Believe in Your Purpose

A Guide to Becoming a Successful Purpose-Driven Entrepreneur

Shannon Wilkerson

• Publisher: Shanni Wilke Company
• Year: 2018
• eBook ISBN: 9781732352056
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Personal Success

Are you feeling like something is missing in your business? Are you still looking for the one thing that will propel your business into a state of success beyond what you could think or ask? Maybe what is missing is the presence of your purpose. A purpose-driven business is a successful business because it consists of a personal vision and mission that you must fulfill. In this book, I will explain how to:

• Identify your purpose
• Shift your thinking about your business
• Stay committed to the process on the way to success

This book will inspire, encourage, and equip you in becoming a successful purpose-driven entrepreneur. You will confidently operate in excellence and build the life you dream of! No matter where you are in your personal business journey, expect to see growth as you apply the principles and follow the steps shared.

BELIEVE

IN

Your Purpose

A Guide to

Becoming a Successful

Purpose-Driven Entrepreneur

SHANNON WILKERSON

© 2018 by Shannon Wilkerson

Believe in Your Purpose: A Guide to Becoming a Successful Purpose-Driven Entrepreneur

Published by ZION Publishing House

Sioux Falls, S. D. & Washington, D. C.

www.zionpublishinghouse.com

ISBN: 978-1-7323520-6-3 print

ISBN: 978-1-7323520-5-6 eBook

All rights reserved. The author guarantees all contents are original and do not infringe upon the legal rights of any other person or work. No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means –electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, King Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

This book is dedicated to my mother who believed in my dream to be an author, even as a child, and to all my sister- friends who have listened to me talk about writing this book for three years without even writing one sentence. You didn’t lose enthusiasm for this project and have been a great encouragement to me. You are invaluable!

Contents

Prologue

Introduction

Chapter 1 Who Are You

Identifying Your Purpose and Gifts

Lost Dreams

Avoid Money Traps

Use What’s in Your Hands

Chapter 2 The Mind Shift

Make Space to do Business

What’s the Message?

Chapter 3 Commitment to the Journey

Stop Switching Up

Vision Boards and Journaling

Chapter 4 Push

When Purpose Shifts

A Closed Door

Chapter 5 Connections that Count

Forming Your Circle of Support

The Approach to Forming Your

Circle of Support

Be an Opportunist

Everyone is Not For You

Accountability

Chapter 6 It’s Not Just You

When Your Family and Friends

Don’t Support You

To Leave or Not to Leave?

Chapter 7 The Invisible Business

Sharing vs. Selling

Why You’re Really Afraid to

Tell People About Your Business

Bonus Chapter

Becoming a Woman of Purpose

All the Single Ladies

A Final Word

Prologue: This is for YOU!

It was an amazing experience writing this book. I had suffered from writer’s block for years and nothing seemed to work to bring forth this gift that I knew I had. It wasn’t until I started this project, I realized that, in reality, my “writer’s block” was God telling me that I was not focused on or writing about the right thing! What I put in this book will guide you through the process of realizing your purpose and being able to walk it out in a big way. You will get the keys to be a successful purpose-driven entrepreneur, but you have to do the work and utilize those keys to unlock it for yourself. You will also get practical tips and strategies for networking, marketing, and bringing purpose to your business. No matter where you are in your entrepreneurship journey, this book is for you!

Sincerely,

Shannon

Introduction

Still trying to figure out if this book is for you…..

I had been a Business Coach for a few years and had met so many women with awesome ideas and amazing gifts on the inside of them. It was an honor to meet and work with these women. There was however, one thing that bothered me. Many of them felt unsupported in their ventures to start businesses and live out their dreams. I could see that this was doing something to their level of confidence, which in turn had been affecting their level of success. They were discovering that sometimes their friends and family were not as supportive as they would like, and sometimes doors were closing in their faces. I wanted to help them to see that they still must go on!

Like myself, they had also been to seminars and meetings presented by “Coaches” promising to provide tips and tools that would lead them into their best life and leaving disappointed because all they got was a sales pitch. They expressed feeling like all anybody was ever interested in was getting their money. I have been there and done that, and I can’t tell you how much money I have spent. They were not getting what they needed as a new entrepreneur and had been feeling let down by those closest to them, as well as other women in business. It was from those conversations that I decided to write this book and to work more with women on a mission to living their purpose, which begins with believing that you have everything it takes to be successful.

The way that we visualize ourselves in our wildest dreams are not just far-fetched fantasies of what life could have been like for us if not for this or that unfortunate event that took place in our lives. They are images, ideas, and thoughts purposefully placed in our hearts by God Himself to express the life that He wants for us and the gifts that He has given us freely.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,” Jeremiah 29:11 (New International Version).

