Conquering: Manifest Your Dreams Unleash Your Greatness

By DIONNE AKOM TWENEBOAH

You have the power to change what and who you are. Whether you're dreaming of revolutionizing your life or you're envisioning a life where you wake up every day doing the things you love with the people you love, Conquering is your essential road map for getting your dream life off the ground.

We all face trials and get it wrong sometimes, but your focus should not be on who you are or where you are but rather the pursuit of who you can become. You are endowed with unlimited potential and greatness, and you have the capability to create a life that brings you happiness, peace, and fulfillment. Most people need an extra push to pursue their dreams. Let Conquering be that push.

Conquering addresses the challenges you may face while discovering your purpose and revolutionizing your life. Dionne Akom Tweneboah, Esq., fills this book with practical advice and wisdom from true life stories that will help you transform your life and empower you to "live your best life."

Keep this book handy, and increase your life's odds of success and fulfillment.

In this groundbreaking book, you'll discover

how to live life in line with your purpose and on your own terms, building and living the dream life you desire and deserve;

a simple process for creating your own personalized life's blueprint;

how to live life unapologetically and authentically so your life becomes a masterpiece; and

how to become all you were created to be!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fulton Books, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9781637109830

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Part One

Chapter 1: Understanding Purpose

Chapter 2: Reason for Being

Chapter 3: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Chapter 4: Reignite the Fire within You

Chapter 5: The Audacity to Dream

Chapter 6: What Labels Are You Loyal To?

Chapter 7: You Are the Author of the Only Dictionary That Defines You

Chapter 8: Clarity Is Queen

Part Two

Chapter 9: You Are a Masterpiece

Chapter 10: Why Are You Limiting Your Unlimited Potential?

Chapter 11: You're One Decision Away from a Completely Different Life

Chapter 12: Blast through Your Comfort Zone

Chapter 13: Unleash the Power Within

Chapter 14: Don't Try to Fit in, You Were Made to Stand Out

Chapter 15: You're Royalty, Own Your Throne

Chapter 16: The Power of Your Story

Chapter 17: Wake Up the Sleeping Leader Within

Chapter 18: Keep Your Commitment to Your Commitments

Chapter 19: The Power of Your Legacy

Chapter 20: Blossom into the Powerful You

Part Three

Chapter 21: The Clock Is Ticking

Chapter 22: Greatness, Opportunity, Accomplishment, Legendary, Success

G-O-A-L-S

Chapter 23: The Best-Kept Secret in the World

Chapter 24: You Were Born to Thrive

Chapter 25: You Are Powerful beyond Your Wildest Imagination

Chapter 26: Pay the Price for the Prize

Chapter 27: Conquer Your Status Quo

Conclusion

Note

References

How to Reach Us

About the Author

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Conquering

Manifest Your Dreams Unleash Your Greatness

DIONNE AKOM TWENEBOAH

Copyright © 2023 DIONNE AKOM TWENEBOAH

All rights reserved

First Edition

Fulton Books

Meadville, PA

Published by Fulton Books 2023

ISBN 978-1-63710-982-3 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63710-983-0 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Foreword

Blaming everyone and everything else for our problems and challenges may be the norm, but it only provides temporary relief to our problems and conditions us to believe we don't have the power to change.

In order to change our lives, we must first take responsibility for the change we seek. We must be humble enough to accept and take responsibility for our circumstances and courageous enough to take whatever action is necessary to creatively work our way through or around these challenges, that is the power of choice.

Blame leads to cynicism and hopelessness. When we succumb to believing that someone else is responsible for our circumstances or that we don't have the power to change them, we lose hope, we lose our drive and tenacity, and we resign our fate and settle for the status quo. The popular response is to lower our expectations of life so we are not disappointed by anyone or anything. We set our standards so low so we save ourselves the pain of disappointment. Unfortunately, this does us more harm than good. In order to thrive, we must have a mindset and attitude of hope. Hope that our dreams are possible, hope that we can truly create the life we desperately desire. We need to believe that we are empowered to create the life we desire. That whatever we need to transform our lives, is already inside of us.

