Eziaha PROPELLED!!! Lessons from my life…

Hey guys.

Ok lemme share some lessons I picked from Propel that totally and radically changed something in me. Yawl know me, when I like something, I go all the way IN!!!

I discovered Propel earlier this year, and I desperately wanted to see a video from the curriculum. Not the ones on YouTube ooo. The ones that were being sold. You don’t wanna know how deep I dug to finally find Video 1 from Curriculum 1 online.

I recall it was one of those periods where I would put KingDaveed to sleep, then do something for myself from then till 2am or 3am before I slept, praying fervently he doesn’t wake before 2 because I had done nothing else all day.

That night, I sprawled on his playmat, with my journal, highlighters and Bible. I couldn’t believe that FINALLY I had found ONE video in a ‘hidden’ corner of the Internet.

Ok to explain the Propel curriculums.

It is like a series of videos where Christine Caine and 4 other ladies discus the woman and how she leads at the level she is at using super practical examples both from life, and their lives. Then there are studio guests who get to ask questions too.

These sessions are recorded and 6 sessions make a curriculum.

The idea is that people come together in small groups or chapters to watch the videos and discus among themselves practical ways they can apply all they have learned in their marketplace.

I had seen short clips used to promote each curriculum and my people, I entered online crevices and holes to find it anywhere. They were not selling digital copies and they weren’t shipping to Nigeria.

Imagine my joy to find a full length video that night. I frankly wasn’t ready for what was about to hit me HARD. Kai!!! You see, a question I couldn’t even articulate had been gnawing at the seams of my heart making me very very uncomfy until answers showed. And my goodness, did I get answers or what!!!

So lemme give a kinda summary of ‘Balance and the myth of having it all...’

Alli Worthington, mom of 5boys went first, right after Chris did her intro on what the session was about,

and everyone introduced themselves.

She said the whole ‘you can have it all’ mantra thing started from Cosmo magazine which had told women how they needed to look, what they needed to do and how they needed to live in order to have it all. And women down the ages have just bought that lie and are depleting themselves trying to have the ALL that God didn’t endorse.

And she says YES we can have it all BUT it is all about SEASONS. What is your ALL in your current season? Not about what a magazine prescribes.

Lisa Harper then explained how we can make the mistake of comparing our lives to a certain Celeb or Hollywood personality who seems to have IT ALL including an organic garden and every time she comes out, she also looks perfect, and is the perfect size too (her hips dont touch. Lol i fainted. Didn’t know that was a thing).

What we conveniently forget is that she, on her own, does not have it all, but she has a retinue of assistants… Personal assistants, Driver, Gardener, Makeup artist, Cook, Personal Trainer, etc. so she doesn’t REALLY have it all. Lisa being the funny mama that she is says, when she sees such a woman, she just wants to hit her over the head with her own Manolos. Lol
Recall when I mentioned in this post (Who got ya on LOCKDOWN) that I was comparing myself to this Chick with the #workingMom #DateNight hash tags on IG, meanwhile our life situations differed?

It was Propel that gave me that wisdom, and liberated me fully.
Lisa further says that we need ask ourselves what our ALL is, then what we are willing to RISK to get that ALL, and then give our own RACE our ALL as we run towards the finish line, happy but totally EXHAUSTED and certainly not looking perfect.

Bianca Olthoff, whose relationship with Chris I covet, because of how closely they work with each other (btw if you ever watch those short V-logs of Chris on her own YouTube channel, it was Bianca recording it all), explained how in order to maximize our day, as we run through our ALL, we need RHYTHMS and ROUTINES!!! Yes she is a creative and we all know that the average creative wants to just go with the flow in order not to stifle creativity, but no, we have to be INTENTIONAL in order to maximize our day.
You know, this lesson on Routines is what I FIRST shared with my mentees in TFS Academy (of which the Post introducing it is visible again, but the next session starts October) because that’s a secret to maximising your day. My personality would prefer to be spontaneous, almost borderline indisciplined, BUT I learned really early from Rev Albert Oduwole who has a personality like mine, that we have to discipline ourselves into routines and not just ‘jaye-jaye’ through life because I am Sanguine. Hearing Bianca say it again spoke even more to me.

