The Encourager Podcast: Equipping Christian Moms to Harmonize Work and Home

Simplicity is such a beautiful word. As a wife, mother, and with our farm and our two businesses, my husband and I have had to simplify things in our home! My mom has always told me that my super skill is taking large concepts and simply acting on them so I want to share what tips, tricks and practices help keep things simple and keep me sane.

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I have a secret to share with you that will seriously take your business to the next level! I want to tell you about the one plan that has 5x’d my business! It’s a really boring word… but believe me, when I tell you about how awesome it is, you’ll thank me.

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Having mentors in my life since starting my business, Rebekah Scott Designs, has been crucial for my personal and professional growth and honestly, is what led to me starting The Encourager Podcast. I LOVE the mentors and coaches I’ve had (and currently have) in my life and want to pass on my knowledge and expertise as much as humanly possible! Don’t have a mentor? Listen up to find out why you need to get one ASAP!

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This is one of my FAVORITE episodes to record, as I get to recap what has been going on with my family, my business, and The Encourager Podcast since the end of 2018 and beginning of 2019!

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An agreement is something you’ve told yourself that you now accept as truth... But it may not necessarily be true! AND it may be harming your subconscious. I want to challenge these truths and teach you how to recognize them, how to replace them, and how to take steps to make the new agreement true.

The first step in reversing agreements or truths is recognizing them. This part is crucial and can be difficult, as we are trying to un-do possibly decades of negativity that either we or someone else has planted within our hearts and minds.

Watch for words like: “I am/am not.” “I can/can’t.” “I will/won’t.” “I do/don’t.”

Write down your top 3 “agreements.” Write down a NEW agreement. Then plan 3 actionable steps to reverse the original agreement/truth. 

Here are some examples: Original agreement: “I am bad at math.” New agreement: “I am capable with my calculator and Excel spreadsheet.” Action Steps:

1. Watch a YouTube video on basic math skills for business/life.
2. Take a course on input and output for business.
3. Learn 5 functions in Excel

Original agreement: “I am unorganized.” New agreement: “I am organized.” Action Steps:

1. Block 1 day to organize your desk.
2. Take an organizing course.
3. Help organize something for someone else.

Original agreement: “I am a procrastinator.” New agreement: “I will plan accordingly.” Action Steps:

1. Get a “procrastinating buddy” and help hold each other accountable.
2. Reward yourself for a month (or a week) of not procrastinating.
3. Buy yourself a planner or print a calendar and give yourself enough time (3+ hours) to write everything out and plan ahead!

Affirmations Affirmations are short, powerful statements that you say (preferably out loud) that spark change in your life. They can be used to eliminate something from your life or help create something new in your life! Affirmations are used to consciously control your thoughts and will be a BIG HELP in reaffirming your new agreements!  “I value my work.” “I am worth every penny I charge for my work.” “I can do this.” “I am good at math.” “I am organized.”

I highly recommend googling affirmations and selecting ones that really speak to you.

Print them off and say them out loud once a day. To make these EXTRA powerful, say them to yourself in the mirror! You will feel silly but TRUST ME… it’s powerful and it works!

Don’t limit yourself by believing these agreements! Use the power within you to make positive changes and reverse these false truths. Commit to working on this for 30 days (or longer)… whatever it takes! 

We got this Encouragers!

Click here to download the reflection guide.

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Nothing says “love” like a business meeting with your spouse! HA! But seriously, Nick and I prioritize time once a month to talk about our calendars, budget, expectations, dreams, children, and more. With our busy lives, this meeting helps keep us on the same page and heading in the same direction.

To set up your own monthly business meeting with your spouse, follow these simple steps! If you are single, find a mentor and set up a time to meet with him or her so you stay on track.

Pick a date. We meet the last Thursday of every month. We recommend picking the same date or day each month so it’s easier to schedule!

Have an agenda. This doesn’t have to be fancy… we use an index card! Keep scrolling to the bottom of this document for a sample agenda you can use!

Remember your priorities. We can’t emphasize enough how important it is to set priorities, write them down, and have a copy with you for your meeting. If you need help, listen to my earlier podcast episode on the subject!

Bring your calendars. Whether it’s a paper calendar or a fancy phone app, we highly recommend having a calendar for your family, work, and social events. If your schedule is too full, go back to your priority list and decide what doesn’t make the cut. Don’t forget to schedule a date night!

Communicate your expectations. Be honest with each other about your expectations. This can help eliminate fights before they even start!

Talk about your budget. Eliminate money fights by getting on the same page with money by having a budget. We recommend Financial Peace University and the Every Dollar App by Dave Ramsey.

Remember your dreams and goals. If you don’t prioritize talking about your dreams and goals, when will you talk about them? Don’t lose sight of the big picture by making a point to discuss this monthly.

Discuss your family. We have four kids so they are a big part of our lives! We pick two things for each of our kids to work on (which we learned from the book The Gist). If you don’t have children, set these goals for each other instead!

