Tag Archives: Effective Leadership

Tell The Universe What You Want

Posted in Inspiration, Leadership, Manifesting, Mindfulness, Motivation, Success by

Tell The Universe What You Want!

Tell the Universe what you want

           You can’t sit back thinking you are going to be just a spectator in this life and have the personal and professional success that you dream of!! If you pray small, limited prayers and have little faith that God can do exceedingly, abundantly above all you can ask or think, then that is EXACTLY what you are going to receive in return – little results!!

          On the other hand, bold confessions of faith, gratitude and a constant awareness of everyday miracles, shows God (Good Orderly Direction/Uni-verse, that you expect happiness, peace, joy, financial prosperity, success, love and an overflow of all good things into your life! In this case, you are sending out positive energy…………… which will return to you positively!

          Don’t take a teaspoon to the ocean, take a bucket! Super-size your faith, pour positivity into the Uni-verse by the words you speak, the company you keep and the opportunities you seek! Then, boldly expect an abundant overflow of all things great!!!

     Dr Carmen April Speaker     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.  Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Entrepreneurship and Life Leadership for College Students and Young Professionals.

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On Entrepreneurship, Leadership, and Service

Posted in Branding, Inspiration, Leadership, Motivation, Success by

On Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Service

Dr. Carmen April

            A couple of weeks ago my really great friend/College Roommate/Sorority Sister, Sirobe, featured me on her blog. I was tickled pink over this because she is one of the most creative people I’ve ever met in my life and am honored that she’s featured me! She interviewed me about everything from Entrepreneurship and Leadership to proper foot health and my annual sock drive. We talked for well over an hour and somehow she managed to whittle the interview down to the three features you can find here:

Part I

Part II

Part III

Enjoy!

Dr. Carmen April            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.  Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Entrepreneurship for College Students and Young Professionals.

Energy Goes Where Intention Flows

Posted in Gratitude, Inspiration, Leadership, Manifesting, Mindfulness, Motivation, Self Care, Success by

Energy Goes Where Intention Flows

Good vibes

          It’s so important to realize that our thoughts and feelings have real power! If you want to be successful, start thinking like a success. If you want to increase the flow of money into your life, get rid of the negative thoughts of lack and struggle and start thinking about financial prosperity!

          Energy flows where Attention & Intention goes! Intend that things are improving. Be determined that every positive thought you put out into the Uni-verse and every bold expression of Faith in your dreams is attracting positive results back into your life. Focus on seeing your dreams come to fruition.

           Don’t even spend too much time trying to crush negative thoughts as they come into your mind because, in doing so, you are giving attention to them. Instead, let them sail on by like a boat lost at sea! Ever heard of the phrase, “let it go in one ear and out the other”? Do the same thing with negative thoughts – imagine them leaving out of your mind just as quickly as they came in…….

         Train your mind to focus your attention and intentions on people, experiences and opportunities that will lead to a victorious life!

Dr. Carmen April          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.  Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Entrepreneurship & Personal Development for College Students and Young Professionals.

Happy New Year 2015!

Posted in Inspiration, Leadership, Motivation, Success by

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 Leadership Speaker

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

Word for 2015 Paintbrush PDF

Theme for 2015

Theme for 2015 Pink Multicolor

Theme for 2015

Theme for 2015 Pink

Theme for 2015

Theme for 2015 Blue

Theme for 2015

Theme for 2015 Multicolor

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Dr. Carmen April          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.  Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Entrepreneurship and Life Leadership for College Students and Young Professionals.

Persistence is An Essential Element of Success

Posted in Inspiration, Leadership, Motivation, Success, Uncategorized by

Persistence is an Essential Element of

Success

Persistence, Life coach, Nashville life coach

               The Road to Success is extremely individualized for each and every person on the planet. There is no magic formula that works for everyone. However, there are some common themes that can be found when examining what I like to call the “how I made it” stories of successful people. While reading these behind the scenes stories over the years I have found a common thread among them all – > PERSISTENCE!

              Persistence is that attitude that keeps you going even when you don’t want to. It’s what keeps you up late at night working on a project that really needs to get done, even when you just want to quit and go to bed. Persistence is that special element that keeps you doing the things that other people don’t want to do when they get mentally or physically fatigued. Persistence is the special element that keeps you going after failure, big or small, and encourages you to start over and try again!