Life is becoming increasingly complex, with all the demands we have placed on us by family, work, and community. Due to our modern culture, most of us sacrifice our relationships and the things that matter to us most at the altar of work. In order to live a balanced, fulfilled, and impactful life, we need to know our purpose, unleash our gifts, have a clear sense of our highest priorities, and live with focus and attention toward them. We need to know exactly what we want and have the courage to go after it.

On a final note, I want to ask you this question, one you have probably heard countless times. How many people on their deathbeds wish they were more popular, had worked longer hours, or had accumulated more wealth? The answer is no one. At the end of this journey of life, most people ask themselves, Did I live a life of purpose? Did I make a difference in the lives of my loved ones? Did I make an impact? Did I unleash all the greatness and potential inside of me?

And that is the reason for this book, to inspire and motivate you to unleash your unlimited potential and greatness, not just for you but the world. To empower you to live a life of impact. To make the world better because you were here.

As you now commence reading Conquering, I implore you to read with an open mind and heart. Read this book with hope and belief. Share what you're learning with your loved ones, and most importantly, implement the things you are learning. Remember, to truly change your life, knowing is not enough. You must do and take action on what you know.

Because I sincerely believe these principles and strategies to be fundamental and paramount, I warmly join you in this adventure.

Mrs. Jemima Mamaa Oware

Registrar-general of Ghana

October 30, 2020

Preface

From the beginning of 2016 through 2018, I was utterly dissatisfied and completely disillusioned with my life and financial situation. I was working as a contract attorney for Fortune 500 companies. The work environment felt like a prison; I worked for extremely long hours with toxic and unresponsive colleagues who were constantly complaining, and there was little or no room for personal or professional improvement.

I was living my life without purpose, just going through the motions. I doubted myself and allowed other people's negativity and opinions to dominate my life. I was constantly frustrated. It was as if I was stuck living on autopilot with nothing to look forward to. I was resigned to my fate and had accepted my status quo. Does this sound familiar?

I went to work every day and left demotivated and exhausted. What's worse, I looked at the people on top of the corporate ladder and realized I didn't want to be like any of them. I knew something had to change; I just didn't know what or how to change it. For a long time, I hoped for my life to get better, that I will be able to wake up and do the things I love while making income and an impact, that my bank account balance will have more zeros at the end, that my body will be healthier, that my relationships will be stronger. I hoped for a long time until I realized that hope was not yielding any results. So instead of only hoping, I used up all my free time reading, researching, attending conferences and webinars, and listening to motivational messages and podcasts. I gradually became very interested in entrepreneurship and marketing. At that time, I didn't believe I could be an entrepreneur, but the idea of it appealed to me. Something about the possibility of waking up every morning with energy and joy, doing what I love, while making an impact and earning an income, was very exciting. After much research, I decided to give entrepreneurship a try. I thought to myself, What's the worst that could happen? Your business will fail, and you'll be back where you are now, it can't be worse than that. Besides, I also see these young girls on social media who seem to be succeeding at it, so it can't be that hard, right? After much planning, I decided I wanted to start a business, one that was in line with my ideas for female empowerment. I marked my freedom date on the calendar—the day I would begin the journey to leave the toxic corporate world behind. I was working on a contract then, but as soon as it ended, I decided not to search for another. I just wanted to concentrate on getting my new business off the ground.

On the auspicious day, I called up a registering agent and started the incorporation process for my business. The joy, pride, and satisfaction I felt at that moment were incredible. For the first time in a long time, I had a pleasant train ride home. I woke up the next day so excited to dive into my new career as a solopreneur (solo business owner), ready to serve others.

However, the excitement and enthusiasm for my new business began to quickly wane as I realized that this new path may not be as easy as I had imagined it to be. Call me crazy, but I really thought that I just had to incorporate my business, set up a nice website, have a social media page with lots of beautiful photos, and clients would be pouring in left, right, and center. I expected to acquire so many clients who would love my work and be ready to trade their money for my services. Instead, several weeks went by without any clients. I moped about listlessly in my one-bedroom apartment. I became overwhelmed, feeling sorry for myself and doing trivial work to keep myself busy, even though I knew it wasn't going to get me a single dime. I never thought that empowering women to live their best lives and helping them to unleash their greatness and potential could be this difficult.

