In this episode, Tamara K. Anderson shares 3 tips which build momentum and growth by sharing personal stories, quotes and examples.

Welcome to another Takeaways Episode of Stories of Hope in Hard Times! Last week we had Kelly Walker, The Queen of Manifesting on the show. She is an a ball of energy and so fun to talk to. One of the amazing things about Kelly is that she completely changed her life from being depressed and being a video game junkie to becoming The Queen of Manifesting. She has her own podcast now, and she is a speaker who changes lives from the stage.

3 Tips to Build Momentum and Growth

1. The Power of Tiny Actions

Kelly's Story Summary

Last week Kelly talked about being in the depths of despair, starting to be suicidal and not being sure where she was going to go with her life. She was playing video games all night and sleeping all through the day. That all changed one day when she got an email inviting her to a personal development seminar. Believe it or not, she took the initiative and she went.

This one tiny step attending one seminar made her want to go to another one, and then another one, and then another one. Soon she was at a speaking seminar. This little tiny step propelled her forward quickly.

My Example of Tiny Actions

This concept is true for any of us. As we start any new goal, whether it is a ginormous goal or a teeny tiny goal, sometimes we need to build up our confidence in ourselves that we can do this.

In the fall of 2018 I joined Benjamin Hardy's, Accelerated Momentum Program (called AMP for short). It is a fantastic group! I learned so much. One of the first things Ben taught us was that taking tiny little steps of progress can help us build confidence in ourselves.

For example, when I joined the group, he encouraged us to do some little goal that day (like clean out a drawer or delete an app that we were wasting too much time). He explained that by taking several of these tiny little baby steps of things that you know you can do in less than five minutes, that you are building confidence. Once you accomplish those little things you can do bigger and better things.

And so I remember that first week after I joined AMP, I set little goals to tidy one thing every day. Believe it or not, these little tiny things really did help give me momentum. And there is something magical about having a clean space to work. It helps to somehow declutter my mind.

Applying the Goal Again

And so my office had become quite cluttered again, and as I started this brand new year, one of my January goals has been to declutter something every day. And sometimes it has been as simple as going through my closet and removing 10 things to donate. Another day I cleared off my desk. Another day I cleaned out my desk drawers. Last night I actually helped my daughter clean off a cluttered surface in her room. And the amazing thing was, as I was cleaning in her room, all of a sudden she just naturally started pulling things out of her closet.

The momentum is real, and it's catchy. So it's funny how when we take one baby step of progress, it kind of spurs us onward. There is power in taking tiny steps. It does build confidence. And so just like Kelly--you and I and anybody else can build confidence by doing tiny things which gives us momentum do then go on and do bigger goals.

2. The Parable of My Apple Trees

This parable comes from that Women's Conference that I spoke at last year. I'm a bit of a gardener. I really like getting my hands dirty. Everywhere we've moved, I have always planted some sort of tree in our backyard.

A Tale of Two Trees

About seven and a half years ago, when we moved to Utah, I planted a Fuji Apple tree and a Granny Smith Apple tree. The interesting thing about these trees is even though they got the same amount of water and light, one of them grew and the other stayed the same size.

After about six years of growth (where I had pruned the bigger tree twice) one tree stood 15 feet high and the other was only five feet tall. And I wondered, What is wrong with this tree?

Over the course of those six years, I'd even given the little Granny Smith tree extra nourishment. Why was it not growing?

So finally, after six years I dug it up.

Here's the interesting thing that I found: The tree was root bound. Being root bound means that the container shape that the tree was in when I bought it and I planted it--that it didn't ever grow out of that shape. Mind you, the container had been removed and I tried to spread the roots a little bit. But it never grew out of that cylindrical shape. It stayed root bound.

And so guess what? It did not grow. It didn't dare reach its roots out and grow big and strong like the other tree which I planted at the exact same time.

So I even gave it another year. I picked it up, transplanted it to a another spot where I could nourish it better, tried to spread the roots out some more. And it still didn't grow.

Applying the Parable to Our Lives

The applicable part of the parable of my two Apple trees is to ask ourselves some thought provoking questions:

• What are we scared of?
• What is keeping us root bound?
• Are we afraid of growth?

Last week Kelly shared her story of making a detour to the bathroom to hide before she signed up for the speaking contest. She was so scared. And yet she went and signed up for it. The guy asked her, do you want that spot? She sobbed as she said, "yes," because she was so scared to do it.

Sometimes these growth opportunities present themselves and we are so scared to do them. But the question is--Six or seven years down the road, Do you want to be the same size as you were when you were planted or do you want to grow? Do you want to fulfill the measure of your creation and grow and thrive and produce bushels and bushels of fruit?

That's a question only you can answer. And believe me, I know scary things are so hard and that's why I gave that first tip first about starting with baby steps and doing teeny tiny things that build your confidence.

3. Bloom

I found a wonderful quote I am going to share with you which goes along with today's episode. I could never find the author of it, so please excuse me if I'm not attributing it to the right person.

Memorable Quote

It says, "When you're in a dark place, you tend to think you've been buried. Perhaps you've been planted. Bloom!"

I love that quote. It inspires me because all of us have dark points in our lives where we feel like God has forgotten us, where we feel like no one knows where we are. We're alone, we're cold, it's in the winter of our lives and we're like, what is going on?

And in those moments, we need to remember a little lesson from the seasons. Spring always follows Winter, and Summer follows Spring. And so if you feel you've been buried for a week, a month, a year, or several years, perhaps it's time to stretch your head up and begin to grow towards the light, bloom and fill the measure of your creation.

Blooming by Manifesting

The cool thing is that once you start gaining momentum you can set goals and build any future you see for yourself. If you're not sure where to start, I would suggest following Kelly's 6 Steps to Manifesting which she shared with us last week:

1. Clarification

You need to figure out what you want. Pick a goal, but make sure it is specific so you know exactly where you are aiming. This is what it means to get clarification.

2. Visualization

The second step is to visualize your goal and see it happening with gratitude. Feel the feelings you’re going to have when you achieve your goal. Imagining achieving the goal.

3. Declaration

Declare your goal out loud every day. Kelly used to say, “I am a motivational speaker and I change lives from the stage,” when she had no training and no possibilities. So she knows that saying it out loud works.

4. Meditation

Clear your mind and daily ask God what the next step is to reaching your goal. Kelly explained that you need to present your goal, ask Him what the next step is, which leads to the next step.

5. Inspiration

After you ask God to tell you the next step on your journey, it is important to listen for the answer, or the inspiration. Many people move on to other things after asking without really listening for inspiration. So make sure you listen.

6. Implementation

Kelly explained that once you receive the inspiration, you should get up and do it immediately. If you can’t do it immediately, take notes on what your next step is and make sure you do it before going to bed or as soon as you possibly can.

Taking these steps can help you keep your momentum moving forward in new and powerful ways. You will bloom and grow into the person God knows you can become and fulfill your potential.

Motivational Bible Verse

I'd like to conclude with a motivational verse from Joshua 1:9, in the old Testament.

"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."

I love this verse. It is just saying, "Be strong. Be courageous. Don't be afraid. God's got your back." And God does. He totally has your back.

Invitation

And so my invitation to you at the end of this episode of Tamara's Takeaways is to take a small action today. Just do it. Is there a tiny little corner in your house you can clean out? And then tomorrow, pick something else--clean something else out. Take tiny steps every day and then start setting bigger goals. You will be amazed by the power of momentum that will fill your life and you will begin growing. You won't be root bound like my poor little Apple tree. Grow, thrive, and bloom.