Mercy Lokulutu, who’s Nigerian, talks very fast, and is very feisty then tells us how two things would help me guard the vision of God on my own life
CLARITY and DEFINITION!!!
So I need to take my tail to God and ask Him what it is I am supposed to do in my current season, pick the TOP FEW things I am supposed to do and then CRADLE them.
As a woman, be careful NOT to JUGGLE but cradle, even as we multi-task. I still hear her voice as she says ‘…I juggle, I don’t cradle…’ and she tried to paint a picture of how juggle and cradle differ.

You have to define, and then guard because EVERYTHING God has told you to do is under attack, especially the attack of the internet and Social media.
Kai!!! This revelation now is giving me life as I have been JUGGLING.
She also proffers practical solutions to it, and I am actually actively putting that in practice NOW!!!
She said YOU MUST CUT BACK TO MOVE FORWARD, because as my VISION increases, my OTPIONS automatically DECREASES!!!

The wisdom Mercy dropped is LIFE!!!
You know ehn, this is really me now. My life vision is thoroughly increasing and I keep hearing the P31 woman whisper to me

 ‘I expand PRUDENTLY without courting neglect of what is infinitely important…’

So nobody is saying don’t expand. All I am hearing is expand, but with wisdom. I truly have to cut back, but I need to be sure I am cutting back on the right things.
You know, this month, I decided against having a Coaching class. It means I said NO to between 200 and 300k at least, and while I NEED that money, I had to recall what Bianca said about putting structures in my life.

My life, as at last month, even if I was bearing fruit, I knew I needed PRUNING in order to bear more fruit so I CUT BACK on a ton of stuff, including online coaching, and I am in that re-structuring season of my life atm. I am also downloading and defining what God would have me do too.
By the time I am done re-structuring my entire life and vision, I would then bear even more fruit.
You see why I am passionate about PROPEL and Christine Caine? Looks like every season of my life, PROPEL has my answer.
Oh then Chris was the last to speak and trust her to bring the fire.

Her session liberated me.
She talked about her life is so busy, her life is so full, she is everywhere BUT what keeps her going is the fact that RIGHT at the MIDDLE of everything, she has put JESUS!!!
It is like a wheel, Jesus is that MAGIC in the middle of the wheel holding it ALL together and the presence of the Holy Spirit keeps her life well oiled, and it keeps nudging her on what to do and what not to do, to ensure that she doesn’t burn out.

Because HE empowers YOU in your various seasons FOR ONLY WHAT HE ENDORSES THAT YOU DO!!!
And just like Lisa said, there are some things we RISK in order to have our God-endorsed ALL but we should NOT let anyone GUILT us for them because any kind of GUILT is from the devil.
To exemplify, sometimes you realize that your calling means you miss out on SOME of the MOMENTS in your kids’ lives as they grow. Or maybe your family doesn’t always enjoy the BEST home cooked meals because she is an itinerant preacher. It is easy to want to FEEL GUILTY, or allow the subtle comparison someone would hint at her and another say, full time stay-at-home mom. Or even the mom who homeschools. God graces us for our seasons, so we need to do our bit, and not guilt-trip or judge others.
Which is really where I appropriate the PROPEL QUOTE

She is UNJUDGING… of the choices that others make in their various seasons of life.

Plus, what you miss now, God can help you to later and even redeem it.

Like I heard Lisa Bevere say once, and I NEVER forgot, OBEDIENCE PROTECTS!!!

Just to look a bit deeper into Chris’s life and how this plays out, that woman travels A LOT and in the past, she home schooled so her kids could come on the road with her often BUT now they are older and she doesn’t travel with them as much, so she has helpssss at home to take care of them, while she is mostly on the move.

Holidays? She goes with them EVERYWHERE.

