Expect Success

March is “Expect Success” month.  Isn’t that nice! It makes me feel good just to write about this topic. 

Today we’re going to look at a strengths-based approach to creating success in our business. Generally speaking, we’re conditioned in our society to spend our time and money focusing on where we’re lacking and what we need to improve upon so that we can ‘fix it’.  The downside to this approach is that it keeps us blind to all of the greatness we have to offer, and diverts us from exploring how to utilize our existing gifts and talents to create what we want more of in our business and our lives.

The foundation of focusing on our strengths to be successful that we’re going to explore comes from Appreciative Inquiry (AI). AI began as an organizational change philosophy developed by David Cooperrider and his thesis supervisor, Suresh Srivastva in 1980.  Recently it has been developed into a personal growth and development tool for anyone to use, by Jacqueline Kelm which she calls Appreciative Living.  Jacqueline has written about this in her new book The Joy of Appreciative Living, Your 28-Day Plan to Greater Happiness in 3 Incredibly Easy Steps (yes, they really are incredibly easy and incredibly powerful)!

Based on these concepts, the questions below can get you started in utilizing your natural strengths and what you’re doing well already, to create greater success in your business.

Explore these questions to help you create your ideal business:

1. What is going well in my business right now?
2. What do I want more of?
3. When I think of the challenge(s) I’m facing in my business today, when was a time in my past when I’ve faced something similar?  How did I overcome it? (Who did I engage for assistance, what steps did I take, what was the key in successfully overcoming it.)
4. How can I apply what I learned from that past experience (above) to what I’m facing today?
5. What do I truly believe about reaching the level of success I desire in my business?
6. Complete this vision with as much detail as possible:  “My ideal business looks like this…”

What we focus on grows; and what we expect – we get. By answering these questions we take a look at what is working; and by imagining our desired future we’re motivated to take positive action in creating our ideal. 

Considering the positive outcomes from the exercise above, and reflecting upon what’s worked in the past, we’re retraining our thought patterns to see what’s right in any given circumstance and revealing a roadmap for future success.  The result is greater success along with greater joy!

Opening of the Heart

Becoming a best-selling author was actually not in my plans.  I’m not saying that I’m unhappy it happened. On the contrary – I couldn’t be more elated!  But, it was the gifts I received along the way that surprised me the most.

 I’m going into my 4^th year of business with my coaching practice and things are going well.  Any entrepreneur will tell you that having your own business is the quickest route to self-discovery there is, and now I need to add that so is writing and publishing your story! 

 I’ve always been a very “just the facts ma’am” sort of business person.  15 years of corporate service will do that to a girl.  This process-driven approach has brought me success and contributed to my leadership strengths. 

 Running my business has opened me and softened me as I threw off my corporate constraints and practiced the heart-centered work of coaching.  The journey of writing my chapter in the best-selling Overcomers, Inc. anthology brought me a little deeper. 

 I can’t pin-point exactly what happened along the way; perhaps it was the candor and honesty of my fellow authors that permitted me the courage to express my feelings more deeply, or it was the realization that “Oh well, now my words are out there, for better or worse, so I’d better be prepared to stand behind them”.  (Translation: There’s no turning back!), but a sort of courage came over me.  A sense of confidence that only comes with accomplishing a challenging task started to move in.  I believe it’s through this heightened courage and confidence that I felt an opening and strengthening of my heart.  

 Thank you my courageous, beautiful co-authors for lighting a path for me.  Sometimes a book is more than just a book.  (Even when it’s a best-seller!) 

 With deep gratitude and love,

Kimberly

Best-Seller

Our book, Overcomers Inc: True Stories of Hope, Courage, and Inspiration became a best-seller yesterday!

I contributed a chapter to this best-selling anthology entitled “Willy Loman I Am Not!” where I share my journey of self-discovery through facing three major career changes, each one bringing me closer to realizing my life’s purpose, finding true happiness and living an authentic life.

It’s still sinking in that I became a best-selling author on the same day I became a published author for the first time.  Wow!  I have so many people to thank for getting me here.

I couldn’t have done this without the love and support of my wonderful husband Dave and our special dog Emma – who is able to read my mind and know when I need her kisses.  Ok, Dave knows too .

Thank you to all of the special people in my life who encouraged and believed in me throughout this process, and to those who have supported this project through their book purchase.

This all began as a dream just to write, then a dream to one day have my words published.  Becoming a best-selling author was so beyond what I could have imagined that I’m still digesting it all, and being grateful for this blessing.

If you purchase the book today, you are still eligible to receive over $5000.00 in bonus gifts.  You can buy the book at: www.overcomersinc.com/booklaunch

As an endorser of this book, Author Max Wellspring says, “At the end of reading the beautiful poignant stories, the first word that came to my mind was “Wow!” These are extraordinary and brave stories….not only inspiring, but soul stirring. Each one of these narratives is proof that there is a choice to co-create with Source that will inevitably bring healing. 

With deep gratitude,

Kimberly

Overcomers Inc Book Introduction

Today’s the big day!  Today is the launch of the amazing book I’ve co-authored about the power of the human spirit; Overcomers, Inc., True Stories of Hope, Courage and Inspiration. 

When you buy this book today, you will receive over $5000.00 in bonus gifts!  Wow!  Definitely an offer you want to take advantage of.

http://www.overcomersbook.com/booklaunch

To learn a little bit more about the genesis of this anthology, our good friend and publisher Lynne Klippel describes her journey of overcoming seemingly insurmountable tragedy.  It’s been Lynne’s strength, faith and compassion towards every author in this book that has made her dream – and ours collectively – a reality.

