Today is my day for possibility.  Everything within me seeks the undeniable expression of love that flows from the heart of others and into my life.

I will dwell in the belly of joy, knowing that all good things are working for me and through me.

And… so it is.

Your Sister in the Journey,

Allyson

Author of the Rockn’ Purpose Blog

Allyson Byrd is a highly sought after Business and Transformational Leadership Coach.  As the Founder and CEO for The Purpose Within, Allyson is one of the most provocative thought-leaders and personal growth teachers of our time.

She is the noted author of two books, “When God Takes a Bath” and “Love Yourself to Life: Breaking Limiting Beliefs on Love”.  Allyson inspires individuals to live in purpose, embrace passion and achieve personal greatness through balance in work and life. In 2008, Allyson founded The Purpose Within as a unique tool to assist the average person’s transition from “purpose discovery” to “purpose mastery”.

Whether you are a CEO, working mom, entrepreneur or college student – Allyson keeps the process straightforward, simple and clear-cut as possible to achieve the desired outcomes of purpose fulfilled for your life.  To learn more, click HERE.

1. Lack of Planning
2. Inadequate Funding
3. Bad Marketing
4. Unreliable Suppliers
5. Staffing Imbalances
6. Ineffective Sales Performance
7. ….this list never ends!!!

When I dreamed of owning my business, I went to bed with excitement and I woke up with excitement.  I could not wait to be the CEO of Me, Inc.  It meant that I was free of “da man” and I had full control of my schedule, finances, and I could have a team of people that would do what I wanted, when I wanted and how I wanted.

Turn to anyone within earshot of you and say, “DELUSIONAL!”

The first day I woke up as a business owner, I didn’t have anyone to tell me what to do and guess what, I had no idea what to do.  Six weeks later, five pounds heavier and 10,000 trips to OfficeMax later, I realized this was not going to work.

Stephen Covey, author of “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” shares that we should begin with the end in mind.  I started with that question as it related to my year and once again, I felt overwhelmed.  So, I narrowed it down to the quarter, the month and then the week.

• What would I like the end of my week to look like?
• What would I like the end of my month to look like?
• What would I like the end of my quarter to look like?

When I made this a practice, I found it easier to move through my days with a schedule of productivity.  I became innovative, powerful and enlightened.  I knew what I wanted and if I didn’t have the tools to get them, I didn’t create another trip to the local office supply store, I reached out to a colleague for help.

If you are a new business owner, supervisor or manager and find yourself lost in the newness of your role, here are a few tips that will help you move forward to create the success you were intended to experience.

1. Begin with the End in Mind.

This is the 1^st step to bringing action to your vision.

2. Create a System of Support

Find other colleagues that are in similar positions, not necessarily the same field.  Bounce ideas off of them, schedule creative and community working time.

3. Invest in LIVE Training

As business owners, entrepreneurs and leaders, we are often the last ones to go through training that further develops our craft.  Invest in time with webinars, teleseminars and most of all, anything LIVE that promotes you leaving the home office (the couch for many of us) and gets us beyond the BEYOND the local coffee shop.

4. Manage Your Time

Time management is not a very easy task, nor is time efficiency.  Setting schedule out for an 8-hour day did not work for me.  Looking at my day in two-hour increments helped me to divide sales time, client hours, staff meetings, networking events, etc.

5. Believe in Yourself

You have to be your #1 fan.  If you feel yourself losing sight in your vision, reach out to a coach or mentor that can remind you of your greatness, connect you to our purpose and help enhance your productivity with clarity of being.

I recently attended a business mastermind course in California and the list above were several of the concerns shared as top CEO’s, business owners, Non-profit leaders shared their frustrations.

My life was transformed to hear that I was not alone.  Remember that when things get difficult.  YOU ARE NOT ALONE.  I’m excited to be in this journey with you and I look forward to seeing you at the top.

Your Sister in the Journey,

Allyson

Author of the Rockn’ Purpose Blog

Allyson Byrd is a highly sought after Business and Transformational Leadership Coach.  As the Founder and CEO for The Purpose Within, Allyson is one of the most provocative thought-leaders and personal growth teachers of our time.

She is the noted author of two books, “When God Takes a Bath” and “Love Yourself to Life: Breaking Limiting Beliefs on Love”.  Allyson inspires individuals to live in purpose, embrace passion and achieve personal greatness through balance in work and life. In 2008, Allyson founded The Purpose Within as a unique tool to assist the average person’s transition from “purpose discovery” to “purpose mastery”.

