Who Are You?

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If someone were to ask you to describe yourself, how would you do that?

I remember many years ago I used to say, “Just a stay-at-home mom.” That is, until I realized the true value of being one. The word “just” quickly left my description.

Knowing who you are is an important step in the direction of fulfilling your dream. Because without knowing this, you are more likely to wander around aimlessly, not realizing your full potential.

What titles would you attribute to yourself? For instance, I would use titles such as wife, mom, writer, blogger, coordinator, and ministry leader. As interesting and important as titles can sometimes be, they in themselves don’t define you. They are just one component to the makeup of who you are.

Another part of who you are pertains to your skills. What talents and skills do you bring to the table? Some of mine include creative writing, editing, organization, SEO knowledge, coordinating schedules, training and nurturing.

Do you have any special training or accomplishments? Have you completed college courses or earned an award? I would probably have to mention the fact that I am a “She Speaks” graduate, along with completing a number of online college courses when I was in my 30’s (hey, I consider that to be quite an accomplishment!)

What about your interests. What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? I love hanging out with my family, going on trips, scrapbooking, cross-stitching and reading. These also help to define us.

Could you wrap up who you are in just one sentence? Try it. Now expand it to 3 or 5 sentences. Go for a paragraph.

By uncovering who you are, you can better strive to fulfill the destiny that is before you.

When Inspiration Hits Act Immediately

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Do you ever get a great idea in your head and you think you will do something with it later on. Then later on arrives and you try desperately to recall what it was you had thought about earlier?

I have done this too many times. I often wonder how much in life I have missed…opportunities to do something, simply because I forgot.

When inspiration hits, it is important to act immediately on it. I find that when I do this, even if I have to stop something else, I manage to finish up what I was already doing.

But if I don’t act on the inspiration, I lose it. Like a puff, it is gone.

Creativity can sometimes hit at the oddest moments. Such as sitting in a church service, drifting off to sleep, watching a ball game on TV, or playing with the kids.

But if you are prepared, you don’t have to lose those moments. You can take a few seconds to quick jot it down. Use a napkin, your smart phone, a notepad that you carry with you, send a text to yourself or write it on your hand.

I sometimes wonder what I might have been able to offer to someone else had I not allowed moments like that to pass by. But now I am not only more prepared, I have recognized the importance of snatching up those opportunities when they do come.

How do you respond when inspiration hits? Do you act immediately?

Curse of the Calendar or an Investment?

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Most of us have heard the phrase “the curse of the calendar.” I have often referred to my overfilled calendar the same way.

In fact, it can sometimes feel like the calendar gets in the way of doing the things we wish we could do. We don’t feel like we have made much progress in the way of working toward our dream because life just keeps happening and well…it just gets in our way.

As I was looking at the month of May in my calendar, something struck me. Call it divine inspiration or whatever you like, but I suddenly saw those penciled in events as something more than a curse. I saw them as investments.

Let me explain. Every Monday night for the next three months I have my husband’s softball games written in. I could look at this one of two ways.

I could see this as my time being sucked away every single Monday until August or I could see it as an investment of time with my husband…an investment of my support in something he enjoys. Interesting how perspective can change things, isn’t it?

It got me thinking about other events penciled in. Even those dreaded appointments for my children, such as the orthodontist. I can look at these as inconveniences and interruptions to my day or I can see them as investments in my children’s health.

Do you see how that completely turns around the curse of your calendar to an investment?

If we continue to look at those penciled in items as nothing more than a curse, something that just continues to get in the way of what we would really like to do…well, I don’t believe we will make much progress. That’s because we are seeing things with the wrong perspective.

In fact, I believe that all of those things that take up space on our calendars are really intertwined with our dreams. I don’t see life as being compartmentalized. I see it as one long flowing experience where each event touches another.

Maybe that has been your trouble with seeing any progress in fulfilling your dreams. You have been viewing your calendar—your life—as nothing more than a curse. Perhaps it’s time to change your perspective and see it as an investment.

Failures Can Be the Path to Success

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Have you ever considered that you learn more from your failures than your successes? I mean sure, it’s a great feeling to accomplish something. It can give you a real boost. But it doesn’t exactly grow you.

The greatest growth comes from those times we make mistakes…those times we fall flat on our faces. Because when we pick ourselves back up and we learn how to get past the mistake, we are a better person for it.

It’s important to remember that because oftentimes we look at people we consider “successful” and we think, “If only I could have it together like them.” “If only I had their life.”

But most of the successful people in this world got there the hard way. They have made mistakes and they have failed.

Michael Hyatt, one of my favorite inspirational speakers and authors, is what you would call successful. He is a true leader with many followers.

Yet he has experienced his share of failures such as being fired more than once, a failed business and lost money on real estate. His road wasn’t an easy one to travel.

Think about some of your past failures. Most of us would prefer not to. We would like those mistakes to be buried forever.

Perhaps it’s time you dug them out of the grave, brush them off and see them for what they really are. If you take time to consider each major failure in your life, you will discover a hidden treasure.

