This Isn’t How You Planned It

Is your life going the way you planned it?  Are you living out your dreams?  Or are you on the verge of giving up? Are you working at a job which seems fruitless?  Is your relationship hitting a brick wall?   Do you get a little extra money, and then an unexpected expense saps the money as quickly as you got it?

I’ve been there and some days I’m still there.  Sometimes life is all about moving ahead when the road is long and hard. When you’re exhausted and weary, it’s essential you take charge before you burn out or give up.

Like you, I’ve been there, done that!  I never planned to reconnect with the love of my life 16 years ago. I never planned on leaving my dream job.  I never planned on being diagnosed with MS.  Life happens and the plan changes.

The best skill you can gain in life is the ability to navigate unexpected turns and setbacks life throws your way. NEWS FLASH!!!! Life doesn’t always go the way we plan it. The truth is, it rarely does.  So, let your challenges build character and perseverance to empower you to stay the course and win your race.

Here are some tips from the amazing Valerie Burton on just how to do this:

1. Stop expecting things to be easy.

The quickest way to become discouraged is to expect life to unfold just the way you planned it, with few or no obstacles or opposition. Raise your hand if this is you?  I know I’m not alone here.  Life is so much easier when the expected challenges appear –  you know, the ones you planned for.   Don’t get caught up in feeling sorry for yourself when hard times come.  This is the perfect opportunity to tap into your strengths, character, and faith to courageously face whatever life throws your way.

2. Get some fresh air.

When your inner gremlins get the best of you, and you start traveling down that dark tunnel, it might mean you need a break.  Have you been focusing on your problems, rehashing them over and over in your mind? Remember, focusing on the negative brings us more negative.  Take a walk. Do something different. Get out of your normal environment. It can energize you and redirect your thoughts.

3. Get some perspective.

Fresh air will give you perspective and clear out some of the cobwebs or maybe even blow away the inner gremlins.  The greatest difference comes when we focus on someone else’s life. When you start focusing too much on what’s wrong in your life, force yourself to notice what’s right. STOP and think of three things you’re grateful for. Believe me, you probably can’t stop at three! Now, open your eyes to others’ stories about determination and strength.  Despite what we may think, we are not the first person to face our challenges.  Look for someone who has gone through them with strength and grace? When you realize you are not alone, you will feel the rush of power. In face, you may discover someone who has triumphed through far greater challenges and can be a source of inspiration.

4. Commit to running your race to the best of your ability.

Who knows why you are going through what you are going through? It may not even be worth the energy of attempting to figure it out. What is worth your energy is expanding your character and capacity in the process.  Think about the ways will you become a better person by persevering through this? What growth do you intend to glean through it all?

5. Be an inspiration.

Yes, you can be an inspiration for someone else.  Your story may be just the thing someone else needs to hear to overcome their obstacle.  Every person who has faced a challenge has overcome them with their attitude, determination, and faith. Tackle your challenges in a way your children, friends, family, and coworkers will be inspired by your example. You can give others hope by simply acting with the courage to live and love fully in the face of fear and disappointment.

The first time I was told I was an inspiration, I laughed because the truth is, I never believed I could inspire anyone.  My life was my life full of challenges and obstacles.  Some I have overcome and some inner gremlins I still do battle with.  About 2 years ago, when the diagnosis of MS was “unofficially” given, I made a decision to allow my setbacks to build character and perseverance. Truth was my life’s journey had brought me to where I was today.  The challenges were actually a blessing in disguise.  Do I always understand it? NO!  Do I always like it? NO!

If you are struggling, I challenge you to stop feeling sorry for yourself.  It is time to gain  some perspective which will inspire and empower you.   When you get discouraged, what thought will lift you up?  Share it with us, maybe you can inspire someone else…

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

 

You are Who God Says You Are

Thank you Sharon Jaynes for today’s message….

I have learned a lot from Charlie Brown, which is a little scary. Here is one truth that his psychiatrist, Lucy, taught me. She is counseling Charlie Brown at her lemonade-stand counseling booth. Charlie Brown is all ears.

Frame 1: “Your life is like a house, Charlie Brown.”

Frame 2: “You want your house to have a strong foundation, don’t you?”

Frame 3: “So don’t build your house on the sand.”

Frame 4: (A strong wind swooshes by and blows Lucy, Charlie Brown, and the makeshift stand into a heap of rubble.)

Frame 5: Lucy’s final advice: “Or use cheap nails.”

There’s a lot of talk about self-worth in our culture. But true self-worth is not an issue of giftedness, talent, intelligence, or beauty. It’s not an issue of how much money you have in the bank, if you are married or single, if you are a mom or childless. Those are the cheap nails compared to knowing Christ.

