Hope’s Design—A Young Woman With a Dream
Today is another big day for me. Hope’s Design, Book 2 in The Daughters
of Riverton series, is now available for readers. Hope’s story picks up in the
small town of Riverton in 1904, two years after my novel, Sarah’s Smile, takes place.
Hope has big dreams of becoming a fashion designer
and seeing her designs included in the popular women’s magazine, The Delineator. Published out of New
York by the Butterick Company, the magazine contained articles of interest to
women, and it also kept ladies up-to-date with the latest trends. Along with
promoting fancy “duds,” the company included clothing that could be made by
using Butterick’s patterns.
But like many of us “dreamers,” success doesn’t come
fast or easy for Hope . . .
The back cover copy for the book:
In
1904, Hope Andrews, an aspiring fashion designer, struggles with leaving New
York City. But with no job, her parents leaving the country, and an abusive
ex-fiancé refusing to accept their broken engagement, Hope doesn’t have much
choice but to give in to her parents’ wishes that she move far away and live
with her cousin indefinitely.
Talented
Benjamin Greene can’t deny his passion for painting, but guilt over a painful
incident in his past keeps him from sharing his gift. Instead, he devotes much
of his days to helping his younger sibling rebuild a farm inherited from a
great-uncle. Only his brother is aware that Ben spends his spare time in a
studio on their property.
There’s plenty of tension in this story as Hope has
a difficult time understanding why Ben can’t see that he needs to use his
God-given talent—especially when she’s trying so hard to use her own.
Hope’s
Design raises many questions. For instance:
1. How do we handle envy when we see others around us
achieving their dreams but the door keeps closing on our own?
2. Hope longs to find someone who will support her
dreams. Would you marry someone who wasn’t enthusiastic about your aspirations?
3. When Hope’s designs are rejected, she tries to trust
God to show her the path he’s designed for her. How can having faith in God’s divine plan help us through
disappointment?
4. Hope comes to a point where she must
ask for help with her designs. Are there situations in our own lives that might have gone better if we’d been willing to ask for help?
5. Have there been times when we’ve held back on sharing our
gifts/talents because we’ve been afraid of not being good enough, or that others might
criticize our work?
6. How are we being accountable—or not accountable—for
the abilities God has given us?
Hope’s
Design can be found on Amazon in e-book and paperback.
If you have a chance to read this latest novel in
the series, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the story. Thanks!
Dawn
Meme – Inspirational Quote on Building Your Dream
I hope you enjoy this week’s inspirational meme.
You’re welcome to share it with friends and on your social media sites:
Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, Instagram, and Pinterest.
To save it to your computer, right click your mouse
(if you’re using one) and “save as.”
Does Your Confidence Propel or Sabotage You? by Pamala J. Vincent
Pamala
J. Vincent is a freelance writer passionate about family and equipping others
to personal success. Her online magazine, The Modern Woman (www.TMWLife.com) is written for women, but works
hard to equip parents and entrepreneurs to be their own boss of: schedules,
influence and income levels. You can find her at www.pamalajvincent.com, Facebook and Twitter.
Does
Your Confidence Propel
or Sabotage You?
Confidence is an inner strength that when attained
doesn’t have to be talked about or placed on a résumé; it shows in a person’s
demeanor. These are the people who don’t have to shove their opinions down
people’s throats. They don’t need to scream from the rooftops their ideas or
beliefs; it’s demonstrated in their day-to-day choices, how they handle
situations, and how they manage stresses. When you spend time with these
people, you walk away feeling as if you were the only one they came to see.
They give energy because they have it to give. They inspire because they are
inspired. They are the ones who can find joy in any situation, or at least they
can turn a negative into a positive. Quiet confidence people are on-purpose
people. They’ve learned from the past and are moving forward. They have an
attitude that says, “Been there; done that; I’ll do it again.” They operate
from an offensive position.
Confidence is an evolving maturity. Sometimes you
may get to the quiet strength type of confidence because you’ve also reached
the “I quit” point in your life. Sometimes when you have nothing to lose, you
are better able to determine an enhanced life for yourself. However, the energy
you’ll use to come to that point can have adverse health effects and cost you dearly
in emotional health and/or relationships.
Here are twenty tips to move you from lack of
confidence to a comfortable, confident life:
1.
Learn something new. Read a book, take a class, try
something you never thought you would. It will empower you.
2.
Do something for someone else. Take the focus off of
you; the feel-good-about-yourself enzymes you’ll stir up can carry you to the
next level of You.
3.
Organize something. It doesn’t have to be big; it might
just be a junk drawer or vacuuming behind the couch. You’ll know it. That’s
enough for now.
4.
Build a bucket list and start checking things off.
Hang it where you’ll see it daily. Plan to accomplish one of them a month.
5.
Write a note of appreciation for someone that you
know rarely gets thanked for their job.
6.
Plan for success. Put your gym clothes on in the morning
and place your shoes where you’ll trip on them first thing.
7.
Keep a diary. Write down your thoughts. Writing has a
way of helping you know what you know and bringing facts to emotional thoughts.
8.
Step out of your comfort zone. If you’re an
introvert, go to a book signing, a networking group, or a particular
fund-raising event. If you’re an extrovert, practice sitting alone with
yourself, book a hotel room alone with just your thoughts, or unplug from all
electronic social media for days or — GASP — a week!
9.
Work out. The movement will kick in the “I can accomplish
anything” feel-good enzymes.
10.
Never make decisions when you’re in a vulnerable state.
Make a Ben Franklin list, then walk away from it for a day or two.
11.
Make a plan of things that matter to you and how
you’re going to acquire them.
12.
Ask yourself who you are, what you stand for, what
you won’t tolerate. Then evaluate situations where you are allowing things you
shouldn’t and don’t do what you desire and change them.
13.
When you’re afraid of looking foolish, embrace the idea that
if you knew how little others think about others, you could move through
mistakes easier.
14.
Break up big projects that scare you into smaller pieces and
just do the first step and then the next.
15.
When it comes to fear holding you back, do whatever it is
that scares you before you have a chance to talk yourself out of it.
16.
Acknowledge your doubts, then train them or prepare
better, then move forward anyway.
17.
Ban
the word “can’t” from your vocabulary.
18.
Stop people-pleasing because you’re afraid of ___________
(you fill in the blank). Please people because you choose to, not because you
think you have to.
19.
We all run our lives and values on self-created rules.
Make your rules answer to your needs today. They may have been good ideas in
the past but no longer serve you anymore.
20.
Insert yourself into new experiences. Multi-faceted people
have more understanding of who they are.
We may move from one type of confidence to the other
depending on the seasons in our life we are experiencing. If you predominately
operate from a defensive spirit, perhaps understanding why will move you to a
confident offensive mindset. The “why” may not be immediately clear, so move
forward by practicing one of the tips above until you can determine the “why.”
If nothing else works, build your bucket list, and hit the gym!
What
are some things confident people do in your circle of influence that you can
emulate?
*This article appeared first in The Huffington Post
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