Lessons of a Lipstick Queen: Finding and Developing the Great Idea That Can Change Your Life

Hello! This book is a call to your inner lipstick queen! Truthfully, I’m not much of a makeup person. At most my cosmetics collection includes lip balm for daytime and mascara for a night on the town. Yet, there was something about the provocative title that compelled me to read this book. Do we all have a lipstick queen deep inside us, just as we have inner children? If so, our inner lipstick queen deserves to come out and play on occasion.

Enter stage left: Poppy King's Lessons of a Lipstick Queen. King’s book is a delightful and animated guide on how to recognize and pursue your passions. The book itself brings the reader through King’s own amazing experiences as she follows the trail created while searching for the perfect shade of lipstick.

At seventeen, King was quite young when she first set out on her quest, but she was bold enough not to second guess herself (as I might have done at forty). While she notes it is important to release your inhibitions, King doesn’t over-emphasize the fact that she has a fearless spirit and highlights the importance of restraint. She points out the value to be had from times of trouble and loss, mostly sharing those moments as temporary experiences she learned from.

King shares the lessons she learned during the life cycles of her entrepreneurial pursuits in a user friendly way that inspires the reader to ponder the possibilities their own lives may hold. For example, Lesson two: Take very seriously any sentence starting with “I wish.” Sage advice, and I concur. Wishing isn’t only for Polly Anna or Dorothy. Wishing is good for your health, so to speak.

King reminds us to consider the possibilities that lie outside of our comfort zones and to recognize that everyone experiences pain and loss, but we also have the option to get back up. While she writes of her passion, she also notes the vital support of her family and friends. Even more importantly, she reminds us that it is only through one’s planning, preparation, and hard work that goals are ultimately accomplished.

Unlike many other how to guides this book does not offer a simple solution (like if you do A, B, and C, you will be a millionaire). On the contrary, King provides the reader with fifty-eight distinct yet interrelated lessons on how to pursue one’s passion, brave rough waters, and keep one’s chin up. Sounds like a tall order? Indeed, but if you’re game, this is the book to help guide you through the process.

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