When we base our identity or our worth on the accomplishments, opinions of others, or appearance, we are in danger of crumbling to pieces with a word of criticism, a bad hair day, or hint of rejection. We will always fall short in our quest to be better, look better, or accomplish more.

Self-worth is really an identity issue. When you base your self-worth on your identity in Christ and His finished work of redemption on the cross, it is unconditional, unshakable, and unchangeable.

Listen, the devil will do anything and everything he can to keep you from believing the truth about who you are, what you have, and where you are as a child of God. Make no mistake about it, he knows that you are a chosen, holy, dearly loved child of God who has been forgiven of all your sins and created to fulfill a great purpose that God has already planned for you. He knows it, and he hates it. His goal is to keep you from believing it. And if he can keep you from believing the truth about who you are, what you have, and where you are as a child of God, then he has won.

You can access the power of God’s promises about who you are, what you have, and where you are in Christ to consistently subdue and eventually erase feeling of inferiority, insecurity and inadequacy that keep you stuck in a mediocre faith. You can reject the devil’s overbearing lies and replace them with God’s overriding truth about your identity in Him and His power in you.

If we base our significance, self-worth, or self-esteem on anything other than the strong nails of our identity in Christ, then we are at risk of collapsing when the strong winds of adversity come our way. The truth is: You are who God says you are.

You, my friend, are a chosen, holy, dearly loved child of God who is equipped by the Father, enveloped by the Son, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. And that truth will withstand the strongest winds.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Whose Voice Will You Listen to Today?

Thank you Sharon Jaynes and Girlfriends in God for today’s message:

“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” ~ John 14:26

My son played on his high school’s basketball team. At one of the games, I noticed a man on the home side of the court video recording of the game. I also noticed a man on the opposing side doing the same.

“Steve, who are those men with the video cameras and why are they recording the game?” I asked my husband.

“The guy in the opposing stand is from the team that we’ll be playing next week,” he explained. “He is recording the game to study our weaknesses, so our opponents will know where to attack and defeat us. The man on our side is recording the game also looking for weakness, but for a different reason. He will show our team their weaknesses so they can learn from them and improve . . . to make them better. Same video. Different purposes.”

Ah, a sudden glory moment. I don’t know much about sports, but I do know a bit about how the enemy works. He records the video of our lives and looks for our weakness to bring us down—to plan his attack, to defeat us.

The Bible has many names for that enemy: Satan, the great serpent, the deceiver, and the devil. But the most telling name is found in Revelation 12:10: the accuser who accuses believers before God day and night.

Some say that the devil’s main role is tempting mankind to sin. But I believe what trumps even temptation is his role as the accuser who shackles us with shame and condemnation once we succumb to the temptation. He paces before God saying, “She did this and she did that.” He plays and replays the video in the theater of your mind, pointing out all your faults and weaknesses to bring you down. He is AGAINST you.

But remember, there were two men creating a video of Steven’s game. Just as the accuser is against you, there is someone else who is for you. Before Jesus went to the cross, He assured His followers that He would not leave them as orphans. He promised to send the Spirit who would encourage, enlighten, empower, and intercede for all believers. And then Jesus gave the Spirit a name: the Advocate. “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26).

An advocate is someone who is for you and acts on your behalf. Yes! He is for you! And one of the ways that He is for you is to convict you of sin—of something that you have done that is contrary to the ways of God. God will never reveal a weakness, a sin, or a flaw in your life just for the sake of exposing it. He always reveals a deficit because it’s time to make it right—to conform you to the image of His Son. The Holy Spirit awakens your senses to an area of your life that you need to change, and then helps you do it. He shows you the video and says, “Right there. See that move. Let’s work on that area and improve your game.”

While the accuser points our your weakness and makes you feel you can never change, the Advocate points out your weakness so that you can change. It’s the same video, but seen from a different perspective. So tell me, who’s voice are you going to listen to? Who’s voice are you going to believe?

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

 

My Mission and My Vision

I am ready to kick off the week, are you?  I am participating in a month long “lab” with the AMAZING Britt Bolnick of In Arms Coaching.  The name of the program is called “Creating Aligned Marketing That Doesn’t Feel Douchey“.  This virtual month long program brings together 32 awesome women from all over the country who are ready to grow their business.

I have been thinking a lot about what I want my business to look like and how I want to feel when I head into my office.  I LOVE my Thirty One business but I felt like something was missing.  I had an AHA vision about a month ago and I realized that my why is not about trips, or how much money I can make or even about the next promotion.