Talk about your Love Languages. The 5 Love Languages is a book by Gary Chapman that talks about how we all give and receive love. You can take a quiz here to find out your love language! We take this time to be honest with each other about our needs and whether or not we are getting enough of our love language spoken to us.

Repeat your vows. What if we all said our “I do’s” to each other every month instead of once in a lifetime? If you can find a copy of your vows, look into each other’s eyes and repeat them to each other at the end of your meeting!

We got this Encouragers! 

Click here to download the reflection guide.

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Kim Henderson joins me to talk about how her career success as an event planner led to some not-so-great “ah-ha” moments, causing her to leave her dream job to focus on her family and talks about how she still uses her God given talents.

Do you need help identifying your strengths? We recommend taking the Strengths Finder quiz to help!

What is your passion? 

Have you ever had some devastating “ah-ha” moments that have caused you to shift your focus?

Have you asked yourself the million-dollar question, “If you were making $1 million, would you still do the job”? Who are the people in your life that you can ask to be truthful about your situation? 

How can you scale success by your way and not the world’s way? How can you still use your God-given talents and gifts but use them His way and not yours?

Many times, we tell ourselves we must keep going. How can you embrace the word “surrender” and give it to God?

Dear Lord, please help us get off this hamster wheel… and BURN THE HAMSTER WHEEL 

We got this Encouragers!

Click here to download the reflection guide.

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Building a company means wanting growth and profit but there are times when business ebbs and flows, and we need to think lean. As owner and designer of Rebekah Scott Designs, I have learned how to ride the waves and share my tips for thinking lean while still growing your company.

When you own a business, you have to be sure to think abundantly but also think lean when cutting costs and improving efficiencies.

If you are considering adding or cutting something, ask yourself, “Do I have more time or money?”

Things to consider when thinking lean:

• Printed material costs
• Subscriptions
• Memberships
• Payroll
• Contracts
• COGS (Cost of Goods Sold)
• Wholesale pricing on supplies
• Take pre-orders
• Check all business transactions
• Prioritize spending
• Reduce inventory 

We got this Encouragers!

Click here to get the reflection guide.

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Building a business and raising a family is difficult and can easily lead to burnout. You need discipline, motivation and a superwoman cape to avoid it completely! Burnout has happened to me, which is why I’ve come up with so many of my systems and why I wrote my book, “Equipped to Execute.” In this episode, I’ll cover my tips and tricks for avoiding burnout.

Keep your calendar small. I print off a small calendar from timeanddate.com. Each month is the size of a piece of printer paper and I keep it small on purpose so if the things I have planned don’t fit in that space, the kids and I are going to feel burned out!

Time everything. I do this so I feel less overwhelmed with what I think might be a crazy night. I know it only takes 20 minutes to pick things up and then I feel relieved. Bedtime can be especially stressful so knowing about how long this takes helps you keep your cool. 

Have a “me” system. If you trust and use your “me” system, you’re much less likely to burnout since your priorities are being met each day. Speak this loudly to others and don’t allow guilt to creep in. You need to be charged before going to your circus. J  As a part of this system, I HIGHLY recommend waking up before your kids. Doing this gives you time to center yourself before you need to start meeting their needs!

Have “your thing.” Because people in my life know what I love, they bring me treats (like chai lattes or dark chocolate) or give me time to do things (like take a bath or go for a run) that help give me a break. Make these known to your tribe what these things are so they can help when you’re feeling burned out.

Know your “must do” factor. Ask yourself what needs to be done TODAY so you can relax a little bit and let the rest go. That might mean doing laundry and waiting to vacuum until tomorrow, or clearing the tables but leaving the dishes in the sink. Don’t think you must do everything! Pick three things TOPS. 

Use your helpline. Friends and family will sense when you are feeling stressed out and if they offer to help, LET THEM! People love to help so listen for these opportunities.

Have a “code word.” Develop a word or phrase that alerts your loved ones that you need help. When you use that word or phrase, they think “Bailout!” and can come to your rescue!

What are your takeaways from this podcast? Take a few minutes to reflect and take some notes below!

We got this Encouragers!!!

Click here to get the reflection guide.

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In order to grow your business, grow your family and prioritize what you are doing, ask yourself these key decisions to help gain clarity! Answering these questions will help you do your job that much better!

Priorities. You must know what your priorities are before you can make your key decisions! Write them down in order and post them so you can see them often!

When will you work? How many hours are doable in your stage of life? Write it down, set those hours, and commit to it.

Who are you going to work with? Who is going to help you? Do you need a nanny/babysitter? Do you need an assistant or marketing person?

Where will you work? You need a designated space for your stay-at-home job! What are the rules regarding your work and workspace? Decide what they are and let your family know.

What are your goals? Daily, weekly, monthly, yearly goals are SO important! Write them down and post them so you can see them!

What is your why? This is the ultimate goal of why you are doing what you are doing.

How will you grow your business?

Click here to download the reflection guide.

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