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LOCAL STORIES
Monday, March 18, 2024
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BE GREAT EVERY DAY
Create a better version of yourself in body, mind and spirit
Published on:
Monday, March 18, 2024
Ignite Business Insider shares the stories of businesses that are making an impact in their local markets. We highlight their stories in order to inspire entrepreneurial growth and to let readers learn more about businesses across the world that are growing and scaling.
Featuring
Linda A Callahan
Retired Teacher/Author
Linda A Callahan
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Thank you for taking the time to sit with us and share your story. Can you share a little bit about you and your company?
I am so excited to share my journey with you. I am the author of I'M GREAT EVERY DAY: A Guided Journal for Creating a Better Self. This wellness journal combines a morning routine with daily journaling, monthly goals and vision boards. It's unlike any journal you've ever seen because it's a two part journal. In the first half of the book, I describe every aspect of my morning routine and how these practices benefit you. In the second part of the book, you'll embark on your own journey of personal development. At the beginning of each month, you'll set a goal and create a vision board to help you manifest your goal. Each day, you'll be able to respond to a given prompt, record your intention, meditation and what your grateful for. To be successful with any new routine, consistency is the key. With this journal, you'll be able to keep track of your daily activities. At the end of the month, you'll have time to reflect upon the past month before moving on to the next month. It really is the only journal you'll ever need.
Jack Canfield, author of the Chicken Soul for the Soul series has this to say about the journal, "This is one of the more beautifully designed, thoughtful, insightful, inspirational and useful journals for creating a happy, fulfilling and productive life that I have ever seen."
A question so many people are interested in, is how you got started. Can you share a little bit about what you were doing before this, and what that moment was like for you when you decided to start this new journey?
I am a retired reading and writing teacher. When several family members became ill at the same time, I knew I would need to retire from my position in order to assist my family. Transitions of any kind are always challenging and this particular transition was especially challenging for me. At this point in time, my own children were grown and living on their own. I was missing my students and I missed being in the classroom. I was feeling lost and unsure about my purpose in life. In order to find myself and my new purpose in life, I had to first reconnect with my authentic self. I decided then and there that I needed a new routine; one that was positive, motivating and inspiring. The next morning, I started the day with a simple intention; this intention became my focus for the day. I then added meditation and gratitude to my routine along with some inspirational reading. The daily intention, meditation, gratitude and readings were making a positive impact on my life; so much so that I was inspired to add more to my routine. I began doing simple stretches (yoga) and made walking a part of my daily routine. Walking in itself is a form of meditation and I was enjoying the peace I found from these walks. It was right about this same time that I started learning more about the power of positive affirmations and self-care and so I added affirmations and self-care activities to my routine as well. I was seeing so much growth in myself as a result of this routine. In order to stay focused on my routine and my progress, I began tracking everything I was doing. I kept a separate journal for each activity I was doing. After several weeks, I knew the routine was working, but tracking everything in a separate journal was not. If I wanted to succeed, I had to find an easier way to track my progress. If I wanted to be successful, I needed to find one journal that would fit all of my writing needs. Not finding exactly what I need ed in any of the available journals, I decided to write my own journal. Being a writing teacher for so many years, I knew I had the skills to do so, plus I was so excited about the success of this routine that I wanted to share it with the world. If this routine could work for me, it could work for others as well. Within a few months, the rough draft of the book was completed. When it came time to title the work, I wanted to somehow include every aspect of my routine into my title. Grabbing a sheet of paper, I wrote a list of all the activities I was now doing on a day basis: Intention, Meditation, Gratitude, Reading, Exercise, Affirmations and Time for Self-care. When I looked at this list, I saw that the first letter of each activity spelled out the words I'M GREAT. I knew that if I continued to do this routine EVERY DAY. I would create a better version of myself in body, mind and spirit. And that, my friends is how I'M GREAT EVERY DAY; A Guided Journal for Creating a Better Self was born.