Whether you are a CEO, working mom, entrepreneur or college student – Allyson keeps the process straightforward, simple and clear-cut as possible to achieve the desired outcomes of purpose fulfilled for your life.  To learn more, click HERE.

Nearly two weeks later, the day of the project due date was encroaching and OMG! I’d only completed the outline and didn’t have any of the content created.

I took a deep breath and told myself, “You work well under pressure.  You can do this.” Of course, the truth is that I do work well under pressure.  I’ve been “under pressure” all of my life.

Raised by a single mother, father in prison, not having some of my life necessities at times, later becoming a high school drop-out and petty criminal, I’d learned to survive UNDER PRESSURE.

The reality is that my life design was never intended to be so extreme.  It’s simply the way I’d adapted and yes, a pattern I created.

The word procrastination comes from the Latin combination pro which is forward + crastinus meaning belonging to tomorrow.

Being pro-tomorrow sounds pretty good, doesn’t it… or does it?

A 2007 study by professor Piers Steel of the University of Calgary (news.cnet.com) revealed that procrastination is a preference reversal.   Someone who procrastinates prefers what is happening today over preparing for the possibility of something bigger and more powerful tomorrow.

WOW! You may have to reread that sentence to really, I mean REALLY GET IT!

The more I understood this; I realized that the way of being I’d created for myself was suffocating my life.  I was always overwhelmed, stressed, anxious and felt perpetually behind.  Can you raise your hand to that?

I was reminded of a line in one of the most hilarious movies, Elf.  Will Ferrell’s character says to his new boss, “I just like to smile.  Smiling is my favorite!”

I realized that I had created a detrimental favorite for my life and my business.  I had to be like Ferrell’s character and create a new favorite.

Studies reveal that 95% of people admit to procrastination in some form.  What’s the other 5% doing that we aren’t?  I have a few tips listed for you below.

I encourage you to take this new journey of preparation and self-care along with me.

Allyson’s Pro-Follow Through Tips

1. Create time blocks to complete smaller projects.  Personally, I give myself 90-minutes to complete presentation outlines, email clean up, social media responses, etc.
2. Change the name of your “tasks” to something fun.  For instance, I call my time at the gym “Get My Sexy Back” time vs. the droning term… working out.  I also call my time at the desk, “Building My Business” vs. work.  Ha!
3. Lastly, I learned from one of my greatest coaches to create a “To Done” list vs. a “To Do” list allowing me to perceive what my day would look and feel like if I truly accomplished all I set out for.

My new affirmation has become, “I like preparation.  Preparation is my favorite!” I’m wishing you and me ultimate success in this new way of being for our lives.

Your Sister in the Journey,

Allyson

Author of the Rockn’ Purpose Blog

Allyson Byrd is a highly sought after Business and Transformational Leadership Coach.  As the Founder and CEO for The Purpose Within, Allyson is one of the most provocative thought-leaders and personal growth teachers of our time.

She is the noted author of two books, “When God Takes a Bath” and “Love Yourself to Life: Breaking Limiting Beliefs on Love”.  Allyson inspires individuals to live in purpose, embrace passion and achieve personal greatness through balance in work and life. In 2008, Allyson founded The Purpose Within as a unique tool to assist the average person’s transition from “purpose discovery” to “purpose mastery”.

Whether you are a CEO, working mom, entrepreneur or college student – Allyson keeps the process straightforward, simple and clear-cut as possible to achieve the desired outcomes of purpose fulfilled for your life.  To learn more, click HERE.

I’m so excited for the kick-off of our 2011 series of “Love Yourself to Life” radio this Wednesday night.  Our 1^st guest is going to be a very personal and emotional interview with my mentor and spiritual teacher, Paula White.

You may have seen her on Larry King Live, the Tyra Banks show or recently on the Style Networks hit show, Ruby. But to me, she is one of the people who changed my life in ways she will never know.

I have to say, I’m not one of those star struck individuals that likes to give a lot of credit to a “celebrity personality” just for the sake of making them feel good.  I often see people snotting and crying all over Oprah and wonder, “Was that really the defining moment of your life?”

However, I’ll never forget the time that Paula White’s ministry and life work truly helped me shift in a way I never could have imagined it.

