Speaker 0:38

Hey there friend, and welcome to another episode of the God Empowered Entrepreneur Podcast. You clicked on this episode to listen to it and therefore I know you're interested in this topic, but because it's in a lot of the conversations I've been having lately, it's been heavy on my mind lately, and. It's normal given the state of the world that we're in today. We're gonna dive deep into what that means for you as a creative entrepreneur, as a dreamer, as someone who feels called to something specific that God wants you to walk in. How do we walk in that? How do we sustain our current businesses and scale it? Or how do we finally work up the courage to start our businesses or to start that project when the world is where it's at? And I specifically wanna talk in terms of the world shifting. The world has changed a lot, and the change I wanna talk about is more so that negative change. The kinds of changes and shifts that cause us to feel fearful, that cause us to worry about the future that cause us to wonder if we should even move or. Take leaps of faith or start that thing, is it even the right time? Given the state of the world right now? Lots of very valid thoughts, but the reason why I wanna bring all of this up is because a lot of times our fearful thoughts in regards to the state of the world today, or how crazy it is shifting, how fast it's moving, we have to be mindful that our worrisome thoughts about that. That could delay us walking in our calling. Don't interfere with the faith that we have to be able to walk in our calling. So is the world changing? Is it always shifting, especially now more than ever? Yes. And I mean that in every way. Politics, the state of the economy, work cultures, what people seem to prioritize now than they did before. Even when it comes to trends online, you're probably feeling overwhelmed by all the different trends and shifts and new social platforms and algorithm changes that honestly can make us feel like we're about to go crazy. It can make us hesitate in being consistent, in showing up online or just in general, being consistent in doing what God is calling us to do because the world. Gets so overwhelming and all the shifts that come with it make us want to have nothing to do with it and therefore try to find more peace and steadiness in our lives, even if that means taking a step back from our God-given, calling my friend, how we can stay afloat, how we can stay in our calling when the shifting world around us, the noisy world. Around us, the worrisome world around us can make us feel like we're drowning. How do we stay afloat? How do we heap in the path that God has for us? Even if it doesn't make sense given the world that we're in today. Now, let me first start off by saying when the world is shifting as fast as it is today, a lot of times when we get fearful or worried about that, we allow our logic to put us on a so-called better path. That feels like it makes more sense when in actuality, even though it might be more suiting to your logic, it's not more suiting to God's actual plan for you. We have a choice to go our own way. Not God's way, even if you have the best intentions. So if you're listening and you have been thinking about quitting your current business that you know God is calling you to, but you're just so exhausted by all of the changes and the upkeep and everything that's happening around you, given the state of the world and the online business world that we are in today. Or if you're listening and you've been dreaming of starting that project, starting that thing that you know is coming to the forefront of your mind right now as I talk about this. But you're hesitant given the state of the world today, and therefore wanting to make more careful decision. Or maybe you're listening and you're in neither one of those places, but you're more so just kind of stuck, not really sure what to do and how that affects. Your own path, my friend, wherever you're at. Let's talk about it. How do we stay afloat as creative entrepreneurs scaling it or just trying to make really essential decisions within it that God would want us to make? I wanna talk about this from three different perspectives. Staying afloat financially in an ever evolving, always shifting world. Staying afloat spiritually and staying afloat mentally. Three core areas that I know, creatives, dreamers, and honestly the everyday human is thinking about, has thought about. Let's talk about that first one that I know a lot of us worry about, which is staying afloat financially as a creative entrepreneur. How do you do that when the world is changing? How do you do that when you feel like you can't keep up with it all? How do you do that when it even feels like the online world is so oversaturated that it starts to feel like it's dimming your light and dimming your voice and the impact that you wanna make in your business? The fear or the worry of staying afloat financially can actually cause a lot of businesses to shut down, to completely make this huge pivot and for good reason because. Finances are a factor when it comes to building a business. And yes, we want to be wise when it comes to making certain choices to go about that, but we should only be making that choice