BAD (Begin Again Differently). Claudette Yarbrough

not know why it took me nearly 35 years to figure that out, but somehow after she explained it, I got it!

      Some people say that you have to hit rock bottom before you truly are able to make a decision to change or that the grass is not greener on the other side. I am here to argue and let you know that it is never too early or too late to make a change. Sometimes, the grass really is greener on the other side, but you will never find out unless you believe that it is! Ms. Yarbrough’s BAD book is proof that you can choose to begin again differently, at any time regardless of your situation. You need to be able to look at yourself, reflect on your life, and your happenings, and find the motivation you need to do it again differently. Sometimes, it is the little things you change, that make all of the difference in your life. Change will not happen overnight, but if you follow the process, you will see a difference. I certainly have. I am no longer working two full time jobs, I have a renewed passion for what I am doing in all areas of my life, and I am in better control of my finances. I have even developed a strong liking for sweet tea! I am continuing to make progress toward becoming debtfree, all while planning my wedding. I did not know it then, but after reflecting on my life’s path, I realized that when I decided to give up control, when I decided to stop making excuses and when I decided to allow God to guide me, I began to appreciate the little things that make life enjoyable. I began to live again with purpose. When I found Ms. Yarbrough, and began self-directing myself under her leadership, I found myself! I did not know it then but finding her was a turning point in my life.

      It is my hope that as you read this book, you consider the activities that are provided, and that you take a closer look at yourself. I hope that this book will do for you, what it has been able to do for me. Congratulations on the first step which is choosing to read this book!

      Best wishes,

      Ashley Radder

      Yes Inc. Team Member

      INTRODUCTION

      “Impossible is just an opinion.”

      —Paulo Coelho

      Beginning Again Differently, or being BAD, is possible for anyone who refuses to give up. Reading this book, or any book, means that you believe, too, that anything is possible, that you can do something differently to get different results. My hope for each reader is that something is different for you when you finish this book.

      Throughout this book, I reference the many people who I have “copied” from to become the person that was able to begin again differently.

      As a teacher, for most of my life, I learned early on that we, as educators, steal from each other. If one teacher has a great way to teach the parts of speech, then all others could take the idea or use the plan the same way to get the right results. The same would happen if one teacher had a great lesson planning strategy or a great way to manage student outbursts, then everyone would steal the idea or use the plan to manage their student outbursts. Harry Wong, best-selling author of The First Days of School, made the term famous “teachers can steal” by publicly stating that “it is okay for educators to steal” good ideas, strategies that work, practical assignments, and other things teachers do that other teachers don’t have to re-create because someone has already done something successfully.

      Please don’t be surprised when you read this book and see that I reference and give credit to those people who I have learned from to begin again differently. I really believe in not re-creating the wheel a reference to not building another mousetrap. I get great joy in sharing and name-dropping those people who have made a difference in my life.

      My disclaimer right away is that people who are powerful and famous are sometimes polarizing, such that people have decided to either hate them or love them. My hope is that you will look towards the messages I share from these people instead of whether you like these people.

      I focus a lot in this book about what I’ve learned from two major influences on my journey of beginning again differently. These people strongly influenced me, and I believe God sent them to help me begin again differently: Dave Ramsey, founder of the Lampco Group, Ramsey Solutions, and bestselling author; and Joel Osteen, Pastor of Lakewood Church—the largest congregational church in America with 90,000 members—and best-selling author.

      I agree that no man is an island, and I believe we all need someone to help us on our journeys in life. By reading and listening to both Dave and Joel, I was able to begin again differently—beginning with listening to hundreds of Joel Osteen’s messages on SiriusXM radio every morning starting around 4:30 a.m., and attending my first Entreleadership One-Day Event on October 16, 2016, by listening to Dave explain the concepts in his book, Entreleadership.

      According to Rockefeller to be successful you need to focus, focus, focus. I encourage you to focus as you read the messages within the seven smart processes so that you can make a decision to begin again differently after suffering a loss.

      Chapter 1:

      IS THIS YOU?

      “When sorrows come, they come not single spies but in battalions.”

      —William Shakespeare

      Okay! It has happened! Your big contract—the one that brought in most of your funding to pay you and your staff, your primary funding source, your business—is gone. You lost it, you gave it away, or you believe someone took or stole it from you. No matter how it happened, it is over.

      You may have seen the loss coming. You may have been preparing for the loss of your funding for some time. You may have been surprised, even blindsided, by the loss. No matter how it happened—whether over a year, two, or with one week’s or a day’s notice—you now know what it feels like to lose something important.

      Were you responsible for staff members’ livelihoods, and now you have to tell them they do not have a job anymore due to the loss of your major contract or funding? Are you concerned about your reputation in the community as you cease providing services or no longer are seen as an asset to the community?

      Are you wondering what will happen next? Are you wondering if it can get any worse? Are you ready to give up on your dream? Or the dream you had when you started your business, your non-profit, your vision? Do you feel like you have nowhere to turn?

      Are you thinking about getting a “regular job” now that your dream has ended? Do you want to get a regular job? Can you face getting back into the workforce, interviewing for positions you know are not a good fit for you? Do you think there aren’t any good options for your future? Do you feel like you’ve failed irrevocably, and that there’s little hope for moving on positively?

      Do any of these questions sound familiar to you regarding the situation you are in, or may be in sooner than you think?

      I want you to answer these questions honestly and truthfully (because I would never tell you to ignore your thoughts about your situation and your perceptions about what is happening to you). I want to be clear, though, there really is hope for a brighter future to imagine for yourself—if you are willing to begin again differently, or be BAD, and not give up all hope.

      Your loss may have been significant like mine, when I lost a contract we had for eighteen years, and you may feel utterly hopeless, like I did when I realized I would have to tell eighty-three people to find other employment opportunities.

      However, like I am sharing with you, there is definitely—dare I say there is guaranteed—hope and brightness waiting for you if you decide that you will not succumb to whatever life has thrown your way that has caused your loss to happen.

      There are possibilities that you can experience if you are willing to go on a journey to begin again differently. I have been blessed throughout my life to be conscious of people who proclaim that you can get something for nothing. This book is not about pie-in-the-sky happiness. This book is about the realness of the changes that can happen when you open yourself up to believing and hoping for a better tomorrow. Even if you have to begin believing about