fruitful

Lessons from esther on how to increase your visibility by transforming your mindset

Lessons from esther on how to increase your visibility by transforming your mindset

In my previous post, I talked about Hegai (the King’s eunch’s) role in helping Esther secure the crown

Click here if you missed that, sis

But that wasn’t the main thing that made the King choose her

“So, what was?!” I hear you ask

According to Esther 2:15 and 17, it was favour
So let’s break that down

When I hear the word “favour” it immediately puts me in mind of the concept of grace

Why?

Because grace is by definition “the unmerited favour of God”

In other words…

Without the belief that:

  1. You have God’s favour

  2. He will cause people to favour you also

  3. He made you “for such a time as this”

You won’t go towards your goals or the desires that He gave you

Because we go in the direction of of our beliefs

We see that play out in Esther 4:10-11 when Esther expressed fear of going to see the king about calling off the proposed genocide of her people

And…

We see it in modern day stats that show that women feel less at ease going for their goals by promoting themselves than men- which in turn means that they're less likely to do it.

Can you relate, sis?

What needs to be understood is that walking in God’s favour is a lifestyle that is born out of your mindset. Here are 4 tools that I use to develop it.

Lessons from Esther on what to do when you're feeling discouraged

Lessons from Esther on what to do when you're feeling discouraged

Last week, I talked about the fact that Esther is a popular woman of the Bible

Especially amongst the ladies that I have interviewed as guest experts within my Facebook group

This is because she used her power, privilege and position in service of her people

Reminding us as modern women that:

1. God made us for a purpose

2. We are called to solve problems

3. The problems you are called to solve will require using your gifts

4. Maximum impact will require maximum visibility

When thinking about Esther and her legacy it can be easy to forget all that it took for her to become so well renowned

For example, Esther 2:12 says that before she became queen she (and the other prospects) had to:

• Stay in the palace for a full year away from their family and friends

• Undergo beauty treatments

• Learn protocol etc

Before they even so much as a met the king, let alone got chosen to be his bride!

I say all of that to say, it can be easy to become discouraged in our own journeys

It can be easy to see what other people have achieved/are achieving and develop a mean case of comparisonitis

It can be easy to become discouraged at your (seeming) lack of progress

It can also be easy to feel things are taking too long

But Esther's story teaches us not to

In fact…

Lessons from Miriam on What it Means to be a Thought Leader

Lessons from Miriam on What it Means to be a Thought Leader

Recently, I found myself going down a bit of a rabbit hole while having my morning devotion

Has that ever happened to you, sis?

I started off in Exodus 15

Where verse 20 says that Miriam (Moses’ sister) was a prophetess

This then landed me in 1st Corinthians 14

Where verses 1-5 talk about what prophecy is

Which then had me thinking about thought leadership and why it’s so important in networking and PR

Let me explain….

Lessons from Jesus' Donkey on How to Overcome Insecurity and Get Visible

Lessons from Jesus' Donkey on How to Overcome Insecurity and Get Visible

If you’re looking for some quarantine viewing, sis, I would really recommend “20 Feet from Stardom” on Netflix

On the surface, it seems like a documentary on the music industry from the vantage point of (legendary) background singers. But, on a deeper level, it’s a really inspiring ensemble piece on grit, purpose and overcoming adversity.

One of my favourite quotes in the programme came from Dr. Mable John (former background singer to Ray Charles as part of The Raelettes):

“We as women need to know our worth. We need to know as women we’re important and I think the breakdown is when a woman doesn’t know who she is, and she settles for less. Check out your worth because you’re worth more than that”

A prime example of how we can carry out this awesome advice in our own lives is demonstrated really clearly in Matthew 21, which tells the story of the origins of Palm Sunday (today)

For example…

Lessons from Ruth on How to Network Vertically

Lessons from Ruth on How to Network Vertically

In my previous blog post, we discussed the 3 lessons that Ruth gives us about networking horizontally

Or, in the words of Issa Rae, “networking across” with your peers. Click here if you missed that, sis!

But here’s why I stated that networking up also has it’s place:

Whereas networking across allows you to kick start and actualise your dreams without the affirmation or approval of the powers that be within your industry, there are some seats at the table that you have to be invited to rather than create yourself.

For example, Ruth could not have gone from working in Boaz’ fields to owning them with him as his wife without him accepting her proposal (yes, you read that right! See Ruth 3 and 4). Likewise-

There are life and business goals that don’t happen without other people’s say so

For example, my godsister recently applied to start university this September. Without them accepting her, though, she couldn’t just show up to class and demand a degree! A friend of mine wants to start a charity but she has to go through the proper channels and authorities to get it registered. Likewise, when it comes to PR, you can’t get featured unless someone accepts your proposal or pitch- just as Boaz did for Ruth all those years ago.

So, how do we go about getting in front of these gatekeepers?

Well, to summarise what has already been alluded to, you must:

Lessons from Zipporah on How to Harness the Law of Reciprocity while Networking

Lessons from Zipporah on How to Harness the Law of Reciprocity while Networking

I hate to burst your bubble, sis, but…

<sigh>

As much as it’s really important to set a firm foundation for your networking and PR efforts by knowing your “why,” no-one else cares about it

#justsaying

“So how do I get other people to care about my mission and vision, Nina?” I hear you say

Well…

It all comes down to knowing how to harness the power of reciprocity

Which is something that is really well demonstrated through Moses and Zipporah’s relationship- as detailed in the video below.

Lessons from Zipporah on how to start networking from scratch

Lessons from Zipporah on how to start networking from scratch

So last week, lovely, we talked about how the same relationships that were once blessings can also go on to hold us back from speaking up, stepping out and shining as the woman of God that He created us to be, if we don’t know how to spot the 4 tell-tale signs that this is happening. I based this on the evolution of Moses’ relationship with his adopted mother (Pharaoh’s Daughter), as recorded in Hebrews 11:24-26.

However, if Pharaoh’s Daughter symbolises relationships that are holding us back, Moses’ relationship with his wife (Zipporah) is really useful for giving us tips on how to:

  • Leave those kind of relationships

  • Build new, positive and profitable business relationships from scratch

All of which I shared in the video below.

Lessons from Pharaoh's Daughter on how to tell if a relationship is holding you back

Lessons from Pharaoh's Daughter on how to tell if a relationship is holding you back

I once did a whole blog post and devotional about the fact that Pharaoh’s Daughter was a fore-shadow of Christ. “How?” you ask, lovely? Because she:

Yet imagine my surprise when I recently rediscovered Hebrews 11:24-25, which says that:

“Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin…”

This showed me that the same relationships that were once blessings can also go on to hold us back from speaking up, stepping out and shining as the woman of God that He created us to be, if we don’t know how to spot the 4 tell-tale signs that I shared on my Facebook page this week via the video below.