to shut down a business or an idea, or to make a huge pivot in it. If God calls us to do that, and if he's not, if he's asking you if he's wanting you to stay on the path that you're already currently on, if you just hold his hand, if you just sustain it, if you just keep going despite everything that's happening around you, if you just keep your eyes laser focused on him, to the point where you have straight up tunnel vision. But you are concerned about your finances. What I say to that is stay in alignment with God by being willing to meet the people he's calling you to serve where they are. At, let me explain, because the world is always changing. It's shifting. It gets overwhelming to keep up with it. That means that not only are you feeling the effects of that, but the audience that you feel called to serve, to pour into, to make impact for that customer base, that client base of yours, they are being affected financially, emotionally, mentally, which means. Their priorities are likely changing. The solutions that they want are likely changing what they need help with, likely changing. So if those things are changing and if you're someone who's showing up as a leader who can provide a solution for them. Then that means you have to be willing to change along with them. I don't mean change your personality, change your passion, change the calling that God has you on. No, I'm talking about meeting them where they're at based off of their mental, spiritual, emotional, or financial state. For example, if you have an offer. In your business that has worked really well in the past. People were purchasing it and consistent flow income wise, and then all of a sudden you're seeing a tank. You're seeing people not as engaged. You're seeing your income take a hit because of it. Sometimes that either has to do with your. Marketing and you shifting your strategy in a way where new eyes can see your offers or products and therefore be interested in it. But a lot of times it also has to do with, again, people are changing because of the world that they're in is changing, it's shifting. It's overwhelming. So instead of thinking that people just aren't interested in what I have to offer anymore or what I want to say anymore, change your perspective to instead say. How can what I'm doing in my calling align better with where my audience is at today? If I am gifted and if I feel called to talk about this specific topic, how can I take a new direction with that topic? How can I add on to that topic? How can I include more things or features or solutions that my audience today in this shifting world actually wants? And I know the work of that can be really overwhelming, right? Because you're like, man, how many times do I have to add on or expand or redirect just to make sure that my audience is liking what it is that I'm offering and therefore I am able to financially sustain my business? I know it's work, I know that, but I need to be real with you. That is leadership. You choosing to be an entrepreneur and using your gifts to do it. That means that you are making the choice to step out of the shadows and into the light. As a leader, people are looking to you for help, for solutions to plant a seed. To them based off of the industry that you are in. So yes, it's not easy having to circle back around probably once a year, once every two years and think, Hmm, how is my audience changing? And if they're changing mentally, financially, emotionally, spiritually. If they're having new concerns and new problems are arising for them, given this ever shifting world, then how can I show up better? When you do that, your voice meets them where they're at, the way you help meets them, where they're at your offers, meet them where they're at, and because you put in the work to do that. Naturally, the return of that is your finances. Being able to stay afloat. They're sustaining even when the economy is crazy. Even when politics don't make sense, even when you're just not sure when your next customer or client is gonna come from naturally, you'll begin to sustain more steadily because of the work that you're doing in shifting when the world shifts in shifting, because your audience that you are serving is also shifting. Now that next area. That I want to hit on staying afloat spiritually. How do we stay afloat spiritually? How do we stay connected with God when we are so beat down by this world? There's so many wars. There's so much noise. The online world is always changing and there's so much competition. And what about this and what about that? All of these things speak so loudly, uninvited into our minds, and when that happens, it can disconnect us from God. It can make it harder for us to actually hear him and to feel guided by him to have peace and comfort despite. Anything that's happening around us. And I know you know that feeling of disconnecting from God where you struggle with reading the Bible, you struggle in just praying. You struggle in prioritizing him throughout your day because you don't see God, but yet you see the things happening in this world, and therefore because you see that, it just feels more present in your life than God is os that's a really difficult spot. To be in. How do we stay afloat? How do we