Hey Friend,
Do you enjoy reading?
I am an avid, lifelong reader and try to have a specific goal each year of how many books I plan to read. Last year, I fell very short of my goal. It shocked me when I got to the end of 2020 and saw that I had read only 21 books. What? Seriously?! We’ve been in a pandemic, for goodness’ sake. I’ve been home. Didn’t I have the time? Why in the world did I not read more books?
Then I realized that for me, 2020 was the year of the course, the webinar, the master class, the podcast, and the challenge. I listened a lot. Just not to audiobooks. I started a new business in 2020, so much of what I watched and listened to was about becoming a copywriter/business owner/entrepreneur. Aha. So, I learned a great deal and from some incredible mentors. I just didn’t have time to add many books to that packed learning schedule.
This year, I’m back to my pleasure of reading. I’ve taken time for 10 books so far and have a goal of reading at least 50. Today, I get to share with you one of those books I’ve read recently…
If you’re in business or thinking of becoming an entrepreneur (or if you just feel stuck in life- no matter what stage or role you’re in), I want to recommend Jamie Kern Lima’s brand new book, Believe It: How to Go From Underestimated to Unstoppable to you for inspiration. I was only vaguely familiar with Jamie until recently. I love makeup and fashion and knew about It Cosmetics but have never been a QVC watcher, so I had missed out on her hours and hours of product promotion on that channel.
When I recently came across Jamie on my Instagram feed, I was intrigued. I did a little reading about her and wanted to find out more. Then the opportunity to be on her launch team presented itself, and I jumped at the chance to read her moving story. (Thank you, Jamie, Daniel, and Team for the opportunity!)
Believe It is Jamie’s story of going from broke to billionaire, from Denny’s waitress to cosmetics queen. She and her husband, Paulo, started It Cosmetics in their living room, hoping to sell their brand in the luxury market. She recounts her many, many rejection stories and how she never gave up. This lady has guts and massive amounts of determination! She believed in her dream so deeply, so fiercely, that she refused to agree with all the nos she received along the way.
Believe It allows the reader to come along on each appointment, only to experience rejection after rejection and tears and more tears. And after six years of wondering how it will finally happen, to one day being invited to appear on QVC. Jamie’s real-life approach to sharing her rosacea on live television went against all the coaching advice and expert opinions, but in the end, going with her gut won out. Believing in her why and going with her gut allowed her to achieve the success she always believed would be hers.
I won’t spoil the ending for you, but the story gets even better!
Believe It is not only about Jamie’s makeup company but also includes many personal stories, from the beautiful gifts her closest friends are to her, to some of their own success stories (shout out to the ever-shining Lia from Valencia Key Jewelry (Lia’s story will also have you both in tears and shouting for joy at the success God has given her!). Jamie also includes her struggles with weight and pregnancy loss, the decision to hire a surrogate, and finding out at age 27 that she had been adopted. Shocker! Then the difficult search for her birth mother and all the emotions and analysis that come along with being given up at birth.
Believe It is part memoir, part self-help, inspirational narrative, and is a book I am happy to add to my bookshelves in 2021. We need more people in the world like Jamie. She says, ‘I’m partly self-made, but I’m mostly God-made’. I love that! Life is such a stunning partnership with God. I celebrate your success with you, Jamie, and give Jesus glory for what He has done in your life! Thank you for never giving up and for being a beautiful, loving champion of women.
One of the most impressive aspects of this precious soul and sharing her story with the world is that she is donating ALL the proceeds to Feeding America and Together Rising. I took part in Jamie’s special book launch event, Becoming Unstoppable, with other incredible and inspiring people (including Tony Robbins, Victoria Osteen, Robin Roberts, Trent Shelton, Ed Mylett, so many others). During that event, there were over TWO MILLION meals donated to Feeding America!
Please let me know if you read Believe It and what you think of it!
Thinking of you,
Scarlett xo
{Disclaimer: I received an ebook copy of Believe It by NetGalley as a part of joining Jamie’s book launch team. I also purchased my own hard copy from Amazon. This post contains my affiliate links. This means that when you make a purchase through one of my links, I get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.}
The Scarlett Thread 