I didn't know that God had given me SO.MUCH.POWER.

That's just 1 lesson I learned from working with a coach.

I also didn't realize that the reason I lacked joy in my life was NOT based on my current circumstances - but rather on the way I was thinking about them, and feeling like a victim to those circumstances.

I didn't realize that ONE THOUGHT could change my life.

Finally, I didn't realize that working with a life coach would make DREAMS come true.

Yes.  It souonds like an EXAGGERATION.  

But how else could I describe the transformation in my life, in my marriage, in my relationship with my kids, in my relationship with God???

See, I fell into a common error - I didn't know what I didn't know.  And what I didn't know was EXACTLY how I was keeping myself from experiencing and enjoying God's PROMISED ABUNDANCE for my life.

That's why I recorded this specific episode.

Not because I want to twist your arm and talk you into working with me (in case you did not know, I am a Certified Life & Relationship Coach).

No, I share this episode because you too might be where I was 5 years ago - wondering, "If I'm a Christian, why am I not happier?  What am I missing?"  

Sometimes, God sends discontent in our hearts so that we'll NOT SETTLE for less than His VERY BEST.

So, here's my quirky little story of how I, the world's biggest skeptic, found life coaching, used the tools (plus my knowledge of Biblical principles) to transform my life from the inside out, and WHY I then became a coach.

Hope you enjoy this - and feel free to email me at [email protected] if you have any questions!

I've heard it been said - God cares more about your holiness than your happiness.

Which leads us to believe - God is not interested in our happiness at all.

And I think that idea is completely contrary to Scripture.  

I'm gonna be honest - it breaks my heart when I ask the question "Are Christians supposed to be happy" and people resound with a confident "NO!"  

Did you know that "Blessed" in the Bible (in both Hebrew and Greek) means "happy"?

So, are Christians supposed to be blessed?  YES!

And that's what I think the problem is.

We know with our head that we ARE blessed, even if we don't always feel happy.

But when we FEEL happy, it's because we are REMEMBERING how very blessed we are!

Want to be happier?  Why wouldn't we???

Well, in this week's podcast, I share the 3 times we are happy, what happiness really is (the 3 P's), and my answer to my mother's question, "April, are you happy?"

EEK.  Moms have a way of cutting straight to the heart, right?

I think God created us to crave happiness for 2 reasons - 

1. When we're unhappy, it can be a powerful signal to seek God and ask why.  "Delight thyself in the Lord, and He shall give thee the desires of your heart."  
2. I think our happiness, our contentment regardless of the circumstance is such a profound witness to non-believers that God is GOOD, God is LOVE, and God's WAYS are health, and truth, and life - in a very real, very practical way. "Godliness with contentment is great gain."  

So, maybe our holiness and our happiness really cannot be separated from each other?

I mean, holiness WITHOUT happiness?  What does that even look like?  My guess is - the Pharisees of Jesus' day, who were always criticizing the Perfect Son of God for having too much fun on the Sabbath!

Just some thoughts to think on this week!

PS - Know you're missing out on some happiness but not quite sure why?  Book a free Clarity call here - https://aprilbragg.as.me/Clarity

Ever felt held back in life by your inability to MAKE MORE MONEY?

Ever felt uncomfortable asking for a raise or offering to sell your product or service to someone else?

Wondering why people aren't EXCITED about your stuff - EVEN if it is free? 

That's because we've bought into a lie - that sales is a creepy thing that people do in a creepy way to make money for selfish reasons. And we don't want ANY part of that - nor should we!!!

In this interview, Kat Schubert, co-CEO of "THE Salesgirls", is going to dispel the myth that sales is creepy, and that women can't (or shouldn't) master this life skill.

We'll also answer what "selling" really is - and how selling can help ANY WOMAN, whether you're a career woman, entrepreneur, single or married, or mom, MAKE THE MONEY YOU DESERVE by learning how to do ONE THING - Persuade for Good!

GRAB THEIR BOOK:   Persuade for Good: How to be a Person of Influence Who Changes the World One Conversation at a Time - 

JOIN THEIR CHALLENGE:  Sell Your Offer Challenge: How any female entrepreneur can make more money consistently (even if you believe that selling is the worst part of doing business)

Does living life on your own terms sound, well, selfish?

Have you ever wished you had more time - but when you do get more time, others seem to ask more of you?

Ever wished you had more energy, but also felt like you were lazy because you could see others that seem to do more - and they never get tired?

If there's anything the Enemy is good at - it's at getting us to compare ourselves

And comparing leads us to either

1. feeling inadequate (because we see others as better than us)
2. feeling prideful (because we see ourselves as better than others)

UGGGHHHH!!!!

In today's episode, I created an acronym out of the word TERMS to explain 5 areas that we can focus on to make our life better.

Some may think it sounds selfish - I think it's just good stewardship.

But I will let you decide!

PS - I'd love to know: Which one could you use more of? Time, energy, money, better relationships, or the ability to relax and appreciate your success?  

go to https://aprilbragg.com/ for more.