Let's take a little bit of a detour, and rewind the clock a little bit. What did you want to be as a kid? And how did that influence the person you are today?
Even as a kid, I always wanted to be a teacher. When my sister and I were little, we would play school all the time; she was the student and I was the teacher. From an early age, I have always loved reading. My grandmother used to take me to the store and we would always buy books; some of these books were workbooks that I would use when I was playing school and the others were books that I read for fun. One of my favorite memories in school was ordering books from Scholastic Books. I couldn't wait for my new books to arrive each month.
Have you fully let go of that childhood dream? And where do you see yourself going in the next ten years?
I never let go of the dream of teaching others. Just a few years after retiring from teaching in the classroom, I wrote my book. Since publishing my book, I've done several podcasts about my journey and I now teach my routine to others in my community. Once a teacher, always a teacher.
Now, I have found that with successful people, there is always someone pivotal as either a mentor, parent, teacher, or someone that you look to for advise, that helped set you on this path. Could you share who that person was? And what impact that had on the person you are today?
I have always loved school. Every teacher from kindergarten to high school has shaped me in some way with their guidance and their wisdom. I am extremely grateful for all the teachers in my life. When I became a teacher, I wanted to be the same teacher for my students that my teachers were for me: caring, encouraging and inspiring.
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What was one take away that you learned from that person? And how did it translate into your business today?
My teachers taught me to believe in myself. When you believe in yourself, there's nothing that you can't do.
When we work with businesses, we focus a lot on their "Why?". What is your "Why"? What is the driver behind your company, and why you and your team wake up each day and give it your all?
Life is short and every day is a blessing. Be grateful for all you have and remember that there is always, ALWAYS, something to be grateful for.
Let's dive deeper into your products and services. You already gave an overview, but how do your products or services help your customers? And what makes them different from your competitors?
The one thing that separates my journal was other journals is this: it's a comprehensive journal that combines a morning routine with daily journaling, monthly goals and vision boards. My journal is the perfect companion to bring along on your journey of personal development.
Let's unpack that even further. Let's pick one aspect of your business. What makes it so unique? And how does it change you or your customer's experience?
If you want to see a difference in your life, you need to change something that you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine. I'M GREAT EVERY DAY is the daily routine that will change your life.
Let's dive into your customer's journey a little bit. Can you share with us, how do your customers discover you and your brand? What are their next steps? And what is the experience you would like to see your customers go on, when working with you and your brand?
Everybody's journey in life is different. Our purpose in life is to find our passion and then we must find a way to share our passion with others. I am truly passionate about my routine and I offer a four week workshop to the people in my community. Everyone who has ever taken my workshop has loved it and has thanked me for sharing my journey with them.
Let's rave about your customers for a minute. Can you share a story about one of your clients or customers, that either touched your heart, or made an impact with you and your team?
Everyone who has ever taken my workshop has reached out to me to tell me how grateful they were for what they learned through the course. Several people have told me that learning about intentions and affirmations has been a life changer for them. I know that my workshops have made a powerful impact in their lives because I have stayed connected with so many of my students. In fact, many of my students have met people from the previous workshops. We all get together now on a regular basis to discuss a book we've read, to grab a cup of coffee, to walk the beach or grab a bite to eat.
Everyone likes an inside scoop. What detail or secret about either you, or your company, is something most people might not know?
Life is a journey and you only get one chance at life so be grateful for everything you have and make the most of every day.
Final thoughts. What feeling or benefits would you like your customers or clients to take away when working with you and your team?
If everyone who has read my book or taken my course walks away feeling good about themselves, then I will be grateful that I made a positive impact in their lives.
Last question. How can people find out more about you and your company?
If you're looking for a morning routine that will change your life, this book is for you. It's available on Amazon and also at Barnes and Noble.
Thank you so much for sitting with us and sharing your story.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my journey with all of you.
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