Who do you want to become?

Our Blog Talk Radio show this week discussed the question, “Who do you want to become?” You can listen to our radio show online from Noon to 1 PM EST each Monday by going to CWA or you can listen to the recording after the show on our iBloom website.

Here is the recording from today’s show http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ibloom/2010/01/18/who-do-you-want-to-become

Have you ever really pondered who you want to become?

Recommended Resource: The Next Generation Leader: 5 Essentials for Those Who Will Shape the Future by Andy Stanley.

I highly recommend this book! The final chapter of the book, “The Leader Worth Following” is dedicated to inspiring leaders to invest in the health of their soul. Andy says, “Have you determined what you want to become? Your doing will flow from who are you. The outer man (woman) will reflect the inner man (woman). The inner man (woman) determines the legacy of the outer man (woman).” I can remember reading and re-reading that statement (and the entire chapter) over and over.

As a leader, I knew the responsibility God had entrusted to me. I knew that people were watching me. I knew that I didn’t want to disappoint or betray anyone. I knew that I didn’t want to become like other leaders who fall, and fall hard. However, I had never really decided who I wanted to become.

I began journaling through questions like:

1. Who do you want to become?
2. What do you want to be remembered for?
3. How do you want the people who knew you best to describe your life?

I created my personal definition of success. I narrowed it down to 10 words that I wanted to describe me: Servant, Generous, Humble, Balanced, Authentic, Passionate, Relational, Loyal, Grateful, Compassionate

As Andy says, your personal definition of success “forms the moral perimeter around your behavior.” He goes on to say, “You must come to grips with the fact that, ultimately, success is defined in terms of who you are and how you treat the people around you.”

I would encourage you to create your own personal definition of success. In fact, we'd LOVE to see your personal definition. In the book, Andy says, “Once you have determined what you want to be, tell somebody. Go public with your intentions. Is it really anybody else’s business? You bet it is. Character is personal, but it is not private. Everybody who knows you has an opinion about the kind of person you are. You might as well let them know the kind of person you are striving to become.” Click here to share your definition or comments!

We were also grateful to have Jen from www.thankfulfor.com as our special guest this week. Jen shared about a new online gratitude journal where you can keep a private journal or share your public gratitude via Twitter and Facebook. Be sure to listen to the show to hear specifics on how and attitude of gratitude can change your perspective.

Jen, also shared a fabulous quote:

"You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. And you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you."

~ Sarah Ban Breathnach ~ Simple Abundance

Be sure to tune in next Monday (01/25) at Noon EST as we discuss our 2010 Themes! Check out Betsy's recent blog entry "Create Your 2010 Theme" We encourage you to create your own 2010 theme and then call-in LIVE to next week's radio show to share your 2010 theme. Go to http://blogtalkradio.com/cwa-radio for our call-in phone number!

Have a blessed week!

Kelly Thorne
iBloom Founder & President

What's Stopping You From Living the Life You Love? by Betsy Ringer

Our Blog Talk Radio show this week answered the question, “What’s stopping you from living a life you love?” You can listen to our radio show online from noon to 1 PM each Monday by going to CWA or you can listen to the recording after the show on our iBloom website.

Here is the recording from today’s show CLICK HERE

We had some great tools from today’s show that I’d like to share with you.
First of all, we talked about major life situations where we were completely stopped from living the life we loved. Then we listed some “daily stoppers” that hinder us from living life to the fullest. Some of the things on our list included:
1. Grumbling rather than being grateful
2. Reacting to your day rather than being proactive.
3. Taking on too much so we don’t have some margin in our lives.
4. Not planning.

We decided that some tangible things we can do to avoid the stoppers include:
1. Being mindful of the words we use – say, “I get to” rather than “I have to.”
2. Have a plan for my day, week, month and year!
3. Schedule time for fun, friends exercise, and enjoyable activities.
4. Catch yourself on the run; stop and breathe; savor the moments.

Kelly shared a wonderful quote from Chuck Swindoll that I remember having up on my bathroom mirror for years and years!

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.” Chuck Swindoll

We all admit that it’s not necessarily EASY to have this attitude ALL the time, but when we are conscious of it we will make the effort to make a shift when we find ourselves slipping into a non productive attitude!

We invite you to consider these Five Ingredients to Living a Life You Love and then come up with your own list!
1. Have a vision. What do you really want your life to be about? Who do you want to be or become? What do you really want to accomplish? Who do you want to invest in?

