Education Coordinator
Now that all the presents have been unwrapped, Christmas has been packed up (at least for most of us :), and the New Year’s celebrations are over, we naturally start to reflect on relationships, our businesses, things we wanted to do and didn’t, etc. #reflecting
Let’s take a few minutes and reflect a bit: Back, Forward and UP!
Reflecting – Back
As you reflect on the year, ask yourself a few questions.
- What did you do well within your business?
- Whose lives did you touch, bless, or encourage?
- What is one major task that YOU completed that you want to celebrate? (We are going to keep celebrating our successes all year in NACWE, after all.)
- What is one thing you are going to move over (with no self judgement) to 2020 to complete?
Reflecting – Forward
Now let’s reflect forward using “The 5 W’s.”
WHO – Who do you want to reach this year? Who is your business/company for? Yourself, your family, your employees, God? All the above?
WHAT – What is your ultimate goal?
WHY – What is your why? Not what do you do, but “why” you do what you do?
WHERE -Where do you want to go in your entrepreneurship in the new year?
WHEN – When are you going to perform and complete your tasks? (Think Karen’s “Purposeful Planning Workbook”)!
And How (because it has a “W” in it!) – How are you going to do what you need to do?
Reflecting – Upward
And one final reflection; the most important actually. Reflection Upward!
How can you “reflect” your Lord in this next year?
His Character
His Love
His Forgiveness
His Peace
His Kindness
His Patience
His Grace
His __________
“ So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT)
Prayer
Lord, let us reflect Your glorious image all over the place in the coming year. Let us shine so brightly and boldly in our relationships and our businesses that YOU are known and known well! In Jesus’ Name, Amen!
Danika Deva
NACWE Education Coordinator
Leadership Lessons from Mary, the Mother of Jesus
Leadership Lessons from Mary, the Mother of Jesus
Today is January 20, 2020
When will baby Mika be born?!
I’m sitting here feeling I am the only family member who is anxious about the wait for baby Mika to be born! Everyone else, including Daddy and Mommy and three big sisters and Papa and Grandma and Grandpa and all the aunts and uncles seem to be as calm as cucumbers!
Can you imagine Mary, the Mother of Jesus and her level of anticipation compared to mine? After all, she was pregnant having never known a man, she was unmarried in a culture that could’ve chosen to stone her to death, and she was going to bear THE Messiah!
Read Luke 1:26-38
Birth of Jesus Foretold
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
The angel told Mary she was highly favored, God was with her, she was blessed among women, she should not be afraid, and she would conceive and give birth to Jesus, the son of God!
Leadership Lessons surrounding Mary – What NOT to Do!
Imagine! As soon as Herod found out about the coming birth of Jesus, he set out to do all he could to kill Him. He felt threatened, as he should have! Instead of sharing his power he abused his power.
Are you following a leader who abuses his/her power? What will you do about it?
In what ways do you lead and exercise your power wrongly? What needs to change?
Leadership Lessons surrounding Mary – Godly Examples
Imagine!
-God planned from the very beginning of time to prepare the world for His coming and to save the world! God was with Mary! God is with you!
– God blessed Zacharias and Elizabeth with a son and gave them opportunities to minister to Mary. They were also told not to be afraid, that they would bear a son, that they should call his name John, and that he would be great in the sight of the Lord. Zacharias and Elizabeth cared for Mary. God provides others who care for you!
-God blessed Joseph. He was also told not to be afraid, and to take Mary as his wife. He married her and helped her to raise Jesus and His siblings. Thank Him for your parents, spouse, children.
-God led wise men from the East to worship Jesus and to offer valuable gifts to Joseph and Mary. List the innumerable gifts of value you have received from the Lord!
-God allowed Simeon to see Christ and to bless him. He allows you to bless others. Who will you bless this week?
-God prompted Anna to fast and pray, day and night without leaving the temple and to give thanks to Him for Jesus. Who does God bring to mind that you should fast and pray for this week?