I have kinda tracked with them all summer holiday and my goodness; those kids have been to at least 7 countries in just about 2months. (Low key beef) lol.
So yes she will miss some games and moments with them at school, but when she can, they make up with LOADS of family time.
Chris has grace for that. Shirer doesn’t have that grace but she has GRACE for what God has called her to do in her own lane!!!

In fact I think Priscilla Shirer wants to be home more than she wants to travel to preach.

Ditto Lisa Bevere.

When she had young kids, Lisa was intentional about NOT travelling because she wanted to be with her kids as they grew.

She only started travelling more after her kids had grown.

Chris went from the hospital WITH her new born baby to go minister at a conference.

No kidding!!! Her first child.
And all these people are amazing friends and are all into Ministry BUT do it in the way they have been GRACED to.

And so far, I think all their kids are doing all right.

So let’s not judge people and the choices they make in their seasons.
Chris recommends that instead, we have to be intentional about being each other’s cheerleaders, take the FALSE expectations off one another, and fill in the gaps for each other when we can SO THAT WE ALL LOOK GOOD!!!
It STILL takes a VILLAGE to raise a Child. Or even to birth a dream!!!
That’s what the BIBLICAL HAVING-IT-ALL looks like…
There ought to be something about Christian women where the world sees us filling each other’s gaps, looking out for each other, not comparing and competing or hating. That way, they are ATTRACTED to us and ultimately to JESUS!!!
Oh and moving on from Guilt (which by the way was a question someone asked), they tackled the issue of SHAME!!! (Another question. Propel organization is everything!!!)
Chris said she had also been shamed to REDUCE her personality because she is TOO MUCH for most people. And you are intimidating and blablabla. But she said she truly is not trying to intimidate anyone BUT she has come to fully accept herself as a HIGH CAPACITY WOMAN and there is nothing there to be ashamed, or be shamed for.
Kai, I think by this time, I was crying. Both for relief and then joy.
If we are not trying to guilt one another, we are trying to shame one another. Instead of just genuinely celebrating another woman. (Hey i am NOT exempt….i fall for that mistake sometimes too. Then repent)
You know, when the issues that led to this post WHO DO WOMEN SAY I AM, happened, it would have taken me out for some days. I would have truly felt shamed,and a need to REDUCE myself. It happened a lot to me in school, and I recall I came into my final year and my catch phrase was I AM GOING TO TONE DOWN!!! Those in my class would remember cos i was teased a lot on it. I would not talk in class, I would not put my hand up when group leaders were asked to volunteer themselves, and I just generally tried hard to minimize myself. I recall a friend talking sense into me, that really I needed to accept myself for who I am and not let opinions of others shame me into being who I am not.
Do I still feel that way sometimes, YES!!! But I remember Chris and I have hope. 

If you are HIGH-CAPACITY with ginger and fire for days, OWN IT!!!

Pastor M tagged me in this Lisa Bevere post and I couldn’t agree more…
Oh but we also need to make sure we are NOT intimidated and pressured by individuals like me.
We can easily contrast Chris Caine to Victoria Osteen. But both women are super-duper FRUITFUL even if different. And frankly, we should not try to compare both.
Finally Chris wraps up by saying we also need to know that there are some LOW OUTPUT seasons of our lives, and this applies to both the ‘Chris’s’ and the ‘Victoria’s’ and we should be careful when we try to compare. Plus we too should recognize if we are in those low output seasons and not try to be pressured into doing more than we can actually handle.
That liberated me especially because at that period, I, the HIGH CAPACITY Eziaha, was in a low-output season. I had to fully immerse and embrace it, and then find ways to make it fruitful (which is why you saw me sacrifice sleep to study at night). So while I may not have been doing any kind of work the world glorified, I was not idle and jobless. I was crazy investing in myself. I was also working on my weight and learning all I could. Funny how all of that brought to bear as I navigated that season into a Food&Fitness Coach and brought the strengths from there into this. 

I desperately wanted to jump back into career but I had to learn SEASONS thanks to Propel.