Most say that our “why” is what motivates us towards our vision. It is the emotional connection that you have every day with why you are doing what you are doing. For some this takes time to find – I can attest to that. For others, it is very easy.

Here is my emotional why:

I want to make a difference in people’s lives. I want to help women plan their first party in their home after a messy divorce. I want to make people smile when they are down with my silly happy mail. I want to help raise funds for that family that just can’t afford to pay for their child’s extra activities or medical expenses. 

Yes, I still need to pay bills.  Yes, I would love to earn a free trip.  The truth is that I am not a carrot chaser.  I am not the one to race to a goal to get a prize.  My prize is actually the smiles on the faces of the women that I talk to or the thank you note that lets me know that I made a difference.

After answering a series of questions during our first week, praying and a lot of writing, I was able to tweak my vision.  Visions are a broad picture about what you are passionate about, the thing that you talk about and would shout from the rafters. Your mission may change but your vision remains the same.  Here is my vision statement for my business:

“My vision is for a world where women are not judged on their circumstances but empowered to learn from them so that they can have harmony in their life and make a difference in the lives of those around them.”

I want to be able to use my Thirty One business to CELEBRATE -ENCOURAGE – REWARD women who are struggling.  I don’t want to be that person that just wants to book a party or sell a product or grow her team.  I want to touch the lives of women and let them know that God has a plan for each of them; even during their struggles.  I want to be the light that shines in their life.

My mission is to combine my passion for empowering women with my love for Thirty One Gifts products.  I will use my skills to support women who have or had life struggles and believe that those struggles define their life.  I will carry this out by offering opportunities via fundraising, gatherings with friends and 1-1 coaching where they can learn how to let their light shine.

The vision is cast and my mission is clear.  Now, to work on a plan to build my business or as others would like to call it a “business plan“.

What is your DREAM or VISION that seems impossible? Share it with us.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Manifesting Magnets

  

It is Throwback Thursday!  This is from a Thirty One Leaders training held about 2 years ago.  Cindy Monroe joined us in the afternoon and NO, I didn’t cry this time when I met her.  What an AWESOME day!

I have been reading (and re-reading The Secret) as well as getting the daily teachings on my phone.  Do you use Manifesting Magnets?  I have become obsessed with them, in a good way.

It is all about ASKING, BELIEVING and RECEIVING all that the universe has for us.  In the past, I was great at asking but when it came to truly believing in my core, well that wasn’t happening.  Did I mention that I am not great at receiving BUT awesome at giving?  I know there are a lot more of you out there like that, right?

Some have not read The Secret, but I have heard them talk about manifesting magnets which is along the some line.  You are using your focus and energy to bring positive results.  Maybe you are looking for money, opportunity, love, or harmony.  Whatever your desire, you can manifest it (ask for it).  Do you think that I am crazy?  Are you saying “I keep asking for  XYZ and nothing happens”?  Remember it is a 3-step process not just 1!

I came across these  3 manifesting magnets:

1.      Put a gratitude alarm on your phone that says “What am I grateful for right now?”  (gratitude is the gateway to positive manifesting)

2      Decide every day to do 1 small thing for someone else  (you instantly align yourself with positive flow when you do)

3.     Choose an empowering image and use it as the wallpaper on your phone, tablet and computer (this creates a trigger to put you in a state of positive vibration and manifestation)

These 3 simple steps have power in them.  By building manifesting magnets into your life, you will open the flow to your desire.  By doing these simple things, you will also actually start to BELIEVE that your desire will come to fruition.

The last step is to be ready to receive the blessings.  A fierce cheerleader, Eryka Peskin, gave me a great tip that I have been practicing ALOT.  When someone pays me a compliment, I say “thank you, it is true”.  Does it sound cocky?  To some it might.  The reality is that is how I am learning to RECEIVE and BELIEVE at the same time.    I mean how many of you receive a compliment, say thank you BUT truly don’t believe what the person has said. OR you counter it with “thank you BUT”.  STOP!  You are manifesting negativity instead of positivity.  I know it isn’t easy.   Believe me it has taken me weeks.  It can happen though and when it does, you will be amazed at how you feel.

So, set the alarm on your phone (for random times if possible).  Do something nice for someone each day.  Post that picture of what you want where you will see it all of the time.  Don’t just post the picture and glance at it.  Take a moment to actually FEEL what it will be like to have that item.  For me, it is a check – some extra unexpected cash for National Conference and a short trip to see my daughter.  I believe that it will come.

I have the power in me to make it happen and so do you!  What is your desire?  Have you asked the Universe for it? Do you believe that it will come? And are you ready to receive it when it does?

I would love to hear your thoughts on manifesting magnets.  Have  ThirtyOne-derful day!