What Are Your Stretch Goals?
Wow… It’s April 1st already… Yesterday, the last day of Women’s History Month 2025, I posted this encouragement for every female visionary, entrepreneur, business owner, pastor, preacher, speaker, coach, author and leader. Yesterday was also the last day of the first quarter of 2025. Therefore, I posted to encourage women to keep dreaming, growing, stretching and achieving their goals for this year.
We have crossed over into the month of April, officially the 2nd quarter of the year. Therefore, I invite you to consider your stretch goals for the remainder of this year. In fact, last year, I blogged about stretching https://www.drtonialvarado.com/blog/2024/8/8/stretching-principles-how-are-you-stretching-yourself-in-this-season and how stretching improved to my overall health and wellness. As I think deeper about the matter, I realize without stretch goals, we remain the same and never reach our full potential.
For example, I came into 2025 with very specific personal, business and ministry goals. Each of these goals stretched my faith and caused me to grow in my approach to life, business and ministry. In January I hosted 120 women (the largest group to date) at the 8th Annual Harmonize Your Life Self-Care Network Women’s Retreat in Costa Rica!!! It was my first time hosting more than 100 women and I can be honest in saying I was nervous about taking al large group of women out of the country in a place many of them had never been. There were many lessons learned that will improve and ensure that the HYL Retreats makes the desired impact on all who attend. However, had I not been willing to stretch myself and my team, we would have remained at the same number as previous years.
In February I received a new appointment as General Overseer in the Grace Communion of Churches International! This was an unexpected promotion, but in order to say yes, I had to be willing to stretch my leadership capacity beyond my own local church context, to share in the training and development of church leaders who will in turn impact their local churches and communities.
I also spoke at the The Georgia State Capitol in February for the GoRed for Women Heart Awareness Luncheon hosted by Georgia State Representative Doreen Carter. At the conclusion of my message, entitled “Guard Your Heart: Self-Care and Heart Health”, I made a significant connection with an organization who has requested my partnership in bringing awareness to heart disease in brown and black communities. There is more to come on that… Yet, I am excited to learn and grow with this organization that has a national reach into communities that I could not accomplish on my own.
In March I was interviewed and featured in the Dr. Cheryl Polote-Williamson Magazine!!! I’m still reflecting on the experience of attending the 2025 Cheryl Magazine Women of Influence Luncheon in Dallas, Texas with 599 other black women who are breaking barriers and influencing in every arena imaginable. I could have been intimidated by the accomplishments of these women who are nationally acclaimed media personalities with major book deals, television shows, business and nonprofit leaders managing million dollar budgets. Instead, I watched, I listened, I rejoiced, I networked and envisioned myself reaching that level of success in my business and career. Get your copy of the Cheryl Magazine at www.cherylmagazine.com
I am super excited because, on Saturday, March 29th, I celebrated the 5th Anniversary of the Harmonize Your Life Podcast at TDK Designs Boutique with a LIVE video taping and studio audience of beautiful women!!! This was truly a stretch goal that brought me out of my comfort zone of hosting my podcast in the comfort of my home office via StreamYard. It was an amazing experience to watch this vision come to life and I’m already planning our next LIVE session.
Here’s my encouragement to every woman reading this blog post, who desires to establish stretch goals:
1. Do it the way God gives it to you.
2. Do not compare your assignment to anyone else.
3. Celebrate and cheer for other women.
4. Lift as you climb.
5. Trust God for the resources.
6. Be generous and faithful in stewardship, giving tithes and offerings.
6. Serve wherever God gives opportunity with joy and gladness.
7. Do not covet other people’s opportunities.
8. Show up in every space as your authentic self.
9. Evolve and do not become fossilized in old paradigms of business and ministry models, even if they were successful in the past.
10. Always give God the glory.
11. Remember, you don’t need a lot of people, you just need the right people.
12. Practice self-care because you are the most valuable person in your vision.
Stay tuned for the release of the first LIVE episode of the HYL Podcast coming soon to YouTube…
Happy April!
Dr. Toni
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