Book Introduction from publisher, Lynne Klippel

At one point in my life it seemed like everywhere I looked, I saw tragedy. My brother, both of my parents, and a dear friend were all battling cancer at the same time. Other friends were losing jobs and fearful about the prospects of finding new work. The evening news was full of financial scandals, plant closings, kidnappings, and war.

As I sat in the sun on my front porch in March 2009, I wished I had a book to send to my brother to read during his chemotherapy treatments – something to remind him that he was not alone and to encourage him to fight for his life. I wanted a book that could give him hope, inspiration, and encouragement on every page.

Due to a series of miracles, the book you are now reading is my wish come true. In a very short time a team of wonderful people came together to create this book with just one purpose: to encourage you, the reader, to overcome whatever obstacles are lying in your path to happiness.

As you read the stories in this book, you will find real life tales of remarkable courage, strength, and perseverance.  You will be inspired, entertained, and uplifted. Some of the stories will make you laugh. Some of them will make you cry. All of them will make you proud of the power of the human spirit. 

You will find this a book of diversity. There are many authors, from many walks of life. However, they all share a common bond. They triumphed over tragedy and gleaned wisdom in this process. While this is not a religious book, there are stories full of faith, of many kinds and flavors. It is funny how in your darkest times, faith often becomes your brightest light.

All of the contributors to this book want to encourage you to hold tight to your belief that a better day will come. It is their sincere desire to pass along what they’ve learned through their own trials, to make your journey easier.

I hope that you wear this book out by highlighting meaningful passages and bending down the corners of the pages you want to read over and over again. There is true wisdom in these pages that can help you feel strong, brave, and hopeful.

May you be blessed by this book and inspired to overcome!

Lynne Klippel
St. Peters, Missouri
September, 2009

To get your own copy and receive dozens of bonus gifts go to http://www.overcomersbook.com/booklaunch

Overcomers Inc Book Summary

Only 2 more sleeps until the highly anticipated book Overcomers, Inc: True stories of hope, courage, and inspiration which I’ve co-authored, is launched!

This Thursday October 22, a long time dream of mine will come true; the dream to become a published author.  We all have a story – actually many stories about our lives.  From the outside our stories may seem similar, but what makes each story uniquely our own is how we’ve perceived our experiences, how we’ve responded to life’s circumstances and how we’ve played the hand we were dealt.

This book is an anthology of 37 stories plus my own.  The courage is not only in what happens in the story, but also in the sharing of the story.  If you’ve ever put your work into the world in a public way as in the form of a book, you’ll know what I mean when I say it’s a “coming out” of sorts.  When you read the stories in this book, you will be inspired by the courage of each and every writer; how they overcame their adversity and that they’ve shared it with the world.

Here is a short summary of our book.

Overcomers, Inc: True stories of hope, courage, and inspiration will give readers the knowledge and emotional resilience to face the most difficult times of life by sharing inspiring stories of triumph.

You will find this a book of diversity. There are many authors, from many walks of life. However, they all share a common bond. They triumphed over tragedy and gleaned wisdom in this process. While this is not a religious book, there are stories full of faith, of many kinds and flavors. It is funny how in your darkest times, faith often becomes your brightest light.

All of the contributors to this book want to encourage you to hold tight to your belief that a better day will come. It is their sincere desire to pass along what they’ve learned through their own trials, to make your journey easier.

To get your own copy and receive dozens of bonus gifts go to http://www.overcomersbook.com/booklaunch

Book Launch

This is a very exciting and emotional day for me.  Today I’m “coming out” as an author! It’s been many months in the making, and this Thursday October 22, 2009 the book that I have co-authored will be released. 

Information about the book follows:

Kimberly L. Martin offers her inspiring Story in the New Book Overcomers, Inc: True Stories of Hope, Courage and Inspiration

Love Your Life Publishing will launch a compilation of 38 inspiring and thought provoking stories in the new anthology Overcomers, Inc: True stories of hope, courage, and inspiration on Thursday, October 22nd.  http://www.overcomersbook.com/booklaunch

Overcomers, Inc: True stories of hope, courage, and inspiration will give readers the knowledge and emotional resilience to face the most difficult times of life by sharing inspiring stories of triumph.

Kimberly L. Martin has offered a chapter entitled “Willy Loman I Am Not!” She shares with us her journey of self-discovery through facing three major career changes, each one bringing her closer to realizing her life’s purpose, finding true happiness and living an authentic life.

As an endorser of this book, Author Max Wellspring says, “At the end of reading the beautiful poignant stories, the first word that came to my mind was “Wow!” These are extraordinary and brave stories….not only inspiring, but soul stirring. Each one of these narratives is proof that there is a choice to co-create with Source that will inevitably bring healing. 

All the authors had the trust, willingness, and courage to make that choice, and surrender to the mystery of life’s unfolding, demonstrating how tragedies, illness, disappointment and betrayal can be shape-shifted into miracles.  It is a noble book not only for these unprecedented turbulent times, and serves as a beacon of hope for all of us in the human condition.”

Over 90 top authors, industry experts, coaches and visionaries are supporting 38 contributing authors by donating nearly $6000 in life changing bonus gifts, including e-books, audio and video downloads, reports, special event offers and more.  http://www.overcomersbook.com/booklaunch

Among these supporters are Dr. Wayne Dyer, leader in the field of personal transformation, Best-selling author of Excuses Begone!, Chris and Janet Attwood, renowned authors of the recent bestseller, The Passion Test: The Effortless Path To Discovering Your Destiny, visionaries, leaders and authors including Dr. Joe Rubino, David Mathison, Alexis Martin Neely, Erin Blaskie and over 85 others.

The book will be available for purchase on Thursday, October 22nd at which time buyers will receive dozens of bonus gifts with the purchase.  http://www.overcomersbook.com/booklaunch