You will be able to see how you grew as a person. You will be able to recognize how far you have come. You may even see how those failures can be the path to future success.

Do You Believe in What You Are Trying to Sell?

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Have you ever tried to sell something you don’t believe in? Maybe you are good at that sort of thing but I’m not.

Years ago I tried to be a Mary Kay lady. I attended the meetings and witnessed all the excitement. I got caught up in it and invested a lot of money in product that not only I didn’t believe in, but didn’t use.

Let’s just say that my husband will probably never truly get over the financial loss. It taught me a powerful lesson, however. You can’t sell something you don’t believe in.

So what dream are you trying to sell to someone else? Is it a story you have written? A service project you are trying to get off the ground? A business you want to start?

Before you can sell your dream to someone else, you have to sell it to yourself. You have to actually believe in it.

Others will see right through you. It reminds me of the window salesman I had in my home a few months ago.

The whole experience was close to sheer torture. I couldn’t believe that any window company would think having a salesman sit in your home for 2 hours and talk about windows would get me to pay the astronomical price they were looking for.

But it wasn’t just the fact that he talked so much my ears nearly bled. It was the inescapable phoniness. He didn’t believe in the product he was selling.

Do you believe in your dream? Have you been sold on it? If not, you really can’t expect others to buy into it.

Sometimes You Have to Quit

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Most of us don’t look at quitting as a good thing…and we surely don’t consider it an option when we are pursuing a dream. Yet how many times in life has something you quit turned out to be the best decision?

I can’t help but think back to February, 1997. I had a 3-year-old son and was a couple of months away from delivering my daughter. I had been employed in the insurance business for several years, working my way up the corporate ladder.

But I had grown weary of the industry and most especially in dealing with a tyrannical boss. My heart wasn’t in it…it was now with my children.

The day I walked into my boss’ office to tell him I was quitting felt so freeing. But I will never forget as he sat there with this smug look on his face and said, “You will be back.” Somehow he didn’t see the whole stay-at-home mom thing working for me. I coyly responded, “No I won’t.”

And guess what? I have never returned.

I know what you’re thinking…who wouldn’t want to quit a job they hate? That’s easy, right? Okay, that may be true.

But my real point is to bring you back to my original thought of how we don’t view quitting as a good thing. It can be.

Whatever it is that you are pursuing, we have to realize when it’s a good time to quit. I’m not just talking about a job here. I am referring to projects, endeavors and efforts that just aren’t worth it.

Because the reality is that they may not fit in with what we are trying to accomplish…although we don’t always immediately recognize this. But in the name of honor we keep at it.

We may be afraid to be viewed as a failure if we quit. We may feel that too much time or money has been invested. So we keep plugging away at something that isn’t meant to be.

Let me give you another example. Several months ago I had what I thought was a brilliant idea. I decided to purchase a particular domain name. I envisioned launching this terrific website that was going to produce tons of traffic.

The problem was that I purchased it without realizing the work that would be required. I didn’t think about the additional costs and time involved in building the website and then marketing it. So I created a substandard site and set it to go live.

It’s been a huge flop. Because I invested money and I still have a few months of ownership, I didn’t want to quit.

Yet I came to realize that it was sucking unnecessary time from me. I thought it was part of my dream but it really wasn’t.

Another reason we are often afraid to quit is because it might let someone down. We might disappoint someone or we fear what they might think about us.

It’s got me thinking about another project I am involved in that I may need to quit. Yes, it might let a few people down but it’s requiring a lot of chasing grown people around when I really shouldn’t have to. When I think of the time I spend doing that, I realize how it’s taking away from other productive things I could be doing.

If you ask me…staying for the wrong reason is much worse than quitting for the right reasons.

Is there something you need to quit?

Life’s Stepping Stones

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There is a small creek that runs through a heavily wooded area that my family likes to hike through. In order to cross from one side to the next, you must carefully place your feet on each stepping stone.

Stepping stones serve a great purpose. Although they are small and in themselves appear to be insignificant, they can be used to help you accomplish a great feat…crossing from one side to the other.

Oftentimes we encounter stepping stones through life that we never consider to be important. We don’t see them as a way to get from one side to the other but that is just what they are.

Think of the major events in your life. Do you realize that each one was a stepping stone to fulfilling your dream? If you haven’t yet reached your dream, it could be that you are still navigating those stones until it is the right time to reach the other side.

Let me give you an example. If I were to try and wrap up my life in a nutshell it might look like this:

• Got Married
• Worked in the insurance business
• Started a family
• Became a stay-at-home mom
• Homeschooled
• Worked in a couple of schools as a teacher’s aide
• Took several online courses (mostly in education)
• Became a preschool teacher
• Quit work to pursue a writing career
• Now working full-time from home as a professional blogger and web content writer

Now when I look at certain parts of my life, it would be easy to think it was anything but a stepping stone. How did the time I spend taking online courses in education contribute to my ultimate dream that has to do with writing?

Well I did this when I was in my late 30’s, so one of the things I learned is that it’s never too late for anything. That motivation was what I needed to eventually pursue a writing career.