                The most successful people are those who have formed the habit of being persistent and doing things they don’t want to do when they don’t want to do them! They are willing to do this because they are focused on the bigger picture. They are focused on achieving that which they have set out to achieve!!!

Here are a couple of quotes about Persistence that I hope will keep you motivated when you are ready to throw in the towel:

“We are what we repeatedly do; Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle

“Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.” – Bill Bradley

“Talent is nothing without persistence” – Dean Crawford

(Note: You can click on these quotes above to Tweet them!)

Dr. Carmen April's Speaker Series

Dr. Carmen April’s Speaker Series

               Dr. Carmen April is a young 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.  Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Entrepreneurship for College Students and Young Professionals.

Most Acts of Leadership Happen Behind Closed Doors

Posted in Inspiration, Leadership, Motivation, Networking, Success, Uncategorized by

Most Acts of Leadership Happen Behind Closed

Doors

Leadership, Life coach, Nashville life coach

                We often think of Leadership as being front and center, and very visible. However, the truth is that most acts of Leadership occur out of the public eye. They include thinking strategically about important decisions, proper planning and attention to details.

❐ It involves having that difficult conversation with someone on your team about their performance.

❐ It involves networking with other leaders to bounce ideas off of one another or attending that After-work Happy Hour to build report with colleagues.

❐ It involves personal and business development like reading industry journals, magazines and blogs

❐ It involves conversations with individual team members to understand their goals on the team and within the company

❐ It involves putting out fires that happen when least expected

❐ It involves putting the pedal to the metal when approaching an important deadline

❐ It involves sometimes doing more than you are paid for – coming in early and leaving late or taking on extra responsibility to ensure the tasks are completed as desired

❐ It involves having compassion for those on your team or in the organization who may be facing personal difficulty

❐ It involves having the courage to make major decisions even though they may be unpopular

               So remember, most acts of Leadership happen outside of the limelight, where the ground work is laid and during the day-to-day operation of you with your team.

Dr. Carmen April's Speaker Series

Dr. Carmen April’s Speaker Series

               Dr. Carmen April is a young entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a 2013 Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient and is a 2014 Graduate of the New Leaders Council Institute – Nashville Chapter.  Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Entrepreneurship for College Students and Young Professionals.

How Asking Lots of Questions is an Important Component of Effective Leadership

Posted in Inspiration, Leadership, Motivation, Success, Uncategorized by

How Asking Lots of Questions is an Important

Component of Effective Leadership

Questions

              Effective Leadership Involves asking a lot of questions!

        A crucial component of Leadership Development involves asking the right questions regarding key components of your team’s operations. Questions offer the opportunity for evaluation of what is working and what it not. Organizations and individuals should establish a standard process for asking these questions on a regular basis as they are crucial for professional and Leadership Development. Here are some suggestions……

1.) Question and Evaluate your own leadership skills. How effective are you being with your team? Have you set out a clear plan with target deadlines? Is your plan in writing and easily accessible by your team? Leaders are not born, they are made! You must constantly exercise and strengthen your Leadership muscles through interacting with your team, networking with other leaders to learn what is working for them, reading industry journals and blogs, attending conference, etc.

2.)  How is your team responding to you as a Leader? Does everyone understand the vision you’ve set forth as their leader? Are there team members you are having a difficult time connecting with? Organize training or team building activities for your team as an opportunity to develop camaraderie in your working relationship.

3.) How are your team member working with each other to achieve assigned tasks? Is the team on the same page with each other? The same type of team building activities mentioned above, after work-type Happy Hours, in office lunches, etc may be helpful to get team members to develop rapport with each other.

4.) Are your team members feeling valued on the team? What are their goals and motivations within the organization? It’s important to understand that everyone has their own individual career goals. The mark of a good leader is being able to match responsibilities with those goals so that people feel valued in the work they are doing. A mismatch on this level often leads to frustration from team members within an organization.

5.) WHY? It all starts with WHY! Understanding WHY your organization exists, the purpose it serves and the need it works to fill, gets you to your “what”, “how”, “when” and “where”!!!! A organization’s Leadership should constantly remind itself of their WHY and have an open dialogue to ensure its staying true to its value, mission and vision.

Dr. Carmen April's Speaker Series

Dr. Carmen April’s Speaker Series

       Dr. Carmen April is a young entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a 2013 Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient and is a 2014 Graduate of the New Leaders Council Institute – Nashville Chapter.  Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Entrepreneurship for College Students and Young Professionals.