Hey My Loves!!

It may sound very cliche, but 2016 was a year of discovery for me. I learned a lot, blogged a lot, wrote a lot, cried a lot, and shared happy memories with the people I love. I hustled my ass off taking my platform to the next level, meaning I got all my business goals completed for 2016!  This year, I wrote two books that changed my life, connected with more boss women, and really buckled down with high expectations for 2017. Here are the rules I learned in 2016:

1.) “There is no time for bullshit when you’re building an empire.”

Hello! Let the church say Amen! 2016 was full of bull that could have easily been avoided if I wouldn’t have let minor things distract me. I can’t get mad because the only person who has power over my time is ME. I got my goals done, but I feel like so much time was wasted on things that don’t even matter today. For 2017, I vow to stay in a bull free zone and use my time wisely. Besides, Oprah wasn’t built in a day. I need all 365 days to be in hustle mode!

2.) “Do not expect people to support you, not even your family and friends.”

When I became a writer a few years ago, I expected everyone that was close to me to buy all my books and all my products even if they didn’t want to. Some of them did based off love. Some of them didn’t, but that doesn’t mean they loved me any less. It just means my product wasn’t appealing to them or it wasn’t their thing. At first, this bothered me until I realized that if I only wrote based solely for the people in my life, I wouldn’t get anywhere as a writer. My friends and family are NOT my target audience, so they should not be the ones I need to worry about. Don’t hold grudges towards people who choose not to support you. Time needs to be spent on the people who do.

 

3.) “Who You Are Not Is NOT Interesting.”

I heard this powerful message during a #MyTaughtYou podcast I was listening to by Myleik Teele. As the words simmered through me, I was like “Wow, that is so true!” People don’t read my blogs and my books because of what I’m not. They read it because of the things I am. I made a promise to always be transparent to everyone I come across.

“If you are in an atmosphere and don’t leave impact in the room, you have done nothing!”

                                                                                    –Sarah Jakes Roberts

 

4.) “Have people in your life that match your ambition card.”

LISTEN…LIKE MINDED PEOPLE are a MUST. This goes for your friends as well as your significant other. I love connecting with other bloggers because yall know where I’m coming from. I love networking with other authors because they know how the game goes. FIND A CIRCLE THAT ELEVATES YOU. My best friend Tedra is probably my biggest motivator as I am hers. We have different platforms and we stay in our own lane, but we support each other by giving ideas for our brands. On top of that, my bae is an entrepreneur and has his own business. He supports me and is always giving me advice on how to improve my brand, and the do’s and don’ts of entrepreneurship. You don’t have to have the same goals as that person, but make sure they have the same drive as you! As a hustler, you are always looking for new ways to improve yourself. Successful people in your corner motivate you and call you out on your bull.

Sidenote: Befriend a person who likes to read. If you have people in your life that read, that’s always a plus. I love when a person can recommend me a book that will help me in the long run. 

5.) “You can’t worry about other people’s lemonade if you’re too busy squeezing yours.”

Your lemonade is your HUSTLE. Key word..YOURS! (Beyonce taught us well.)

6.) I need God more and more everyday!

I wouldn’t be Oprah if I didn’t have a least one emotional rule lol. It’s not a secret The Father and His Holy Son are my homies and run everything in my life. I wouldn’t be anything  without God and I wouldn’t have this strong urgency to be successful if it wasn’t for him. The main biblical scripture that was my motto for 2016 was:

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” – Romans 12:2 NLT

I hope everyone reading this had a blessed year and may 2017 bring more blessings! 

Until next time, 

Zip.

Check out Oprah Zip Bradford’s books at the link below!

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=oprah+zip+bradford