–God provided an angel to instruct Joseph exactly when to move and where to keep His family safe! How can you listen to Him more intently this week?
Leadership Lessons from Mary, the Mother of Jesus
Mary had to know that God would provide the Messiah.
She couldn’t have known that from the beginning of time God had chosen her and prepared her along the way to bear and raise the Savior of the World.
When the angel appeared to her she responded “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
We often wonder how God can do something great through us. May we always respond as Mary did! “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
Lord, thank you for wise leaders You have sent our way!
Lord, help us to lead as servants and according to your Word!
Amen
[Baby Mika (MEE-kah) Rene’e was born Jan 23, 2020! FINALLY!]
Blessings,
Karen
Hurry Up and Slow Down in 2020!
Hurry Up and Slow Down in 2020!
I
Simon and Garfunkel!
Does that date me too terribly? I love their song:
Slow down, you move too fast
You got to make the morning last
Just kicking down the cobblestones
Looking for fun and feeling groovy
Ba da-da da-da da-da, feeling groovy
Hello lamppost, what’cha knowing
I’ve come to watch your flowers growin’
Ain’t you got no rhymes for me?
Doo-ait-n-doo-doo, feeling groovy
Ba da-da da-da da-da, feeling groovy
I got no deeds to do, no promises to keep
I’m dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep
Let the morningtime drop all its petals on me
Life, I love you, all is groovy
Groovy!
That definitely dates me!
Hurry Up and Slow Down to Achieve Entrepreneur Wellness
We’ve been focusing on Planning Purposefully in our groups for entrepreneurs. We went through a 31 step process to plan purposefully four months ago. We held an intensive workshop on planning a month ago. And we are working through Planning Well this month in keeping with our 2020 theme: Entrepreneur Wellness.
When you think about planning, do you get all geared up towards making something happen and isn’t there some urgency about that process?
When I think about planning, I’m excited with anticipation because it’s one of my favorite things to do and because I know I will seek the Lord and receive clarity, and I know I will design a series of actionable steps to make that plan launch well. I’ll be successful!
But if you’re like me, that spurs you to hurry up and get busy, haul buns, make tracks!
Hurry Up and Slow Down to Find Balance
At the same time, I’m being encouraged every which way I turn to slow down! At first this feels like such a contradiction, until I remember that it really is about seeking balance and honoring the Lord!
Hurry Up and Slow Down – Work Under His Unforced Rhythms of Grace
The Unforced Rhythms of Grace Matthew 11
28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” The Message (MSG) by Eugene H. Peterson
“Think of this scripture from a business context. If you’re tired and worn out, it means that you’re working in your own strength, versus allowing God’s strength to be made perfect in your weakness in your business. Jesus provides you with this offer… keep company with Him through your life and work, and He will be your teacher and show you how to work from rest (freely and lightly) in an unforced rhythm of grace.” – Shae Bynes [A Must Read: Bynes, Shae. Grace Over Grind: How Grace Will Take Your Business Where Grinding Can’t.]
Slow Down & Work Under His Unforced Rhythms of Grace!
What does living and working in unforced rhythms of grace look like to you? What do you need to embrace first? Let us know!
I’m learning to recognize that grinding feeling as a blessed red flag from the Lord and not only to slow down, but literally stop and hear Him before I move forward again! Yep! I’ve begun to experience a lot of stops in my life lately!
Hurry Up and Slow Down – Ruthlessly Eliminate Hurry!
“To choose to live an unhurried life in our day is somewhat like taking a vow of poverty in earlier centuries; it is scary. It is an act of faith. But there are deeper riches on the other side.” – John Mark Comer [Another Must Read: Comer, John Mark. The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry.]
CHOOSE un-Hurry!
What’s the first hurried lifestyle habit you need to change to act on faith and receive God’s deeper riches? Let us know!