Do you struggle with anxiety?  Ever wonder if it's a spiritual failing?

"If my faith were stronger, I wouldn't be fearful!"  That's a myth that I inadvertently picked up by growing up in a church that NEVER discussed issues of mental health.

Let's change that!  Today, I invited Christina Adrien, LMHC to come and talk to us about 

1. How prevalent anxiety is
2. What are the causes
3. Is it a spiritual failure
4. What we can do about it

I'm going to be real with you here - I struggled with anxiety long before I even knew the meaning of the word!  And then I made it worse by having Anxiety ABOUT my anxiety.  But, through God's grace and my mother's wisdom, I have learned how to "have peace in the midst of the storm".

And that's the Plan.  

So, enjoy these words of wisdom from Christina if you, like me, struggle with anxiety and would benefit from Creating an Anxiety Plan!

And for further help, you can find out more about Christina's work here:

Website - https://www.adrientherapy.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/adrientherapy/

FREE GIFT! Download Free thought journal - https://www.adrientherapy.com/thoughtjournal

If you had to pick one word to describe your marriage, what would it be?

If you chose one word to describe your ideal marriage, what woud it be?

Mine would be the same - passionate.  Even before I met my husband, I wanted to have a passionate marriage.

How does that saying go...Be careful what you wish for? LOL

The reason I wanted to talk about my marriage - and the pros and cons of our passionate natures and our passionate relationship together - is because of this - 

To dispel the myth that there is ONE PERFECT WAY for a marriage to look.  

The Bible is full of pictures of marriages - and God doesn't bother to hide the fact that NONE of them are perfect.

But, maybe we could just drop the goal of perfection, and instead aim for enjoying each other's company and supporting each other's dreams and helping each other in our unique creative way.  And maybe laugh at our little idiosyncracies and not make our mistakes mean that we're doing it wrong!

So, I'd call mine and Hiram's marriage PASSIONATE - and I share the pros and cons of that.  And I'd love to know - what word would you use to describe your marriage (or desired relationship)?

Remember, there's no perfect.  There's just better and better practice!

Are We Worshipping the HARD?

There's our goal. Then there's stuff we go through to reach our goal.

Some of that stuff is HARD.  HARD at first, until we get used to doing it, and then it gets easier.

Like walking, public speaking, advocating for others - all things that start out hard and then grow easier with practice.

HOWEVER, there seems to be a big, macho attitude towards "HARD" now.  "We Do HARD THINGS, BRUH!"  Just because they're hard and just to prove how tough they are.

Okay.  That's fine if that's what you want.

But beware of these 2 mistakes:

1. Goal swapping - making "doing HARD things" the goal instead of dealing with "hard things" as they come up in our progress toward our goal
2. Great Story Syndrome - comparing our life to someone else's great story of how they overcame a tragedy and making it mean we can't help people in a great way without a great story

Remember this - Life is as hard as it needs to be to teach us the lessons we need to know to make life better.

Anxiety, Mary & Martha Syndrome, the Enneagram, and Emotional Maturity -

find out what all these things have in common in this conversation that I have with my classmate from college days, former client, and amazing friend Stephanie Goldsborough.

In this episode, we discuss how we have both minimized our anxiety, our mutual appreciation for personality tests, and the benefits of being in our 40's.  

Have you ever had doubts about God?

His Goodness, whether He really loves you, or even His existence?

Well, you are NOT alone. 

In this episode of Bragg...About Life, I reveal the 3 step framework I use to deal with my doubts about God when they crop up.

As in, YES, I still have doubts.  And I don't think that makes me any less a child of God.  In fact, I use those doubts to DEEPEN my relationship with God.

Most of all, I want you to know this - you are NOT alone; doubts are NOT necessarily bad things; and even though it may not feel great (okay, it feels TERRIBLE) to struggle with doubts - that is NOTHING to be ashamed of or hide.

Don't hide your doubts - handle them with compassion and grace.  

Because, truly, the point of the Christian faith walk is not to KNOW everything, but rather to GROW in everything - love, joy, faith.

Be OKAY with not knowing, but rather GROWING!

And, if you'd like to continue this conversation - email me at [email protected]

Blessed are the BUSY, because they shall get to finally rest in Heaven someday.

That is NOT what the Good Book says, but for some reason, it has become quite acceptable in Christian circles to be rushing around from activity to activity, staying busy with lots of life events and ministry opportunities.

And I was the worst about this.  

In this episode, I share a snapshot of what I now refer to as "the BUSY years", how I got trapped in unnecessary busyness, and what I did to free myself from a crowded calendar and chaotic life.

I realized that, in my mind, Busyness = Important, and Busyness was how I distracted myself from my real work - facing my doubts and insecurities, and growing in grace, and living out my true purpose.

And, after you listen to the episode, I'd love to know - which reason resonated the most with you?  Let's talk about it!  You can email me at [email protected]

Enjoy!