My mission of empowering women to discover and thrive in their purpose was an honorable one. I believed that strongly. And yet nothing was happening and my savings were dwindling. At the end of the first six months, I was desperate. I thought to myself, Why don't you just apply for another contract and focus on just being a lawyer? I applied for another contract, but every spare moment and money was used to further my business. My innate urge to survive, to conquer my status quo, to prove myself right and serve the beautiful people I've been called to serve kicked in one cold morning. It was like a miracle. Instead of being miserable and overwhelmed, I decided to put in the work. I poured over more resources; I read every book and attended every seminar I could find on running a business successfully. I focused on marketing, specifically on how to get clients, improve my communication skills, and promote my services.

After going hard at it for a couple of months, I began to gain some traction. I gained momentum and started getting clients. But the personal checks and the bank alerts were not the most important thing for me. The fact that I believed in myself enough to bet on myself and the impact I was making in my clients' lives is what really made a difference for me. The fact that I had challenged and conquered my status quo and the person I was becoming as a result of that was the big win for me.

I began sharing the principles that helped me conquer my status quo and create a successful life and business with my trusted friends and family. They began implementing them, and they started to see results. I immediately distilled those same principles and procedures so I could pass them on to you.

I want to impress upon you the possibility of living a life by design. Believing in your potential and greatness opens a world of possibilities. As you'll discover in the coming pages, I didn't always have the confidence and courage to bet on myself. It was a journey, and honestly, my life changed the day I decided that I was worth it and that I deserved to live a life on my own terms, a life that brought me happiness and fulfillment, and that my dream was possible. As a corporate attorney, trust me, I know how difficult it can be to challenge and conquer the status quo. Most of us have been told that life is supposed to follow a certain path: graduate from college, get a good job, get married and start a family, buy a house, then work hard until you retire. I refer to this as the linear formula to life. The problem with this formula is that it leaves out purpose, passion, and fulfillment, which give meaning to life. This linear formula allows most of us to settle for a life less than what we're capable of: a mediocre life, a life saddled with bills, anxiety, and fear. I do not think that should be anyone's reality, but unfortunately, that is how too many people live their lives. I want you to imagine how different your life would be if you let go of your fears, doubts, limiting beliefs, and the things keeping you stuck. Think of all the freedom, abundance, impact, and joy you can create for yourself and others when you dare to conquer your status quo and go all out for your dreams. You are endowed with unlimited potential and greatness; it's up to you to decide whether you'll take advantage of it.

I know you're an awesome human being endowed with unlimited genius and potential; now it's time to unleash your greatness.

I hope my excitement about building a life by design and living life on your own terms is contagious and you can feel it too. I expect that this book will not only inspire you but will also equip you with the strategies you need to transform your life and unleash the unlimited greatness and potential inside of you. I am convinced the secret to your success lies within you and that you have the power to make your dreams come true.

I read this magnificent piece from The 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma:

Life is too short to play small with your talents. You were born into the opportunity as well as the responsibility to become legendary. You've been built to achieve master-work level projects, designed to realize unusually important pursuits and constructed to be a force for good on this tiny planet… Your personal leadership requires—no, demands—that you…restructure your life to model mastery, exemplify decency and relinquish the self-centeredness that keeps good people limited… Each of you has a call on your lives. Every one of you carries an instinct for excellence within your spirits. No one needs to stay frozen in average and succumb to the mass mediocritization of behavior evident in society. Limitation is nothing more than mentality that too many good people practice daily until they believe its reality. You need to remember that your excuses are seducers, your fears are liars and your doubts are thieves.

The collapse of your creative magnificence as well as your productive eminence into a tiny circle of comfortableness, fearfulness and numbness that betrayed the mansion of mastery and reservoirs of bravery inside of you. Don't let the pain of an imperfect past hinder the glory of your fabulous future.

We are all on this journey of discovery together: seeking purpose, joy, happiness, love, and making an impact. I urge you to continue to trust in your abilities and capabilities. Believe that you are making a huge impact in your life and the lives of others. It is my fervent wish that you read this book with an open mind. Completely remove or at least turn off any preconceived ideas of limitation, scarcity, inability going through your mind, and read these pages with hope and belief. This book is one of abundance, joy, impact, and meaning. It's my great honor to hold your hand and walk you down this path. Cheers to you! Cheers to embarking on this journey to conquer your status quo and unleash your greatness.

