My Unstoppable Life Review and a Giveaway for You!

I think it’s safe to say that 2020 has changed everyone’s life. Even though every person and personal situation is different, this year has shown us all that we will have struggles in this life. What this year has also taught me, however, is that I can still be unstoppable. Keep reading for a chance to win Bethany Hamilton’s Unstoppable Life Course!

Bethany Hamilton, professional surfer, Christian, wife, mom, star of two biopic feature films, Amazing Race finisher, shark attack survivor, and amputee, is one of the most inspirational people, literally in the world. I’ve been encouraged by her story and determination for years, so when she and her husband Adam Dierks came out with an online course about how to live an unstoppable life, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. I definitely didn’t have time for another time commitment, though. 

My Backstory

Steve and I traveled more in 2019 than any other year we’ve been together. It was awesome! And exhausting. But my blog was doing really well, I had written a book for young Christian women called Princess Culture, I was helping a dear friend plan her destination wedding, and when I wasn’t traveling or writing, I was running our house and loving on my husband. I had a great life already! 

Then 2020 came into play. I got suspiciously sick in January. Steve got it in February. I went on my first-ever writers’ retreat with a group of women who quickly became friends, and I got serious again about getting Princess Culture published and writing another book I’d been working on for a few months. On top of that, by blog was getting more views than ever, and I landed my first sponsored press trip—to MOLOKAI, HAWAII! It was shaping up to be my best and busiest year yet. 

Then March happened. My blog’s views dropped 60% overnight and never recovered. We had to cancel some really important trips—my press trip to Molokai, Steve’s and my anniversary trip Lana’i, my parents’ 40th anniversary trip to Mackinac Island, and more. Everything I’d been working so hard to accomplish was going down the tubes, and despite my best efforts to keep going and try new things, I felt like I was failing. As someone who struggles with depression, that’s not a good way to feel. 

In April, though, things started to turn around. I was graciously gifted the Unstoppable Life course. It turned out to be exactly the pivot point I needed. It gave me purpose and a mission, and here I am, seven months later, feeling unstoppable and truly living out my life the way I believe God always wanted me to: pursuing my dreams and encouraging others to do the same! 

Now, I’ve self-published seven books (with number eight coming later this month!), completely revamped my blog in a much-needed way, and I can confidently say that without the Unstoppable Life course, none of it would have happened. 

Here’s everything you need to know to help you decide to take the course and live YOUR Unstoppable Life!

Course Structure

The course was originally designed to take a full year. It included 12 units, or modules, that each addressed a different topic about how to live your life to YOUR fullest. You get to choose your own pace. There’s no time limit or expiration!

In addition to the modules, Unstoppable Life members also have access to regular Zoom calls with Adam and Bethany, as well as a private Facebook group where we can interact with and encourage each other. 

Modules and Lessons

There are 12 modules total, with 4-10 lessons per module. That makes it convenient to do one lesson per month, which prevents burnout and will help you not feel overwhelmed at the outset. You’ll be done in a year! Or, if you’re feeling ambitious, you can do one module per week, and finish in just 12 weeks. You can decide, because it’s YOUR Unstoppable Life.

Each module has two parts: video lessons and action steps. There are 4-10 video lessons per module, and action steps below each video. Some video lessons were 5 minutes, while others were 20 or 25 minutes long. Some video lessons had two action steps, others had six or seven. You can always go back and re-do a previous module if you want, or even take the entire course again. 

What I Love about This Course

It Met Me Where I Was

I was so impressed with how this course really was structured to meet each participant where they were, and each module built on all the others. This course is designed to help everyone at their own level. It breaks down the topics to get to the root of each one, and then builds it back up from the ground up. You get to take from it what YOU need. 

It Takes into Account Multiple Perspectives

I fully believe that Bethany alone could have created all the content in the course herself, and everyone would have benefitted. She chose, however, to include other people. Some were personal friends, some were doctors, some were professional athletes, but all were experts in their respective fields.

This was so important to do, and more importantly, it was effective. I loved hearing Bethany’s perspectives and experiences about each topic, but I also gained so much from hearing about her guests’ experiences. For example:

• Bethany lost her arm at 13, but Nick Vujicic was born with no limbs. He was the perfect person to take on the “Overcome Obstacles” module and talk about overcoming obstacles in our lives. He’s a professional speaker, husband, father, and the ultimate example of never letting excuses stop you from achieving your dreams.
• Gabby Reece and Laird Hamilton are professional athletes, like Bethany, but in the “Train Your Mind” module, they take on the fact that your physical training is effected by your mindset. Whether you’re training for competition or a job or parenthood, they show that training your mind will completely change the game.
• Bethany has definitely taken some setbacks in her surfing career (losing her arm, having babies, COVID cancelling the World Surf competitions for 2020), but Tim Tebow has taken some setbacks on the chin in his career as well. He was the perfect person to talk about the “Anchor Identity” topic. First he was a superstar college football player, then a Pro football player, then a traded football player, then a cut football player, then a minor league baseball player—but he found that those things don’t define him. His identity is in something greater, and so is ours.
• I definitely think of Bethany when I think of an inspiring, encouraging person living her passion, but Bob Goff just takes it to the next level. Listening to his part in the “Live Your Passion” module literally brought tears of joy to my eyes and made me want to go live my best life—for God, for myself, and for those around me.