I’m adopting a practice recommended by Coach, Kadena, and scheduling time on social media and sticking with the schedule! It’s on my calendar!
Hurry Up and Slow Down – Plan Well, Design Well, & Follow Through Well
Join us as we work on a “12-Week Year” basis to PLAN, DESIGN, & Follow Through, then “rinse & repeat” what works to achieve extraordinary levels of success with celebrating.
We’re combining 3 programs into 1 so for a limited time you get all 3 programs for the life of the programs for $149. Pretty soon it’ll change to $149/year!
Many PLANNING Blessings,
Karen
Celebrate 2020 with NACWE
Celebrate 2020 with NACWE
For the whole month of December, we celebrated our successes and celebrated each other. I love that part of NACWE, don’t you? The camaraderie and synergy we get from one another is great. Not only that, but the support, prayer, advice, and love! It’s a win, win, win, win, win, win, win, win!!! Celebrations galore! You get the point!!!
Celebrate Your Wins; Celebrate Christ
Kim Steadman, one of our Elite Members started us off in the first week by “Celebrating our Wins, Celebrating Christ.” She asked us to write a list of our celebrations. Wow, that got me thinking back on the year and all that I had accomplished in my business with the Lord’s help. All I could say was, “Thank you, Jesus, for ALLLLL that!” There were so many celebration items that I had forgotten about and it was great to be reminded of His goodness, even in the middle of the difficulties of life.
Celebrate as Your Hear from God
The second week we had NACWE Team Member, Courtenay Collins, bringing us into a time of prayer as we heard directly from God. In the quietness of a busy day, we stopped and told God how grateful we were and we listened to His response to us. Afterward, we shared our unique nudges from the Lord. We were reminded that we are valuable and that God celebrates us! What a way to celebrate!!
Celebrate Your God-given Plans
And December 17th was a life changer for me. We worked through Karen’s Purposeful Planning Workbook as we celebrated all that God has planned for us. As we cranked out plans for the next 12 weeks, we systematically got to what was most important and structured our list as we prayed, planned, and purposefully were productive.
This “Purposeful Planning” Day jazzed me so much I decided to set aside 24 hours over 4 days to crank out my 12-week plan. It worked! I have just a few hours left and am excited to tell you I need to make a new next plan! Just organizing it with the workbook took me from overwhelmed and frozen with so many things to do that I wasn’t moving forward, to streamlining what I needed to do first and foremost and then moving on to what I needed to do each step of the way. And you can bet I am celebrating that I accomplished so much in such a short time.
Celebrate with NACWE
I share all this because I have only been a member of NACWE for part of a year and it has been so instrumental in helping me move my company to a new level. I jumped right into the Pomodoro workspace sessions (join us Mon, Tues, Wed & Thurs mornings), joined the Elite Membership so I could dig into the vault and learn as much as I could, got connected, asked questions, and blessed others in the process.
Joining NACWE has brought energy, fun, connection, laughter, planning, training, love, new ideas, polished deliverables, and more. I really could go on and on sharing about the new friends/entrepreneurs I have met, the conference I got to attend, the movie I wrote at the Lakeside Writing Retreat, the activities I created to help families heal, and the blessing that NACWE has been to me!
Celebrate Leadership
Yes, this is the season of celebration and the one thing I am most excited to celebrate with NACWE is that our leader, Karen Lindwall-Bourg, leads us first and foremost to the Lord. She consistently demonstrates inviting the Lord into everything we do because we do what we do for His glory. We do this as He gives us ideas, passions and goals, He directs and guides us, and He helps us finish what He has given us to do. Actually, we can celebrate because of HIM!
Celebrate a New Year
So as we start another year, may we continue to celebrate all that God has done in our businesses, our homes, our relationships, and our lives! May we continue to “Purposefully Plan” so we bring Him glory and point others to Him!
And Thank You, Karen, for leading the way!
Danika Deva, NACWE Education Coordinator