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I got the first ever subscription of an amazing new magazine called “Liberty”. I am really enjoying it. It’s unlike any magazine I have ever read. It’s uplifting. It’s easy to read. There are no advertisements, just lots of beautiful content. Today I read a brief article in it called Wake Up & Start Dreaming. I confess. I struggle with dreaming. Why? Because I am such a big dreamer on many fronts in my life and tend to get quite disappointed when things don’t turn out as glorious as I had hoped or dreamed. Sometimes I let that disappointment get the best of me, at least for a little while and I feel paralyzed to move forward. I am coming to the realization that I have probably missed out on more opportunities than I dare count during those down times. I’ve decided no more holding back. Life is too short to sit on the sidelines for any amount of time. The Liberty article contains many wonderful tips on figuring out your dream. When I read these tips, I realize that deep down at the root, my dream is to be a writer and an inspirational speaker. I want to touch lives in a significant way and encourage others on their life’s journey. It would be amazing to get paid to do this so that it could be my full-time focus. Instead, I am working on projects that I hope will bring in the financial resources I need, so I can do what I love. As I write this, I have to laugh because I counsel people to pursue what they love first and foremost and the money will follow. I guess this is what the greats call the “aha” moment. Here I am working on everything but my writing and speaking opportunities. So much so that I haven’t had time to pursue them at all. Tonight that stops. Although it is very late in the evening I ran and grabbed my computer to write this piece. I have to start somewhere and so today it begins. I am a writer. Today is day one of waking up to my dream as the author shared in her article.  Want to know more about that magazine? It's a great journal inspiring and equipping women. Check out @libertyforher
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My senior class of high school I had a government class with Mr. Morrison. Up above the chalkboard he had this picture of a field that was divided into 4 different pastures by fences. There was one cow in each of the 4 pastures. It was a humorous picture because each one of the cows stuck its neck in between the wires to eat the grass on the neighboring cows pasture instead of eating the grass in their own pasture. I stared at that picture a lot in high school and I have never forgotten it. It seemed so silly because the grass was all the same land in the picture, just divided by the fences. But for some reason each of those cows were willing to stick their neck out to eat from their neighbor's grass because they thought it must be better than their own. Apparently the cows didn’t understand their situation because they couldn't see the big picture like I could. The analogy applies to so many things in life. For instance, have you ever heard the expression "the grass is greener on the other side." But the truth is, the grass is green wherever you water it. Things in your life that are thriving, such as relationships or opportunities, will be the ones that you spend time cultivating like a garden. Figure out what you want in your garden and then set your actions on making it the best garden ever. That is success!   This week I heard these words, "whatever you focus on will be what dominates you."
How often do we let trivial things or comments made to us or about us overwhelm us to the point where we lose our focus on the important things? I have to admit that sometimes I have allowed situations, the opinions of others or even my own negative thoughts to have such an impact on me that I have felt paralyzed and not able to move forward. Why as humans do we take things so personal? Perhaps 9 people loved your work, but 1 person did not. What do we tend to think about? Most of us think about that one. In this season of my life, I have decided to work at focusing on the 9 good things and leave the negative and trivial behind. I do take a quick moment to analyze that one thing. Is this wisdom and helpful advice being passed on to me or negativity and undue criticism. If it is the latter, I quickly move on. What a difference this makes. I call it freedom and it is a beautiful thing. Just one example is my own struggle with weight loss. If I concentrate on the scale which doesn't seem to go in the direction I would like, then I am easily discouraged and will question whether all that exercise is worth it. So, I have made a choice to not check with that scale very often and "focus" on how good I feel, how healthy I am, how my clothes fit and how much stronger I feel. Friends, choose wisely what you focus on. Welcome to Lessons of Hope!
We are all made up of three parts: our Body, our Minds, and our Sprits. There are so many truths to be shared. Daily life principles. They could be as simple as financial wisdom keys, healthy living principles and facts, or a few words of courage or encouragement. My desire is to inspire you to detox your mind, body and spirit. Then add to your life fullness, freedom, and joy. There are lessons everywhere. Look around. Look for them. Look and See... You may find the simple and the profound. Join with me as we embrace fun, honest, and real Lessons of Hope. |
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