Lessons I’ve Learnt Since Launching a Christian Lifestyle Magazine
I want to preface with this. I don’t know everything - in fact, that might be my biggest lesson thus far. Not how little I know, but how much more I have to learn (perspective you see). I fully embrace the lessons that I have yet to learn and the ones that I have learned. I’m grateful for the opportunities to grow and I want to encourage anyone and everyone to GROW. To continue to evolve, become the best version of yourself, and progressively close the gulf between who you are today and who God has predestined you to be. This can be intimidating, and yet so exciting. It’s worth the exploration. There’s so much more to you than you probably realise and, purpose has an interesting way of uncovering itself.
I am not the same person because of this last year, and that’s a good thing. I’m bolder, more creative, and more daring. So, I’ve decided to share some lessons I’ve learned since launching a Christian lifestyle magazine.
Make God your Business Partner
For something God has given to actually work, it needs to be God-centred. If you want God's results it cannot be done without Him. This distinguishes good ideas from God's ideas. They’re not the same. A good idea can be great and even successful but not of God, whereas a God idea is attached not only to your destiny and purpose but to other people’s too. One of the many things I’ve been able to observe is that whatever God initiated He sustains, and whatever I initiated I had to maintain because it wasn’t in God’s will.
I had to enter this project with the perspective that God is the owner and I’m the manager or steward. This created a God consciousness in everything that I do. From the articles, the people I hired, the themes, and the events. God is the best creative, He did create the heavens and the earth in six days after all. He also always predestined that I do this so, who better to consult than my maker.
A good piece of scripture when it comes to this is Matthew 25:14-30
Know Purpose is going to cost you
Going into this I thought because I was doing God’s will that it meant it was going to be easy. I was very wrong. Don’t get me wrong there’s grace for it, there’s favour and there’s miracles. However, it cost me. It cost me financially, personally, and time-wise. It wasn’t always easy however, God always came through even when it didn’t look like it was possible - God came through over and over again.
What keeps you going is vision in times of difficulty is the vision. The vision that God gives you is the prize and it makes the price worth it. It helps you realize that there’s a reward far greater than the cost. That is your fuel when things get tough and in the meantime you trust God. If He said He’ll do it, trust that He will. Our job is to partner with Him and do our part.
Meditate on Proverbs 29:18
Acknowledge You Need People
I couldn’t have launched and kept the magazine going if it wasn’t for the people God sent me. Whether it was for skills, knowledge, or encouragement - I have needed people at every stage. Now that I’m scaling, I need even more people. I know I have skill gaps but, I know there are people out there who are willing to impart knowledge and I’m willing to learn.
Accepting help is key when it comes to acknowledging you need people. I’ve always said satan uses the same strategy as the Lord to get you where he wants you: through people. You can’t get to where you need to go without people and God has people specifically for you. These people are called destiny helpers. If you don’t have them yet pray that God will provide you with them, and if you have them… cherish them!
Let’s be honest, business can be hard. Things don’t always work out the way you want to which can be disheartening.When things get hard I have a tendency to isolate (this is to all my self soothers out there). I’ve had to learn that I need people to encourage me even when it comes to vision and purpose. It’s been the destiny helpers in my life that have kept me going when I felt like I couldn’t go on. So don’t push your help away.
Mediate on Deuteronomy 32:39
Consistency is Key
I’ll keep it real, I didn’t want to show up every day. There were days I had things in my personal life that drained me andthe last thing I wanted to do was run a business. Now, I’d be lying and say I showed up every time. Sometimes feelings won, and sometimes I opted for rest (which is not bad). I’ve had to learn that I’m not always going to feel like showing up and that’s why I can’t rely on my feelings.
Discipline is what got me through the last year. Without it, I’d be relying on motivation and motivation will fail you. However, if you build on disciple, it’ll push you to show up even when you don’t feel like it. It’ll teach you how to override your demotivation.
I also recommend learning to put in processes and systems earlier. This will make your life easier, especially on the dayswhen you’re not up to the task. Being organized is a must and is the perfect match for consistency.
Meditate on Proverbs 10:17
Develop Yourself as a Leader
Even if you’re just a team of one in your business, learn to lead. One day you’ll be leading many but most importantlyyou’re already leading, you’re leading yourself. If you don’t know how to that successfully, when you do have a teamyou’ll become the limitation because you waited to learn to lead. Start now.
I had to learn to lead while on the job. I was so adamant about being nice and I didn’t want to come across as bossy, because of this I was at times left unhappy with results and out of money. It’s okay to take charge and steward well. Good leaders are good stewards and good servants. Since I learned that I’ve seen such an improvement in over business quality.
You must learn to invest in yourself. Whether that’s completing courses, going to webinars, or reading books. Just because you’ve started or you’re doing well, it doesn’t mean you’ve arrived. There’s more. Your knowledge gap could be costing you, your company, and your team. Now that I have a whole team if I’m going to lead them and serve them, I need to be a better version of who I was last year, last month, and even yesterday. Even if the improvement is by just an inch.
Meditate on Hosea 4:6
These are just a few lessons I’ve learned, to be honest, there are more. I pray that they will forever be more because learning is growing, and to stop growing is dying.