It was the summer of 2007 and I was emotionally bankrupt.  What led to this place? A failed relationship with a married man (one would argue it was pretty much doomed from the beginning, huh?), a job that I didn’t feel was purposeful or exciting and a series of broken relationships that were perpetuated by my broken behaviors.

Life was NOT like a box of chocolates… more like a box of hard, crusty rocks and my soul ached.

I decided that for me, life was over.  I wasn’t going to kill myself because I’d already died inside.  To hell with destiny, purposeful living or anything that resembled it.  I’d jacked up life pretty bad and I was over it!

I perceived myself a failure and simply wanted to live out the reality.  I got on my knees and prayed to God for the last time.  I told God that I’d failed and disappointed him in immeasurable ways.  My words, “This is the last time you ever have to hear my prayers.  I don’t know how I’ll live without you but I can no longer hurt you with who I am.  I love you.  Goodbye.”

I got up from my bedside, wiped my tears and began the rest of my Godless life.

Within an hour, I received a call from a local pastor here in San Antonio.  The call was an invite to host an international evangelist’s regional seminar.

The request was to emcee with an encouraging, spiritual way of being.  I wanted to say, “Uhm… me? The one that just resigned from life and now lives Godless?”

Fast forward three weeks later and there I was, standing on the platform of the event, completely clueless as to what I was going to say.

I decided to reach out to the audience and ask for inspirational stories.  What better way to motivate than to have them do it themselves, right? (I’m super smart) As they shared their stories, they spoke of this teacher that reconnected their hearts with their faith even through tragic life situations that ranged from brutal, abusive marriages, devastating homelessness, life threatening diseases and clear mental breakdowns.

Every person had a unique story but one common denominator was Paula White.  Did I forget to mention that she was the international evangelist? Yes! This was her event and with each story, my broken heart bled just a little bit less.  By the time she took the stage that evening, my crawling heart was pulling up on the end tables of my soul like a toddler does at the beginning stages of walking, peering to see something it had never experienced before.

Her words were a healing balm.  They washed over the years of secret abuse that I hadn’t told anyone.  They cracked away the self-deprecating conversations I held with myself on a daily basis that I was not now and never would be enough.  With her own story of transparency, I felt the permission to live my own truth and that I could truly recover from this Godless life I’d self-enforced.

That night, I got home and began working on the launch of my company – The Purpose Within.  Through the demonstration of Paula White, I realized that I too could become a “wounded healer”, continuing my journey toward wholeness and encouraging others to do the same.

I realized that it was not by chance for that moment to happen to me.  It was a choice that I’d made long ago to never give up.  I forgot I had a standing agreement that showed up for me at the right moment and time to save my rusty and tired soul.

I’m excited that Paula will be with me LIVE Wednesday night for a one-on-one interview.  She’s a renowned life coach, spiritual teacher, TV show host, best-selling author, pastors over 2 billion people weekly through her international television program and she inspires me!

I’m certain that many of you are living a story that is bigger than I could ever imagine.  My goal is not that we compare but that we uplift.  There’s value in our story when we choose to come out of it and stand on it to perceive our ability to breakthrough to something bigger, better and God-designed.

I’ve learned that purpose fulfilled is worth the process.  Cheers to process and the power of choice over chance and the joy of living a life of destiny.

Your Sister in the Journey,

Allyson

Author of the Rockn’ Purpose Blog

Allyson Byrd is a highly sought after Business and Transformational Leadership Coach.  As the Founder and CEO for The Purpose Within, Allyson is one of the most provocative thought-leaders and personal growth teachers of our time.

She is the noted author of two books, “When God Takes a Bath” and “Love Yourself to Life: Breaking Limiting Beliefs on Love”.  Allyson inspires individuals to live in purpose, embrace passion and achieve personal greatness through balance in work and life. In 2008, Allyson founded The Purpose Within as a unique tool to assist the average person’s transition from “purpose discovery” to “purpose mastery”.

Whether you are a CEO, working mom, entrepreneur or college student – Allyson keeps the process straightforward, simple and clear-cut as possible to achieve the desired outcomes of purpose fulfilled for your life.  To learn more, click HERE.

You’re Invited!

Allyson hosts Paula White LIVE on Wednesday, March 30^th at 9pmCST/10pmEST

Listen Online: www.blogtalkradio.com/allysonbyrd

Listen by Phone: (347) 857-4883

Limited Space – Call In Early!