As any questions come up, please reach out. I'm always delighted to hear from you. Shoot any and all questions to me and my team at [e-mail]. If there is anything I can do to serve you, please just ask.

Now let's get to conquering your status quo and sharing your greatness with the world.

I believe in you, and I can't wait to see the powerful, purposeful life you create.

XO,

Dionne Akom Tweneboah

Acknowledgments

I am honored that this book is in your hands. My fervent hope is that it gives you the inspiration and motivation you need to share the full expression of your gifts, talents, and potential unapologetically. And causes revolutions of majestic transformation within your vision, creativity, productivity, and service to humanity.

I wrote this book over a three-year period, in USA, Ghana, Mexico, and Israel. Sometimes I felt like giving up, but a responsibility and calling higher than my own needs gave me the encouragement I needed to persevere. I have poured my best into this book for you, and I am truly convinced the strategies, stories, and principles shared in it will transform your life.

To list everyone I want to thank for their contribution to this book would fill all the pages of the book. As John C. Maxwell said, One is too small a number to achieve greatness. No accomplishment of real value has ever been achieved by a human being working alone. The words that follow don't even begin to scrape the surface of the magnitude of my gratitude for all of the people, not only those mentioned here, who have shaped this book and have made my life and work as wonderful as it is today.

I am particularly grateful to God Almighty for His inspiration for this book.

To my talented and supportive husband, Nana, you deserve my thanks and appreciation. You make it possible for me to stand in fulfillment and service of my purpose. I love you very much.

Thank you, Mom, for everything: your support, prayers, and encouragement. You made me believe in the possibility of my dreams and that anything is possible. This book is a testament to that.

To my children, Soraya, Nana, and Leeroy, the goodness and love in you is the fire that keeps me going. Thank you very much for your love and support. I love you very much.

Dad, for making me believe that I can do anything and also for the constant support, you have my deepest gratitude.

To my brothers, Kwaku, Odurasi, and Kwadwo, thank you for all your words of encouragement, help with the research, and all your love and support.

Grandma Grace, your unconditional love is a source of strength and courage. Thank you.

To my clients, you inspire me every day. Thank you for allowing me to serve you.

To my spiritual family: Apostle Dr. Akwasi Antwi, Pastor Augustine Anim Ofosu, Rev. Isaac Sarfo Agyeman, and all my spiritual fathers and mothers, brothers, and sisters: I want to say a big thank-you for your prayers and words of encouragement.

With a heart full of gratitude, I humbly dedicate this book to you, the reader. The world needs your gift and abilities. Why wait when you have the power today to transform your life and contribute significantly to the change we all seek?

With love and respect,

Introduction

Please let me go. Leave me alone, I want to die. Do not call for help. I do not want to live anymore, sobbed the beautiful, successful woman as her gentle maid, Martha, held her hands, trying fervently to stop the bleeding from her slit wrists. The woman pleaded with her maid to let her go.

Just a few more minutes and your wrists will be all wrapped up, said the maid.

After Martha had successfully tied a towel around the wrists and stopped the bleeding, she waited for the ambulance.

Why did you save me? Why didn't you leave me to die? Mrs. Wilson asked with so much rage and anger. The young maid stood in silence, confused and unable to believe the words she was hearing. Martha stood trembling and astonished, looking at the pale woman on the bathroom floor. She was genuinely confused about the situation because Mrs. Wilson was a woman she had come to admire greatly.

Martha had known Mrs. Wilson for twenty-five years. Her mother had been a maid in her house before her, so she had known Mrs. Wilson since she was barely six months old. She had always admired the hardworking, successful woman for her achievements. To her, Mrs. Wilson was the ultimate role model who embodied all that she hoped to become someday. Having worked tirelessly all her life to become the wealthiest woman in the city she lived in, Mrs. Wilson owned investments worth millions of dollars. She had a garage filled with models of the finest cars and owned mansions across the globe. And here she was, lying on the bathroom floor in her mansion overlooking the beach, begging to die. She was a very beautiful woman in her midforties, married to a charming, admirable, successful businessman. They had been blessed with three beautiful, successful, well-educated children. Hundreds of friends, relatives, and people in the community looked up to her for inspiration and support. She was the epitome of a successful woman.