God wants us to dream big. In fact, He wants us to dream bigger than ourselves, so we recognize that we need Him in order to accomplish those things that we dream. God wants us to reach a place of walking out His perfect plan for our lives even if it isn’t exactly what we planned for ourselves, and even if nobody goes with us for the journey. What’s on the inside of you waiting for you to stop being afraid to carry out? Who and what is waiting for you to believe in your purpose?

My #1 goal for this book is not only to inspire you, but also to set you up for success by providing the “how to.” Being inspired is one thing. Knowing what’s next is the key. Reaching success is not this mysterious thing reserved for just a few of us. It is readily available to anyone who will put in the work and do the steps. If you are not yet willing and motivated, your dream may not be big enough and may lack purpose to back it up.

In each chapter of this book, you will be challenged to reflect and evaluate your thoughts. These thoughts will become your words and then your actions! You will be challenged to do something different in order to obtain a different result. These are important steps to being able to manifest your dreams. You will also get valuable and practical tips that you can apply immediately to see progress today in your current situation as it relates to giving your business a boost. I’m giving you the tools and unlocking the mystery that you thought was only for “those people.”

Please enjoy my book, but at the same time, take it very seriously. It can be just another book to you or “that book”—that book that was so real and spoke to you on so many levels, that you couldn’t be the same after you read it. Yes, that book!

Chapter One

Who Are You?

Who are you? Seems like a weird question, right? You would be surprised at how many women can’t answer that question without mentioning the roles that they play. For example, when asked, they might say, “I am a mom,” or “I am a business owner.” Ok, but what else? If I stripped away all of your roles, who would be left?

Knowing who you are is the absolute number one step in identifying your purpose and beginning to plan for a business that reflects that purpose, your passions, and your character. The world doesn’t need another business created just for generating income. What the world needs is more leaders who are willing to step up with boldness and live in their purpose to create a better situation for themselves and for others. That starts within you. We all have the strength within ourselves to achieve and fulfil our purpose. We just have to tap into that strength.

Earlier this year, I hosted a workshop for women in business. At the beginning of the session, I asked the women to describe themselves in three words. Immediately, many of them looked nervous as if they did not know what to say. I could feel the tension as everyone hoped I wouldn’t ask them to speak. As I called on each one, they struggled and started to name their roles. I explained to them that the task at hand should be easy because nobody knows you like you do.

If I stripped away all of your roles, who would be left?

Describing yourself should be simple. One of the ladies admitted it was difficult to describe herself because it was something she doesn’t think about regularly. Her mind is usually consumed by what she has to do every day (the roles that she plays) and other people like her husband, children, and elderly parents. It is so easy to fall into this trap because we all have responsibilities and people who depend on us. That’s ok. However, we must not lose sight of our purpose. If we do, we will soon resent those people and will blame them because we did not accomplish our life goals. They would be held responsible even though we ourselves would be to blame for our own life choices.

I will be the first to admit that sometimes you have to dig deep to find yourself in the midst of all of the noise, distractions, and responsibilities that we face daily. Let me tell you, you are more than a mother to your children, a wife to your husband, a caregiver, a CEO, etc. Those are wonderful roles to walk in. However, you were born with a purpose that goes far beyond all of that. God has placed some things on the inside of you that are buried under motherhood, being a good wife, working too many hours, and taking care of everything and everyone around you.

Are you the one family member who everyone depends on? I am. I spent years catering to everyone. Whenever anyone needed anything, my phone ring. I was a taxi driver, a babysitter, a grocery store shopper, etc. Once I became a business coach, everyone in my world who desired to be in business wanted free advice. Everybody wanted the service, but nobody wanted to pay for it. Sound familiar? I struggled, and to be honest, I sometimes still struggle to tell people, “No.” However, I am a lot better at it now after years of constantly going through drama with people who totally inconvenienced me with no regard for my time. Now, I know how to take time to work on my own personal goals and do not allow others to interrupt that time. Guess what? When I was done, everyone was still alive. Nobody met a fatal end because I could not address their need immediately. This is how I progress, and if you want to progress, it will require you do the same.

Another woman in this workshop commented that she was hesitant to say good things about herself because she didn’t want to sound full of herself. I laughed, inwardly, of course. I am so full of myself, it’s unbelievable! If I don’t think highly of myself, who else will? I am the daughter of a King! I am the best thing since sliced bread, and nobody on this earth can tell me this is not true! Does this mean that I don’t think other people are just as amazing? No. I absolutely do and absolutely love to see other people shine. I am just fully aware of my own shine.

We must not be caught up in how others perceive us. Yes, we should strive for excellence and want to be seen in a positive light at all times, but if someone doesn’t see that because they are blinded by jealousy or a lack of self-love, we continue on. Never make yourself small to make someone else feel better in your own space. Instead, help them to see the beauty and the strength in themselves. Self-love is the key to being able to love and appreciate other people because you feel no need to compete with them.

Discovering who you ...

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