Happy New Year 2015

          Wow!!! We’ve made it to 2015 🙂 It’s such a blessing to be able to share my first post for the new year! I started this website and blog in January of 2014 and intended for it to be my “Grand Central Station” for all my websites, food blog, Leadership Blog, links to social media, etc and I’m so excited about carrying it into 2015 with new content and more encouragement for myself and all of you who come to visit my site!

          I don’t believe that anything just happens by accident, even something as seemingly small as you landing on my website. Whether it be because we are friends in real life and you saw the link to this post on my social media outlets, you subscribe to this website/blog or you were doing a “random” internet search for something Leadership related, I’m glad you landed here at this very moment because I hope something I’ve shared on these web pages encourages you, inspires you and/or gives you some kind of clarity!

          As a young entrepreneur who started my own medical practice (which continues to grow!), I started getting invitations to speak at various conferences, workshops and events. I loooove speaking to groups and encouraging others with things I know have been game changers for me in my career and life. I even delivered a couple of major Keynote Speeches in 2014! A couple of years ago I never thought that Leadership Speaking would be part of my way of impacting the world in a positive way but it is and I love it!

Dr. Carmen April Speaking at a Conference in 2014

           The past couple of years I’ve focused mostly on teaching and speaking about Leadership for college students and young professionals. Throughout all of my countless hours of research over the past couple of years combined with a specific conviction that I have deep in my heart and soul, I’ve found a common thread among the vast majority of very successful people – those that I personally know and those whom I have studied.

          Are you ready for me to tell you the common thread that just lights up my soul because I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that it is a game-changer for most successful people??????

FAITH in a Power Bigger than ourselves!!!

          FAITH in a power bigger than ourselves! FAITH that assures us that if we do our part, our Higher Power will do its part! FAITH that reminds us that if we faint not, it will carry us through every situation. FAITH that trusts that even when the money may be running low as an entrepreneur, college student, young adult just starting out or person whose been working all of their adult life and has to start over because of a company lay-off, the sun will shine tomorrow and things WILL work out as long as you believe!!

          This Higher Power goes by many names – God, Spirit Guide, Higher Power, Father, Supreme Authority, Eternal Spirit, The Creator, etc. For me, it’s all of these names because no matter which one of these respected titles I call on at any given time during the day, it’s the same Spirit Guide who never leaves me or forsakes me. The same Spirit Guide who leads, guides and directs my steps every day. The same Spirit Guide who allows me to live, breathe and have my being each and every second of every day.

          99% of the Most successful people I know and/or have studied about over the past couple of years acknowledges that their successes are not because of their own doing. They have Faith that The Creator is a guiding light for them in all of their accomplishments.

          The closer you come to understanding the purpose for your life and allow this guiding light to lead, guide and direct you on a daily basis, the happier and more successful you’ll be!

          SUCCESS means doing what you like to do and doing it well – well enough to make you happy, gives you a sense of belonging and purpose in life, and shares light and positivity with the world.

          Over the past year, the term Life Leadership has had a strong vibration within me because I have come to the conclusion that the best Leaders in school, work, professional environments, etc are those who have a great sense of self and a great understanding of what really matters in life.

          So, starting today –  January 1st, 2015 – I plan to share more on my concept of Life Leadership. I hope my thoughts encourage you to become the best Leader you can be for your own life which will, in turn, make you a superb leader when it comes to leading others!

          Last year, I did a little exercise for myself to serve as a guide for 2014. I’m not huge on New Year’s Resolutions because most people don’t stick with them beyond the end of January anyways lol! My exercise involved choosing a word, a theme, for the year. I posted this word on my bathroom mirror so that I could mediate on it morning and night. I also placed it in my office so that it was one of the first things I could see hanging on the wall as I walked in every morning!

I’m so happy I did this because it guided me everyday!

          My phrase (As much as I tried to use just one word, I couldn’t narrow it down to just one LOL) for 2014 was:

“COUNT ON IT”!

          I prayed for things to work out and improve in certain areas of my life and business at the end of 2013, start of 2014 and every day since. I declared that the phrase “COUNT ON IT” would be my theme for 2014. Let me tell you – Before the clock struck 12 Midnight into the new year of 2015, I already saw things I had been praying about coming to fruition in my life!!!! Situations, relationships, financial matters, personal growth and my faith all improved because everyday I reminded myself that I was counting on my blessings – COUNT ON IT. COUNT ON IT. COUNT ON IT.

This exercise is powerful because:

❐ We ARE what we THINK & FEEL!

❐ We BECOME what we THINK & FEEL!

❐ Our actions REFLECT what we THINK and FEEL!

❐ The more you think about and feel Happiness, the more Happiness you attract and the happier you’ll be.

❐ The more you think about Joy and being Joyful, the more Joy you will attract and the more Joyful you will be!

❐ The more you think positively about Money, they more Money you will attract.

❐ Vice versa, the more negative you are in situations, the more negative situations you will attract.

❐ The more negativity and complaining you share on social media, the more negative situations will come your way for you to complain about.

❐ Remember, the thoughts, feelings and words you speak all have POWER and what you send out comes back…….. It’s like a boomerang!!!!

❐ I encourage you in 2015 to be aware of the words you speak. Choose to speak Positive Words of Power over your life and your circumstances.

          I’ve already chosen my “THEME”/word for 2015 and I encourage you do this for yourself! In fact, I’m going to help you along :-). I’ve created some jpeg and PDF images below that I want you to fill out with “Your Word” for 2015.  You can print it out, fill it out, post on your bathroom mirror, fridge, office space, etc and let it serve as a reminder to you everyday to study, meditate upon, pray upon and share with others about it!

I’m not going to reveal my word for 2015 until later in the year, but I’ve given you an example of what I did for 2014.

         Your word may be one of the following: Joy, Happiness, Peace, Serenity, Dedication, Forgiveness, Recovery, Excitement, Money, etc.

          Whatever, your word may be, I want you to eat it, live it, breath it, and sleep it (you catch my drift lol) for the entire duration of 2015!! As you start to recognize breakthroughs and “Aha moments” in your life as it relates to your theme, please share them with me! You can share them with me here on the blog – on this post specifically.

          Please feel free to print out as many of the images below as you would like and share them with your friends, family members, co-workers, etc. (*****Note: Click on the link highlighted in red beneath each jpeg image for the PDF version).

May your 2015 be as Prosperous and Blessed as you Imagine it will be 🙂

Word for 2015 Paintbrush PDF

Theme for 2015 Pink Multicolor

Theme for 2015 Pink

Theme for 2015 Blue

Theme for 2015 Multicolor

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         Dr. Carmen April is an entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a 2014 Nashville Emerging Leader Award (NELA) Winner, a 2013 Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient and is a 2014 Graduate of the New Leaders Council Institute – Nashville Chapter.  She’s a Podiatrist and Owner of The Foot And Ankle Healthcare Center in the Nashville, TN area. She’s also the creator/owner of “Design Your Story Coaching & Consulting” and is available for speaking engagements on Small Business Entrepreneurship.