The fact that Bethany was humble enough to know that others could add to the conversation and give beneficial perspectives, shows that she and her team thought this through with the course participants in mind. I love that.

Every Topic Is Relevant

Nothing in this course is going to be a waste of your time. Every topic was helpful, encouraging, and inspiring. Every topic was applicable to my life–even in quarantine. I never got the sense that Bethany or her guests were out of touch with the real world or weren’t considering all sides of the topics they covered.

From being present in the moment, to letting go of comparison to others, to forgiving ourselves and those who have hurt us, to setting and achieving our own personal goals, every topic hit the nail on the head and helped me gain a can-do perspective during the remarkably “can’t-do” year of 2020.

For example: I’m a travel blogger who couldn’t travel. So this course showed me that I could pursue my bigger dream of writing and publishing books instead!

Every Application is Practical

It wouldn’t be enough if the topics were relevant, but the applications were impractical. It’s great that Bethany is a professional surfer, but I don’t live near the ocean or have the desire to do that. That’s the thing, really: whatever “it” is, if it’s not practical, people won’t do it. Every topic had real, tangible, workable, practical applications that worked for me, and I believe they will work for you, too.

Here’s a personal example from the “Be Present” Module: My whole business is online, and social media is the way my business gets noticed and grows. But you know what? Social media is the WORST! It’s the most discouraging thing out there to me. It’s essential to my business, but it’s my own personal foe. I don’t want to live with it, but I can’t live without it, if you know what I mean. But do you know what the “Be Present” module taught me with Kate Merrick, who got rid of her social media and never looked back? It taught me that I can be in control of my social media; it doesn’t have to control me.

I didn’t know it, but I basically needed permission to delete my social media apps from my phone. I start by deleting Facebook and Instagram. Anything I need to do on Facebook can be done on my laptop, and I’m far less likely to scroll for an hour on my laptop than I am on my phone. I knew I couldn’t delete Instagram forever because my business relies heavily on it, but I could limit my time. I started by re-installing the app for three hours a day, from 1:00-4:00pm. I did what I needed to do within that timeframe, then I deleted it until 1:00pm the next day. And I did that every day until I truly had control over my own account. I still delete the app entirely if I find myself checking it too often.

The Quotes are Gold

I have a notebook full of incredible quotes from this course. Here are some favorites:

• On FOMO and social media: “Don’t waste your life on wanting what you don’t have.” And “Own your social media or it will own you.”–Kate Merrick, Be Present
• On fear of what I “can’t” do: “You don’t know what’s impossible until you know what is possible.” –Nick Vujicic, Overcoming Obstacles
• On overall health: “What you think about comes about.” –Dr. Dustin Dillberg, Optimize Health
• Humbling realization about blessing those around me: “It’s often easier to bless strangers than those right in front of us.” –Sarah Hill, Bless Others
• When trying something new: “I’m not good enough to be critical yet.” –Gabby Reece, Train Your Mind
• On getting through the challenges: “God can turn your worst day into someone else’s best day.” –Tim Tebow, Anchor Identity
• On comparison and jealousy: “Get to know the person you’re comparing yourself with.” –Arielle Estoria, Letting Go of Comparison
• On finding passions: “Opportunities come from strange places!” –Bob Goff, Live Your Passion
• On making your passion reality: “Luck favors the prepared.” –Mike Coots, Live Your Passion
• About forgiving others: “Forgiveness is worth the work.” –Kerry Dillberg, Forgiveness
• On the journey to my goals: “You can be grateful for where you are, even if it’s not where you’re meant to end up.” –Marie Forleo, Set and Achieve Goals
• On having “stuff”: “It’s okay to have stuff, but don’t let your stuff have you.” –Rachel Cruz, Stewardship

How This Course Will Change My Life Moving Forward

As with any course, I have a ton of takeaways that I’m still applying in my life and will continue to apply for the future. Here are the most meaningful ways this course will continue to impact my life for the better:

• I have control over my social media, not the other way around.
• I have the confidence to pursue my goals and dreams. I am defining my own success, not letting others decide “if” or “when” I get to be “successful” by their standards.
• I started a Thankfulness journal with my husband, and we each write down what we’re thankful for each day before we go to sleep.
• Now, I know how to set my goals and visualize them happening. This course literally changed the trajectory of my life from fulfilling half of my dreams (traveling and blogging) to living my whole dream (traveling, blogging, and writing books)!

GIVEAWAY!

Thank you for reading! To reward you, I’m giving you a chance to WIN the Unstoppable Life Course from me! Here’s how to enter:

1. SHARE this post on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.
2. TAG me, @quickwhittravel and Bethany @bethanyhamilton.
3. TELL what you want to do with your Unstoppable Life. Write that book? Get better at something you already do? Love your family better? It’s your life, so you get to choose!

The winner will be announced Saturday, November 14, at 9:00am EST, so be sure to share between now and then! I will be gifting one Unstoppable Life Course to one lucky person!

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