I’ll never forget discovering this quote when I was researching for my 1^st book, “When God Takes a Bath”; my mouth dropped to the floor.

This quote told my life story… I was living the consequences of my choices and while the frustration was evident, so was the breakthrough.

Change my choices – change my life.  Simple.  I didn’t need a 12-step program or an accountability partner, I needed ME.

Today, as you continue in your journey of transformation, take a look in the mirror and become your #1 fan of support, growth and personal transformation remembering that YOU get to decide the path, the passion, the pace, the power and the presence that will enable you to fully possess the liberty and freedom you desire.

Your Sister in the Journey,

Allyson

Author of the Rockn’ Purpose Blog

Allyson Byrd is a highly sought after Business and Transformational Leadership Coach.  As the Founder and CEO for The Purpose Within, Allyson is one of the most provocative thought-leaders and personal growth teachers of our time.

She is the noted author of two books, “When God Takes a Bath” and “Love Yourself to Life: Breaking Limiting Beliefs on Love”.  Allyson inspires individuals to live in purpose, embrace passion and achieve personal greatness through balance in work and life. In 2008, Allyson founded The Purpose Within as a unique tool to assist the average person’s transition from “purpose discovery” to “purpose mastery”.

Whether you are a CEO, working mom, entrepreneur or college student – Allyson keeps the process straightforward, simple and clear-cut as possible to achieve the desired outcomes of purpose fulfilled for your life.  To learn more, click HERE.

This past Sunday, March 20^th was the official start of spring for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere (Vernal Equinox).  However, on that day, the Southern Hemisphere observes the Autumnal Equinox, which is the equivalent of the start of Autumn.

I find it remarkable that while one side of the globe is experiencing the burst of a beautiful new season commonly filled with abundance, fragrant aromas and attractive weather, the other side of the globe is experiencing pruning, the falling away of leaves and cold, dreary storms.

This scenario is wonderfully relative to life.

I’ll never forget reaching out to one of my spiritual teachers in frustration because nothing in my life was producing.  My relationships were brittle if not completely broken, my finances were in a drought season and when I prayed, I felt like there was nothing and no one that was interested in my petitions.  In sadness and fear that life would remain this way always, I shared my story with her.  I ended with this statement: “I’m stuck and I can’t see a way out.”

I cannot ever forever her gentle and embracing response.  “Allyson, you aren’t stuck.  You are just in the Autumn of life.” What? She went on to explain to me seasons of pruning and seasons of abundance.  I realized that the Law of Change was working in my favor vs. against me which was my original perception.

Because of my limited view on the situation, I began comparing myself to others and even to past seasons of my life which stifled my ability to perceive and further cultivate something great and new.

Through life’s thorn filled lessons, I’ve learned that when things begin to look different around me, the people change, the revenue adds or subtracts in an unusual way – that’s really my time to identify my season.

Sometimes the season is bursting with change I enjoy, similar to spring and summer.  And sometimes, the change is cold and harsh like autumn and winter.  Either way, I understand now that all things are designed and aligned for my good.

Reflection: I once read that change is inevitable and growth is optional.  I agree 1000%!

What season of life are you living in?

• Can you list the things that you are most grateful for and the people you are most grateful to in this season?
• How can you maximize the experience of this season and all that it’s daring to teach you?

Remember, each time you choose to change, to grow, to improve, or to learn, you are acting from your inner core of personal truth and passion; in this place, you discover your individual freedom and liberty to live your best life.

Your Sister in the Journey,

Allyson

Author of the Rockn’ Purpose Blog

Allyson Byrd is a highly sought after Business and Transformational Leadership Coach.  As the Founder and CEO for The Purpose Within, Allyson is one of the most provocative thought-leaders and personal growth teachers of our time.

She is the noted author of two books, “When God Takes a Bath” and “Love Yourself to Life: Breaking Limiting Beliefs on Love”.  Allyson inspires individuals to live in purpose, embrace passion and achieve personal greatness through balance in work and life. In 2008, Allyson founded The Purpose Within as a unique tool to assist the average person’s transition from “purpose discovery” to “purpose mastery”.

Whether you are a CEO, working mom, entrepreneur or college student – Allyson keeps the process straightforward, simple and clear-cut as possible to achieve the desired outcomes of purpose fulfilled for your life.  To learn more, click HERE.

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