Have you seen the mattress commercial with the little sheep that try to convince mattress buyers to buy their brand? The commercials crack me up every time I see it, and the image of those sheep came to mind recently as I was spending my morning time renewing my mind in The Word and was reading about God having appointed shepherds over His flock. He talked about how the shepherd was just thinking about himself and not taking care of his sheep. I then asked God to show me how this scripture pertains to me.

I realized in that moment a different way to think about my business. I am a shepherd and my job is to gather my flock. I have not been taking care of my flock. I had to stop and ask myself, “Do I know who my flock is? Do I know what my flock needs?” Whew! This was truly an eye-opening moment because I thought I had clearly identified my target market, but God was taking it to a higher level. It even prompted me to do a journal entry listing the needs of my flock. It became so wonderfully simple, my job is to gather my flock from all over the world and provide them with what they need to be successful as Christian entrepreneurs and visionaries.

As I thought about what I wanted to share this month, I wanted to share a piece of my breakthrough around knowing my flock and providing their needs. You are a Shepard. When you are a Shepard, your sheep recognize and respond to your voice and call. God has created you to oversee a flock that can only hear your voice. Who is your flock? Are they scattered all over the hillsides waiting for you to live your vision? Are they not being taken care of because you are in fear, or busy tending to the daily obligations that fill your calendar, but are not God’s purpose for you?

I have an exercise for you (I did it and it WORKS!): Write out a list of who your flock. Who are your sheep? Who were you born to serve? What group of people is in your heart? Who comprises your target market?

Once you clearly identify and write down your flock, make a list of what your flock needs. That is what you need to get busy providing for your flock. Now. You see, now is your time. It is time for you to urgently bring forth God’s vision for your life and for you to prosper from your good works. Can you feel it? It’s been trying to get your attention. It’s time to respond bigger and bolder than you ever have before…

Even with my huge vision, this exercise opened up areas in which I needed to be taking my business that were further out in my business plan. It changed my priorities. And because I know it is of God, I know it will prosper and unfold in God’s perfection.

Try it! Let me know how it works for you. Your flock is waiting for you. Let them hear your call.

With Love, Ericka

Self defense is the practice of protecting yourself in a defensive manner in order to reduce any harm caused by another attacker, or to help you get rid of a violent situation. There are many different forms of self defense. Not all self defenses are considered “physical”. If you are researching self defense, it is essential that you understand the basics. Here, you will learn about self defense basics and the steps that you can use in order to protect yourself in threatening situations.

When considering self defense, it is important to understand your limitations. It is equally important to be sure that you are able to identify your surroundings at all times to assist in any self defense techniques that you may be forced to use. This is often referred to as “self awareness”. If you practice the art of carefully evaluating your surroundings, and know what you are physical capable of, you are sure to prevent a lot of dangerous situations that you may possibly experience. When alone, it is important to ensure that you display an air of confidence that others can see. If you are faced with a dangerous situation, it is important to ensure that you maintain this level of confidence.

Many people get a permit to carry a concealed weapon, such as a gun. There are other individuals that carry items such as pepper spray and stun guns. It is important to ensure that you do not totally rely on these items. It may not be easy to get to these items if a dangerous situation arises. This is why it is important to develop some good self defense moves. The dangerous situation often occurs at unexpected times, in unexpected places. It is essential to have knowledge of self defense techniques to ensure that you are able to take care of yourself.

When looking for ways to protect yourself in a dangerous situation, martial arts training is a great way to start. Martial arts training can teach you self defense techniques that are both defensive and offensive. Martial arts training can help you to identify a dangerous situation, develop a plan to remove yourself from the situation successfully, and avoid those types of situations in the future.

If you want to be able to defend your self in any situation, it is essential that you do all that you can to learn self defense basics. Knowing these self defense techniques can mean the difference between getting hurt or staying safe, being killed and living life.

Discover the most efficient Self Defense Moves and Fear No Man ever again. If you use the techniques that you are about to discover, you can become a human Machine and be an Unstoppable confident Man. Get Access Now by visiting: secretsofmartialartsmasters (dot)com.

While the toned men and slender women of the world put on their skin-tastic summer gear and proudly put themselves on display, those with jiggles and dimples would rather opt for a cover up and hang out under an umbrella.

So why haven’t you met your fitness goals?

Why must you go through another agonizing summer, turning your head as you pass by a dozen magazines showcasing skinny celebrities in bikinis? You should be enjoying your summer days without wondering which pair of shorts covers the most.

The truth is that anyone can get the body of their dreams…even you. And wouldn’t it feel great to pull on your bathing suit without bracing yourself before looking in the mirror?

You can turn your fitness dreams into reality-read on for the three things you need to begin achieving amazing results.

1. Your Mind

You may be wondering what your mind has to do with getting your body into great shape. In a single word, your mind has everything to do with getting the body of your dreams. Your mind will single handedly make or break your success.

How? Well, your mind works hard to reinforce the beliefs that you hold about yourself. If you think of yourself as a fat person, or an out-of-shape person, or just an average person then your subconscious mind will do everything in its power to keep you that way.

It’s like self-sabotage.

However, if you begin to think of yourself as fit, healthy and attractive, then your mind will do everything it can to make your belief a reality.

*Take time everyday to visualize your new body and to focus on your goals.

2. Your Plan

Everyone who successfully sets out to lose body fat and achieve results does so by implementing a plan. Your plan is crucial to your success, picture it as a guiding map needed to find a new destination. Without it you are lost.

Here are the 2 major parts to your plan:

1. Diet: They say you are what you eat, and that is never truer than while losing weight. Cut junk food from your diet and stick with fresh healthy foods instead. Eat small meals throughout the day containing protein, carbohydrates and minimal fat.

2. Exercise: Yes, you will have to break a sweat, but the good news is that once you make exercise a habit you will likely find it to be enjoyable – In fact, I know you will. It is important that you make exercise a part of your lifestyle, and not something that you do on random occasions. For maximal results exercise 4-5 times each week doing both cardiovascular and resistance training.

*Stick with your healthy eating plan and exercise routine-these are the building blocks to your success.

3. Your Determination

Determination is the one thing that will guarantee that you will lose weight, tone your body and feel better than ever. You have to want it-that’s it. Thinking about it is not enough. Now it’s time for action!

You have to want your dream body…more than you want that burger and fries.

more than you want to skip your workout.
more than you want that chocolate cookie.
more than you want to sit on the couch.

The shape and size of your body is in your hands, and your hands only. I believe that you possess the kind of determination that it takes to change your body-you simply need to dig down deep enough within yourself to find it.

Fuel your fire by building a network of support in your life. Enlist friends, family and loved ones to encourage your efforts and to keep tabs on your progress. In fact, I would love to be a key player in your network of support-don’t hesitate to call me or reply to this email to get me onboard. Fitness is my passion and I can help make it yours too!

* Surround yourself with support and don’t give up.

I get excited when talking about getting you the body of your dreams-this is what I do everyday for my clients. Making the decision to transform your body is something to celebrate.