Perplexed by the disparity between what she thought of the woman and what she was observing now, Martha asked Mrs. Wilson, Ma'am, why do you want to die? Martha was unprepared for the response she received. It changed her life forever.

With tears rolling down her cheeks, Mrs. Wilson buried her face in her hands and lamented, What was it all for? Is this all there is? Money, mansions, cars, status—is this all there is to life? I have everything, and yet I have nothing. I have this beautiful mansion but no home. I have all this wealth, businesses, and investments yet have no fulfillment. I have given everything yet received nothing. I have done everything to make sure that my parents, husband, and children are happy and proud of me. Everyone thinks I am a success, yet I think I am a failure. My children and grandchildren lack nothing. My bank accounts are full, but I am unfulfilled. I feel empty inside. I have nothing to live for. My life is empty. People say I am the wealthiest and most successful woman in this city. What does that even mean? Everyone knows who I am, but I do not know who I am. I have lived my life following the rules, striving to make everyone proud of me. For the majority of my life, I have been so driven by people's expectations of me. Trying desperately to live up to the standards other people set for me. I have not discovered my personal reason for being. I do not know why I am here, why I was created. I have been so afraid to venture away from people's expectations of my life that I haven't dared to find out who I am. I have been dealing with this torture of emptiness for a very long time, trying to suppress it with more money, deals, properties, and most recently, drugs.

Martha was astonished by the soul-wrenching words she was hearing.

She continued, Today, I decided enough was enough. I could not continue living with this emptiness and suffering, so I decided it is better for me to die than to be alive so this suffering can end.

These powerful words pierced the young lady's soul. As she tried to regain her composure, the older woman took her hand, looked into her eyes so intently with a soul-searching gaze, and said, Child, do not aim to become like me. Find out who you are, what you were born to do, and become it. Be yourself, not what other people say. Find out who the ‘true you' is, and be authentic to her.

As the paramedics carried Mrs. Wilson away, young Martha stood still in the beautiful huge marble-floor bathroom. Deeply stirred by the words she had heard, she asked herself, Who am I? What am I here for? What does it mean to be myself?

These questions have created so much confusion and anguish for many. As Dr. Myles Munroe aptly put it,

This confusion from the inability of most people to answer this question transcends all boundaries: boundaries of race, color, ethnic background, economic status, educational level, etc. It affects both the rich and poor, king and servant, people in developed countries and people in third-world countries, people living in mansions and people sleeping on the streets. Every one of us has an innate yearning to answer those questions.

Each of us must find answers to these questions of purpose if we want to enjoy a meaningful, fulfilling, and impactful life. You cannot live life fulfilled and impactful without answering these questions.

Dr. Myles Munroe has also said, The purpose to life is meaning. Without purpose, life has no meaning, no significance, and no relevance. There are millions in the world today just like Mrs. Wilson who, on the outside, appear successful, live in mansions, drive the latest cars, amass so much wealth but are empty inside. They have no fulfillment. Their identity is wrapped up in other people's opinions and concepts of them. They have no sense of who they are, what they were born to do. This miserable state is evident every day all around us. A typical example is people getting married multiple times because they think their partners will give them a sense of purpose, identity, relevance, or significance. They enter into the marriage or relationship only to find out the emptiness still exists. They move from one person to the next, but the void inside keeps getting bigger. It is also evident in the number of wealthy people who commit suicide. Most people are busy putting together a life that they forget to live. They are busy building mansions but forget to make homes.

Without knowledge and discovery of our purpose and the courage to challenge and conquer the status quo, life becomes a meaningless stream of events. We just exist and go through the motions. We feel no passion for living; we keep hitting snooze because we have no reason to wake up in the morning.

To find the purpose of your life and live intentionally, you need to do some digging.

Who are you?

Why are you alive?

Why are you alive now?

Are you living your life on your own terms or according to the terms others have set for you?

Are you showing up as your true and authentic self, or are you hiding behind the shell others have created for you?