sustain our spiritual essence, our spiritual connection? What I wanna say to that is go to God like he is your boss. I like to use this analogy because think about you being an employee at work. You do what your boss says. Even when something maybe doesn't feel doable because your boss said to do it, you're going to try to figure out how you can do it. By putting in your effort, and sometimes we don't put God in that same category as we would a boss, and I don't mean a boss in terms of like God bossing you around, or even just toxic bosses in the workplace that don't treat you very well. That's not what I'm talking about when I say boss. I'm talking about the position of authority. I'm talking about your attentiveness, your ability to listen. What if we were to go to God asking questions? Intently listening, wanting to obey. What if we went to him like that? Rather than just shrugging and saying, I just don't feel like praying today. Ugh, my mind is just so loud. I can't even open up my Bible. I can't even think right now. Instead of jumping to those emotions, what does it look like to just have a real conversation with God as if he, your boss, asking him questions, seeing what he might pour into you, and being so in tuned with him. Naturally, your obedience to him just happens. I think that truly is one of the best ways going to God as if he is your boss, the authority, the one who calls the shots and trusting that you, listening to that, you doing what he's calling you to do. You will be okay if you're unsure about whether to shut a business or an idea down or not, go to God about it. Ask him questions, journal about it. Will you get a direct answer? Maybe. But maybe you do this and you don't hear anything. Keep asking him. Keep going to him time and time again because one way or another, something will get revealed to you, whether it's through a whisper, a dream, a conversation that God speaks through someone to you. Certain doors that are weirdly divinely opening that you are not expecting. God shows up and directs us and guides us in a multitude of different ways. He will speak to you about what to do. Maybe you're not sure if now is the right time to leave your full time nine to five job in order to go full time into entrepreneurship. Maybe you're scared of your finances, you're scared of losing your health insurance benefits and the security that you have, and you don't know if that's the right decision. Go to God about it over and over and over again. Pray that He speak through someone through an open door, through what you'll be learning over the next few months through things that he'll put into place and eventually something will be revealed. Let's say you are considering making a pivot in your business, whether it's changing an offer or. Upgrading it or adding on this new thing, or even starting a new business entirely and you don't know, go to him, connect with him. View him as the authority. View him as someone who calls the shots. Can you call the shots? Yeah. He gives us that free will, but you get to also have the free will and making the choice for him to call the shots for you and whatever shots God calls for you, you simply steward those. Now something that I wanna say as well. Let's say you did everything that I just said in regards to staying afloat spiritually and trying to hear from God and make choices and what to do in your business and yada yada. And if you're still like, man, I just don't know. I don't know. Move where you think he is calling you to go, move in the decision that you think could be right, but as you move in that pray that he meets you there and that he sustains this choice. Or that he would pivot you where he needs you most. Be open-minded to that and pray that. All right, God, I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know if this is the right choice, but I am going to take this leap of faith and I'm going to try and Lord, if this is what you want for me, please meet me here. Please open doors. Please make it clear. Please shine a lamp to my feet. So that I know the steps that I'm supposed to be taking day by day, but God, if this is not it, I want your will for my life. So pivot me where you see fit. Put people in my life to shift me if I need to be shifted. I trust you. I trust you. I trust you. That is the stance that I'm talking about. I've done that before. I've made choices praying that, and God has sustained certain paths. And I've also made choices praying that, and he hasn't sustained the path that I thought and more so redirected me towards where he's always wanted for me to be. And sometimes he allows those things to happen so that we can learn, so that we can grow, so that we come across something along that path that maybe was needed to help shape us into the future us that he wants us to be. God just works very. Mysteriously and beautifully like that. Alright, now let's talk about staying afloat mentally. This one, for me personally, is the hardest one, and I would assume that it would be the hardest one for you if you struggle with anxiety, depression, insecurity, the comparison game. I don't just mean struggling with it in a mediocre or an average way. I mean that it is loud. I mean that you struggle with it so bad that it tanks