the little things

the little things - TRYING SOMETHING NEW:
"Unless you walk out into the unknown, the odds of making a profound difference in your life are pretty low." - Tom Peters

I absolutely LOVE this quote! The past 13 months of my life have been about trying new things and I have made a more profound difference in my life than I ever could have dreamed. Here are just a few examples of steps into the unknown that I have made this year:

1. Quit a full time job to start my own business with no guarantees.

2. Said "yes" to becoming the Women's Events Coordinator at my church.

3. Said "yes" to speaking in public! (scary!!)

4. Tried boogy boarding in the ocean for the first time! (very scary but so worth it!)

5. Started writing articles for magazines and finally began writing my first book.

6. Took the first steps in stretching myself on a continual basis through personal growth exercises!

7. Realized for the first time in my life that I am not in a comfort zone anymore. (What a refreshing and completely invigorating experience that is!)

Earlier today I heard that in order to be successful in anything, you must have a desire to change and a willingness to do so. Realize that the discomfort is only temporary, but the lessons and the results are life long. What an incredible thing to keep in mind. I want to encourage you to walk into the unknown, realize that it will only be uncomforable for awhile, and embrace the excitement that awaits you just around the corner! Feel free to share with me your list of new experiences!

Have a great day - be blessed, stay healthy, and be inspired!

the little things

the little things - EMBRACING YOUR UNIQUENESS:

"By being yourself, you put something wonderful in the world that was not there before." - Edwin Elliot

How many times have you heard someone apologize for who they are? How many times have you done that yourself? Whether we are trying to be humble or simply have low self-esteem, we all at some point have apologized out loud or to ourselves for who we are. But why? Why don't we embrace it?

A few months ago I was given a personality test by the Senior Pastor at my church. He was giving this to all of the pastors and since I am the Women's Events Coordinator I was given permission to take the test as well. After a few weeks I went through the test results with my Pastor and his wife and I couldn't help but laugh at how accurate it was. The most obvious detail about this personality test, however, was that I have learned to use my adapted behavior far more often than my natural behavior. In a nutshell - I tend to not embrace my uniqueness.

Instead of apologizing for my strengths, or trying to hide them so I don't intimidate someone, I am now focusing on fine tuning them. After all, God made me the way I am for a reason - strengths and weaknesses alike. I truly believe the opening quote and I'm so glad that we are all made with different abilities and have different missions. Wouldn't life be boring otherwise?!

Maybe you are struggling with how to accept a compliment, or maybe you are trying to be more timid because your ambition scares others around. Maybe you haven't had a chance to truly discover your strengths. Whatever path you are on at the moment, I encourage you to embrace your uniqueness. Trust me, you don't want to miss the opportunity to add something beautiful to the world that wasn't there before you came along!

As always, be blessed, stay healthy, and be inspired!

Majestic

I am in St. Louis right now for a Juice Plus conference and brainstorming session. I am blessed to stay at the beautiful home of a good friend and am enjoying the energizing company of the talented souls that I am with. I must say - I am in a reflective mood and ready to welcome with open arms all that God has in store for the next few days.

At the moment my friend, Mandi Jensen, is expressing her inner soul through majestic music on the piano and I am blessed to sit in the presence of her God-given talent. I can't help but soak it in. I feel as though I am listening to one of God's angels gift me with the rare opportunity of a window into what heaven might be like.

Seizing this opportunity makes me wonder how long it has been since you have taken time to soak up God's gifts. I encourage you to make time for that this week. Pop in a classical CD or an instrumental worship CD and soak in the majestic, soul soothing sounds.

Be blessed, stay healthy, and be inspired!

the little things

While perusing a boutique in downtown Fargo this afternoon, I discovered a treasure of inspirational quotes dwelling within the binding of a simple, soft teal book entitled "the little things." I have decided to share several of these quotes throughout the next few weeks and add my personal perspective on them as well. Enjoy!

the little things - AN EXCITING VISION:

"The future is not someplace we are going to, but a place we are creating. The paths to it are not found, they are made." - Jane Garvey

This quote struck me as very profound. It is true. Every decision we make at this point in time is molding our future. When I was at a Juice Plus Bootcamp a few weeks ago one of the speaker's commented on how the present is the future you envisioned for yourself long ago. The problem with this is that many people do not envision their future, they wait for it to find them. This is a huge mistake because in order to bring about the future you dream of, you have to be a person of action. Let me give you an example:

When Nate and I first got married we envisioned a future of financial freedom. Our dream was to live comfortably and not be rich exactly, but have enough money to buy the things we want and pay for the things we need. This was the future we envisioned, but it was not the future I was eagerly going after. I developed a shopping addiction that shot this dream in the foot - until I finally woke up and realized the error of my ways and made a conscious effort to change it. Now we are completely aware of how we truly want our future to look and how we plan to get there.

So many people in this world forget to acknowledge the fact that their present decisions determine their future. I would go as far as to say that this also includes attitude. Your attitude greatly affects your future because it affects your decisions. If you have a bad attitude toward everything, or even a few things, it has a negative impact on your behavior and your decisions.

I want to encourage you to take some time to truly dream about what you want your future to be like, and then plot out the steps you want to take to get there. The only way you are truly going to have the future you dream of is if you start to create it right now. I truly believe this with all my heart and soul. If you are not happy with your current lot in life, start making new paths to direct the future into what you want it to be. You'll be so much happier because of it, and you may even find inner strength and courage that you never knew you had!

As always, be blessed, be healthy, and be inspired!

Personal Growth Challenge

Anyone who knows me really well can figure out that I pretty much welcome change with open arms . . . or at least I make it look that way. Because of my type A personality, I sometimes welcome change with excitement and then get scared after the fact, but I have realized that personal growth is necessary if you want to move ahead in life. That being said . . .

I just finished the book "The Traveler's Gift" by Andy Andrews. Wow - an amazing challenge of personal growth is just waiting within the pages of this fictional book. I have to say, some of my favorite quotes from this inspiring story were found near the very end, but I fully intend on practicing the seven decisions for success in my life on a regular basis. Here are some thoughts to leave with you from Andy Andrews . . .

"Circumstances are rulers of the weak, but they are weapons of the wise."

"Circumstances do not push or pull. They are daily lessons to be studied and gleaned for new knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge and wisdom that are applied will bring about a brighter tomorrow."

And my favorite:

"Between you and anything significant will be giants in your path."

Be blessed, stay healthy, and as always, be inspired!