When a woman has a baby or three and no help, IT IS LOW OUTPUT!!!
Simple!!! (except you are Caine lol)
In fact, even when a woman has just had a baby or 2 and help, it is still largely LOW OUTPUT!!!
No pressures!!! No shame!!!
If GOD didn’t grace you for that thing you want to jump into, you will be super-frustrated, and the fruits will always tell.
I recall talking to one of my dear friends who just had baby number 2 and her first is still young, and she is in a long distance marriage and she has NO HELP, and as she unloaded to me, I waited to hear something about work and her business and when she didn’t say, I told her I was happy her priorities were right. This is the season to fully immerse in motherhood, be authentically YOU and surprisingly satisfied.

The crazy thing about this post I hyperlinked above is that it is still one of, if not the most POPULAR post on my blog.
The truth remains that we all will give account of our lives to God on JUDGEMENT DAY, and since God told US and not THEM what to do without OWN lives, we should OBEY GOD and leave off pressures from without.
You see why I am so PASSIONATE about Propel? Because I saw it answer all my life questions at the time, and continues to as I move from season to season.

After watching that video, i wrote down practical steps to implement immediately. One was to BLOG less often. Yup. Wisdom.
Two Propel Quotes I also love have to be
She’s unhurried…

She’s UNSTUCK, she moves gracefully from one season to the next.
Propel is also another reason even in this season where I am a mom who works from home, I KNOW how to make even my ‘secular’ business about God.
I let my Faith and my JOB mix very passionately.

Which is why beyond coaching I have an amazing relationship with most of my Clients, and I move from Coach to Sister best friend, counselor and Pastor real quick lol.

Which is why my FIRST BOOK, MY FAB TRANSFORMATION STORY has Scriptures and God thrown into it lavishly, 

while still being super relatable. (Click link above for info on how to download or email ebook@eziaha.com for your copy. It is FREE) There is so much I have learned from Propel and continue to learn and I am excited to get even more Propelled with more Sisters. With Propel, the full career woman knows how to LEAD well even in the market place, as a Christian still.

Some of you who emailed after this post said they would like to join but couldn’t do an all-night so I should consider a day-option. So yea, if you can’t, we will have the day option too. So TWO Propel Groups kicking off at once.
I don’t want us to have stuff that would stop us from joining in.
I also didn’t get a mail from any full time stay-at-home mama. Oh please Darling, Propel soooo recognizes you and your Leadership potential within the home. My Propel story started from being where you are. And a lot of what propel taught me that got me results is what I am sharing in this video MY TOP TEN TIPS FOR THE STAY-AT-HOME MAMA

Then also I got permission to share the curriculum with Chicks in my group (Gosh I LOVE Propel and how they just want to see every woman propelled into her full potential, and are not about the money. I have to be the most disturbing person who emails them, but they are gracious) so if money is an issue to buy yours, we can share mine (Now, if money is NOT your problem, you are so buying yours. It is just 20dollars). Plus the idea of sowing where you can into such a FRUITFUL ministry should make you happy. We will just be filling the gaps for our sisters.
So I hope this Post has answered some of the questions that came up from my first post.
And yay, I have Chick who wants to start PROPEL in Enugu so where are my Enugu readers, or readers who have female friends in Enugu, holler!!!
Ditto ABUJA!!! And every where in naija.
Super EXCITED!!!
Email again is propel@eziaha.com
And hey, if you have any Chick in your office who you think should join, holler too.
The PROPEL message is one that needs to go round…
Yaaaas!!!
Blessed week guys!!!

Love,
E’
#PropelWoman

PS
Ok a lot of people have asked me if they can share my book. YES YES YES!!! You can so share, I stated that in the opening pages. You can ask them to email me to get a copy but if that is not an option, then share with them too. If you can cop their email addy, that would also welcome by me. But by all means, lavishly share!!! Thanks guys for all the support. Email ebook@eziaha.com for your copy. If this was on Amazon, we would have a spot on NY Times Best seller by now.
The.Lord.Is.Good.
Ps

This tweet came in from Propel as i blogged

kai