your ability to ever be mentally consistent to the point where it ruins your mood. It can ruin your day. It can affect the choices that you make if you relate to that. Let me just start off by saying you're not alone. I know it's hard. It is so hard. To work beyond your mind to see beyond the very loud mental chaos. And I'm talking about this specifically because when the world shifts and when we're seeing wars break out, we're seeing a political mess. We're seeing the economic system break. We're seeing violence. We are seeing online trends constantly changing. More and more we are seeing. More competition. All of that can add to the mental chaos. So how do we stay afloat mentally as creative entrepreneurs, as dreamers, as those who want to say yes to God's calling for our lives? How do we stay afloat mentally stay in alignment with other priorities that have nothing to do? With your work, stepping into your calling is work. It takes effort. And when you're naturally an ambitious person and you just wanna make that thing happen, a lot of times that's going to come first in your life, oftentimes unintentionally over your husband, over your wife, over your kids, over your relationship with God, over your responsibilities in the household, over everything. It becomes the number one priority, but if you wanna stay afloat mentally as the dreamer that you are, it can't, it shouldn't take first place. As priority when it does the world around you. Those shifts, even the online space, can make your mental chaos that much more loud because you're leading with the success and you're wanting to figure out how and what about this and how do I do this? And oh my goodness, how do I stay afloat here, yada, yada, yada. It's all of these. Hows and whys. Confusion that you're dealing with. And even though, yes, stepping into your calling does take this consistency in figuring things out step by step, when that becomes the priority, we can be really anxious about those steps and taking those steps in the world that we're in today. But if we move our priorities around and remember daily that God comes first, family should be second. Then you are calling third. When we do that, our mind starts to focus on things that matter more when we're focusing on God more because of his divinity, because of his righteousness, his holiness. It will naturally quiet the mental chaos if we prioritize family and people. We're remembering the beauty of fellowship. We're remembering the present moments with our loved ones. We're remembering that walking in our calling and in our businesses and projects. That's great. We're passionate about that, but. Walking in the path of motherhood, in fatherhood, in wife, in husband hood, if that's even a word, in being a homemaker in sisterhood, brotherhood, friendship, walking in that matters more. And oftentimes, so much joy in the beauty of fellowship. Can come from that. So when we prioritize God first, where peace is more accessible, and then we prioritize family and people where Joy can be more accessible, and then we focus on our calling, we are already having a more quieted mind where it doesn't feel so chaotic, it doesn't feel so noisy, but it just feels a little bit more steady, less daunting. Because we put our priorities in the exact place that they always should have been. Listen, I know that it is scary. I know that the world is a lot. I know that it is heavy, and I know that sometimes we just wanna shut it all down, run away, and hide. Sometimes we don't want to deal with it because we can't. It's just too much. And when that happens, it causes us to question, it causes us to falter, it causes us to wonder about our calling. Are we on the right path? Should we make a pivot? Should we even start this? Should we even scale this? What decision am I supposed to make in a world that is so messy politically, economically? People wise, online, world wise, and everything in between. Just remember, if God has called you to that specific path, then trust in him to sustain that path despite the world around you. He is what matters. He is the focus. And even when things don't make sense, when you're just not sure when things are confusing, keep your eyes on. Him. The Bible tells us in the book of Matthew, seek first the Kingdom of God. Seek first. No matter the world around you, no matter the noise, no matter the chaos, no matter the overwhelm, no matter the confusion, no matter the questions, seek first the kingdom. Of God. And when you do that, everything else will be given to you. You will be taken care of, you will be okay. Clarity will come, steps will be given, financially, mentally, spiritually. God has got you. Thanks so much for tuning in. If this episode encouraged you, if it uplifted you, if it gave you the boost, the reminder that you needed today and you know that this could benefit someone else, feel free to share it with a friend, a family member, a colleague. This is something that is far from easy, but it is not impossible. I am in this with you. There are so many people around you that you might not even realize are. In that same place as well, just trying to figure it out and just trying to stay afloat in a really chaotic world that is ever shifting. So much love for you, my friend.