I could spend time going through each stepping stone and sharing how it has contributed to the goal of getting to the other side. But the point is that we have to look at the experiences we go through in life as stepping stones.

Difficult times, seemingly inconsequential times, and the good times. They have all been in preparation.

I encourage you to take the time to write down the major events of your life and spend time considering how they have served as stepping stones. Each experience in life is helping or has helped to prepare us.

The Seed Inside Your Heart

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I am not a green thumb by any nature. In fact, I kill most plants…not intentionally of course. But I do appreciate the beauty of how a small seed can turn into something quite beautiful and fragrant.

When I worked as a preschool teacher one of my favorite activities to do with the children was plant seeds. I loved to see their reactions when the seeds finally began to sprout.

It can be really exciting to see something come from nothing. Isn’t that true with our gifts and dreams?

I was thinking how there are many of us with these seeds planted inside our hearts. These are seeds that represent the dreams we have.

They are germinating, just waiting for the right time to sprout. Some seem to take forever to poke through. Others seem to grow quickly.

But no matter how differently each seed takes to flourish, there is something they all need. They need light and water. They need something to coax them forward.

Too often we complain about the seeds of our dreams lying dormant in our hearts. Yet we are doing nothing to nourish them, to give them the chance to grow.

Could it be that the seed of your dream that has been lying there for so long has been ready for a really long time to grow forth? Could it be that it’s just waiting for you to provide what it needs?

It’s just a thought.

Dealing with Setbacks

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One of the realities that we have to face in pursuing a dream is that we will experience setbacks. It comes with the territory.

Setbacks come in a variety of forms. It could be illness, a family problem, the loss of something, rejection and the list goes on.

Let’s consider how others before us have looked at setbacks.

Starting with Albert Einstein, he once said: In the middle of a difficulty lies opportunity.

The key is in making the effort to look for that opportunity. Let me give you a small example.

For over two years I have been working full-time writing web content for a company based out of Florida (I live in Wisconsin). I have enjoyed working from home and making very good money. I consistently have work. Sure, there have been times when the assignments were low but I have never been without work.

The company has made changes and now I will only be receiving writing assignments three weeks out of the month. The last week I will have no work. Initially I was in panic mode. One week of pay really makes a difference.

But instead of focusing on the fact that I would be making less money, I chose to see the opportunity. That one week a month allows me the time to work on other writing projects I haven’t been able to get to.

I truly do believe that in virtually every difficulty we face, there is an opportunity. It may not be immediately evident and it may be difficult to find, but if we are patient, I believe we will see it.

Let me leave you with a couple of other great quotes that may help if you are dealing with setbacks:

In every difficult situation is potential value. Believe this, then begin looking for it. – Normal Vincent Peale

It may sound strange, but many champions are made champions by setbacks. – Bob Richards

Small Steps Can Lead to the Biggest Achievements

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Last week I talked about spring cleaning your creative “to-do” list. I encouraged my readers to spend time thinking about the projects you intend on getting to. The list could include anything from polishing up a manuscript to cleaning out the closet.

I also challenged you to consider how long some of those items have been on your “to-do” list and to eliminate those things you know should be gone. If you actually did this, you might have found this a bit painful.

I will admit that I reluctantly took some things off my list but I figured if after 10 years I haven’t done a thing about it, I probably never will. Yes, I had to get very real with myself.

Take a look at the list in your hand. Has it been drastically reduced? Or do you still find a laundry list of things staring right back at you…those things you just know you can’t part with. Well that’s okay. Perhaps this is your chance to finally do something about them.

That’s where we are at today. What to do with the newly (hopefully) redesigned “to-do” list. I would guess that for most of us, the list has been shortened to some degree.

Here is a tip that I learned when it comes to spring cleaning my house or organizing areas in my home. It is also a good tip to follow when you are trying to eliminate financial debt. Go for the small stuff first.

In other words, tackle one drawer, not an entire room. Pay off the smallest bill you owe. When you start small it allows you the chance to feel successful, that you have truly accomplished something. If you continue to tackle the “big” stuff, you will find yourself getting frustrated by your lack of progress.

Think of it this way…before you can even get to a bigger project, wouldn’t it make much more sense to get the smaller stuff out of the way first? So your next step is to go through that list and prioritize your projects, starting with the smallest project (in other words, the one that would take the least amount of time to complete).

Now you can begin with the first thing on your list. Give yourself a deadline. Make it easier to accomplish by having at your disposal all of the tools you will need.

For instance, let’s say your smallest project is to submit a query on a great idea you have to one of your favorite magazines. Gather everything you need and put it into a folder. This allows you to easily access what you need when you are ready to get started on your project.

In this example it might be the magazine’s writer’s guidelines, samples of queries, a rough outline of your topic, and so on. Keep everything in one spot (folder, binder, bin, etc.) so that you don’t have to do any digging when it comes time to work on it.

Small steps can sometimes lead to the biggest achievements. What small step are you going to make today?