2. Discover your uniqueness! God has created you with a unique blueprint. What are your strengths (weaknesses)? How is your personality unique? What are you passionate about? What drives you? What is your purpose? Why are you here? We have just the book for you coming out in February called iDiscover with lots of exercises for you to discover your design.

3. Cultivate an Intimate Relationship with Christ! Meditate on scripture, pray, and be still and listen!! He just might want to tell you that you are the apple of His eye and that He will provide for your every need!!

4. Invest in yourself. Take some time for YOU to do something you like to do, relax, plan, read, and dream. Ahhhh!!!

5. Invest in deep, meaningful relationships. Surround yourself with relationships that breathe life into you; people who love you for you and believe you can be anything you want! Schedule time with them!

I had several friends share with me their ingredients for living a life they love, how they know their lives reflect that as well as red flags. You will want to hear their stories and think about the answers to these questions for yourself. Having quality relationships, creating margin in our lives and taking time for ourselves are common themes. Red flags include:
• Being snippy with others
• Complaining
• Feeling like a victim in circumstances
• Experiencing stress and fatigue

We also had a great interview with Jennifer from List Planit. Be sure to check out her website where she helps you put mental chaos on paper to sort through it and make sense of it. There’s just something comforting about being able to put things down so we can relax and enjoy!!

To sum up our show, I have a list of inspirations for living a life you love:
1. Laugh – find humor in all situations
2. Do it afraid – don’t let fears rule you!
3. Live with a sparkle in your eyes
4. Be playful
5. Have one meal you cook that is delicious; one outfit that looks fabulous on you; and one funny story you tell really well.
6. Give compliments generously.
7. Know you are God’s Beloved – disregard the other voices
8. Teach someone how to do something
9. Be a Life-Long Learner
10. Get acquainted with the Inner YOU!
11. Take time to breathe.
12. Really enjoy the simple pleasures of life.
13. Engage in meaningful work.
14. When you complete a task, celebrate!
15. Guard the nourishment of your mind.

Visit us at iBloom or contact us. Life is waiting to be lived and loved!

iBloom Blog Talk Radio – Live a Life You Love! By Betsy Ringer

Our Blog Talk Radio show this week was about stepping into 2010 and live the life you love. You can listen to our radio show online from noon to 1 PM each Monday by going to Christian Women Affiliate or you can listen to the recording after the show on our iBloom website.

Here is the recording from this week's show.

We had some great tools from today’s show that I’d like to share with you.

NOW is a great time to reflect on 2009 to celebrate and learn from the events of the year. This reflection helps prepare you for looking ahead to 2010. We encourage you to grab a notebook and answer these questions for yourself:
1. What has gone well?
2. What have I been most proud of from this past year?
3. What was the biggest challenge that I overcame?
4. What am I most grateful for from 2009?

Next, think about 2010 and write your answers to these questions:
1. What do I hope to change in the upcoming year?
2. What are my biggest aspirations/dreams for 2010?
3. What is it that I “really” want to accomplish? Do? Become?

Now, craft 3-8 personal and professional goals for 2010. Be specific so you’ll know whether or not they have been accomplished.

For fun you might want to try this great no fuss goals and wishes idea with your family.


iBloom wants to inspire you this year to live a life you love. That means we want you to know and live into how God has uniquely wired you. It means deciding what you want your life to look like and living into it! Just think about how much you would love your life if you took time for the things that matter most rather than being stuck going through the motions of life. And it means being INTENTIONAL about how we live!

Are you familiar with the concept of living intentionally?

• Living intentionally means having a vision and setting a course for your life.

• Living intentionally allows us to create a broader vision for our life…God’s vision

• It’s taking our priorities (those things we value most) and creating a plan that is flexible; it's like a road map showing us how to get from point A to Z.

• When we don't have a clear, pointed vision we tend to just drift through life - moving from one thing to another.

• Intentional Living is the map that we create for our life.


The big takeaways from today’s show:
1) STOP and reflect on 2009!
2) Seek God’s Face!
3) Decide what you want your year to look like & CHOOSE to live intentionally!

Can you do this on your own? Certainly! But if you want someone to walk you though the steps, help you actually take action and to celebrate you, the iBloom Life Coaches are experts at helping you live intentionally so you can live the life you love.

Visit us at iBloom or contact us by clicking here. Life is waiting to lived and loved!

OH!! And if you are interested in ordering the great devotional we used today, Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young, click here.

2010 is going to be YOUR YEAR!