Have you conquered the status quo, or have you conformed to it?

You need to know the reason for your existence—your purpose. Everyone answers this question differently. What constitutes a successful and purposeful life is different for everyone, depending on your experiences, goals, and desires. But the answers we all seek are the same: fulfillment and impact. The following pages present ways to determine the answers to these questions.

Part One

Chapter 1

Understanding Purpose

Be brave enough to live the life of your dreams according to your vision and purpose instead of the expectations and opinions of others.

—Roy T. Bennett

What is purpose? I believe everyone has a purpose, and that purpose is to be successful. Success here doesn't mean amassing a lot of wealth, properties, prestige, etc. Success here means living your life by design. A life you're proud of and fulfilled in because you chose to live it that way. A lot of us keep pondering over this question of purpose over and over again.

Some people say the purpose of life is to be happy. Happiness, we know, is relative and, therefore, subjective. Most people uphold happiness as the ultimate virtue and center their lives on a relentless pursuit of it. Unfortunately, we often don't know exactly what happiness is, and it can, therefore, be elusive. To understand how to find happiness and whether or not it is an excellent purpose for your life, you need first to discover what happiness means to you. Once you have a crystal clear definition and image of whatever happiness is to you, you can go after it to see if it gives you a sense of fulfillment and if it ultimately answers the big question.

Others believe the purpose of life is to leave a legacy. Leaving a legacy is the need or the craving to be associated with what you have added to the world. Sharon L. Adler describes this beautifully: Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.

History is overflowing with countless people who have left lasting impressions long after they left this world. One of such people to me was my grandfather. My grandfather passed away almost twenty years ago, but today, there is so much that still remains in memory of him. His words of wisdom and advice, his reputation as an astute businessman, a compassionate and supportive father and grandfather, and a loving husband remain a profound legacy. I am reminded every day of wise sayings he taught me when I was younger. One of my favorites is, Life is a journey, never rush the process, take it step by step, but never lose sight of the main goal.

Leaving a legacy means different things to different people. To some, like my grandfather, legacy meant leaving not just money and property to his children and grandchildren but also leaving them with wisdom and mental fortitude so they could survive after him. He believed that wisdom is worth more than gold because if you have wisdom, you will always be able to find gold, but if you have gold without wisdom, you can easily lose the gold. He also believed the words of Billy Graham on the subject which he often referred to: The greatest legacy one can pass on to one's children and grandchildren are not money or other material things accumulated in one's life, but rather a legacy of character and faith. Some people relate legacy to property and are consumed with the need to leave a lot of property to their descendants.

Other people believe their ultimate purpose in life is to support other people and causes that are important to them. These causes range from charity and philanthropy, to education, eradication of poverty, etc. Supporting other people and realizing how important they are may be essential to you and may be your main purpose in life.

Here are some questions that can help you identify your ultimate purpose in life:

Do you serve and add value to others?

Is someone's life better because they had an encounter with you?

Have you discovered what sets your heart ablaze and your soul on fire?

Have you conformed to society's norms and expectations, or have you conquered your status quo to create a life that makes you happy and fulfilled?

I believe strongly that your ultimate purpose is to be successful. Why do I say your purpose in life is to be successful, and what is success anyway? Success is a life by design. All the above reasons for what people think purpose is are valid only if they are what you truly want and not something you think you should want. Most of us fall prey to the norms of society on what the direction of our lives should be and how we should progress in life: go to school, get good grades, graduate, get a job, buy a house, start a family, and retire.

Most of our lives are lived on a linear scale; you do one thing, then you move to the next. Unfortunately, this linear formula has no place for the more important, intangible aspects of life like passion, joy, happiness, impact, and ultimately, purpose. Success, I believe, is creating a life you want to live because you have decided to live it that way. Most of us go through life just going through the motions, without any intentional thinking of whether or not we are fulfilled. Most of us are what we are today because we were told, coerced, or trained to be that way. We have no concept of ourselves because we have adopted other people's concepts for who we should be.

Why do I say you were created to be successful? I am a Christian, and I believe we were all created in the image and likeness of God. This belief was reinforced by the wise words of Dr. Myles Munroe when he said,

So God