“In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.” Romans 12:6 NLT
Is it better to have had and lost than to never have had at all? While you ponder that, allow me to share something that used to be a major pet peeve.
I used to get highly offended when someone would complain to me about their car being in the shop, or having to lend it to someone else. How could they possibly get around for a week with no car?
Why did this bother me? I have a visual impairment, so I can’t drive. I get around with the help of my family, friends, public transportation, and most recently, Uber. I have always had to figure out how to get from place to place, so from my perspective, a week with no car is minor. I confess that my thinking was judgmental. I have also come to respect the significance of the inconvenience. It comes down to potential.
Potential consists of latent (existing, but not developed) qualities that have the capacity to be developed. I’ve never been able to legally drive, so while the desire is within me, the capacity to do so (legally) never has existed. The potential is not there. However, the quality has been developed in those who do drive, and therefore, when a car is in the shop, they are not able to use their full mobility potential.
My potential, on the other hand, lies in the ability to get around extremely well despite my inability to drive! I am known for adventures like getting to a friend’s concert 100 miles away and back in 16 hours. I have potential to ask for help and creatively coordinate plans and rides…because it’s what I’ve always done! I have the potential to build amazing relationships from the car rides.
Are you tapping into your full potential? The Journey Training can provide you with tools to explore your potential and act on it! Don’t sit at home and mope because you don’t have a car. Drive (or ride) on over and sign up for the next class!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me understand that my potential is not defined by my circumstances.
Journal: What potential do I have that I am not using to the fullest?
Post/Tweet Today: Tap into your full potential! #limitless #triumph #thejourneytraining
Do you have a child just starting their first day of Kindergarten? Are they in middle school or high school? Are they beginning their senior year of High School or they just graduated and they are leaving for college and the beginning of their adult life? Or, Lord help you, do you homeschool your kids?
Whatever stage of schooling your kids are in, there are always some sort of emotion for moms attached to our kids going back to school. I cried all 6 times I took my kids to their first day of Kindergarten. I missed them so much during the day! Middle school…..distance makes the heart grow fonder and I really needed to miss them during the day so I was so excited when they got home from school! My oldest son started college last year and it’s my 2nd son’s turn this year. It is bittersweet because they are becoming responsible adults….but don’t need me as much as they used to. My friend Debbie has an entirely different perspective as she has always homeschooled her children. When I finally have some breathing room and time to do anything, she is booked solid educating her kiddos.
Getting kids ready to go back to school is not a simple thing, especially if you have multiple children going to multiple schools. There are clothes to buy, endless school supplies to gather, sports teams to sign up for, and right after school begins…forms to fill out, MORE school supplies to purchase, clubs to sign up for, band, drama, orchestra, and on and on and on. Remember, your kids are experiencing all of this stress with you! With all of this craziness, have you ever stopped before it starts and ask your kids what theywant to accomplish this year? What are their goals? We, as parents, always have goals for our children but they will only accomplish them if our goals line up with their own goals.
My challenge for you is to set aside at least 1 hour, with each of your children, to sit down and ask them about their goals for the upcoming year. If you will be interrupted at home, go somewhere else. Take them out to lunch or go to a park. Turn your phone off, and give them your undivided attention. Completely focusing on them gives them permission to open up and be vulnerable with you! Tell them that you want to support their goals, not just make goals for them, and you want to challenge them to reach for something that will help them grow.
With all of these goals, ask them what their reason or motivation is for setting this goal (it can be just for fun even). Also have them consider the time and financial commitment of each activity and make sure it does not become overwhelming.
Help them make SMART goals:(Specific Measurable Achievable Relevant Timely)
Listed below are some areas in which they might want to set goals.
Sports – What sport? What team? What position? Extra training needed?
School clubs – What clubs? Do they want to join a new one or be involved in club leadership?
Musical instruments – What instrument?What chair do they want to work for? Do they need private lessons?
Drama – Do they need a drama coach?Do they need your help to practice?
Goals for grades – Advanced courses?
Hours of sleep at night – If this goal isn’t set, many of the other goals will not be achieved.
Job / no job – This is a money versus time question….which is needed more.
Exercise – This can be as simple as taking a walk with you every day.If you have a dog, you have an easy reason to walk.
Making friends – Have them look at their friends and make sure they are surrounding themselves with people that support them, not drag them down.
Social activities/events – This is very important.It teaches them how to relate, communicate, and socialize with others. Plus…it is FUN!
Ask them if there are any other goals they want to set.
The point is not to add stress, just to teach them to set and achieve goals. Celebrate with them when they reach each goal! This will also give them another reason to discuss what is going on at school with you. Take this opportunity to make another connection with your kiddos! You won’t regret it!!
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Have you heard something like, “It’s better to give someone a hand up than a handout”? Well, contrary to societal opinion, it’s not a mean or cruel statement. It’s wisdom, because it strikes at the heart of human nature. Sure, there are times to give freely to people in need because we’ve been so blessed. I believe we’re called do so and I bet you do just that. But, when I put my hand out—feeling entitled, deserving, and play the victim—there are clear consequences:
I become lazy
I get angry
I fail to contribute
I don’t serve
I stop learning
Let’s look at these briefly.
I become lazy. If I am handed stuff, why sweat, labor, and toil? Even though we were created to create and designed to work, any person given all he or she needs will find the path of doing nothing an easy one to tread. I simply become lazy.
I get angry. When I believe I’m entitled and then don’t get “what I deserve,” my thoughts are, Hey, not fair! and Why would they do this to me!? And because thoughts drive feelings, the output can only be one thing: Now I’m mad! Anger is generally an unhealthy place to be, serving none of us well.
I fail to contribute. There’s not a “motivational speaker” who hasn’t said, “What goes around comes around!” and “To get you must first give!” Well, no matter your view of these sweaty people on the platform, they’re right. It’s just the way the world works. It’s forever true: we reap what we sow. Truly, when my hand is out, I’m not using it, nor my feet, energy, or talent to add value to anyone else’s life. Fail!
I don’t serve. This sounds like contribution, but it comes before. Contribution is the result; service is the act. The act of serving feeds our soul, ignites our spirit, and creates joy–in us. When engaged in victim thinking, there’s about zero chance I’ll be serving and thus contributing to anyone–not even myself.
I stop learning. If I am lost in the forest, have never been a Boy Scout and want to survive, I would have to learn and learn fast! There would be no time for the traps victim thinking leads to: complaining, blaming, and procrastinating. I would work–intensely—to find food, water, and shelter. I may lack the skills, but the desire to learn would envelope me. If you hand me all that I need to make it, I would learn nothing.
So honest question: Have you ever found yourself in any of these places?
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When I am operating within my mission, it keeps me going.
How can I teach when I do not know?
Being stuck does not allow me to learn.
How can I inspire when I am stuck in a hole?
I need to keep pushing forward.
How can I serve when I am stuck?
Look at it this way; if you were a waiter, could you serve the table if you are sitting in your chair?
As a leader, it is my role to set the example for others; getting stuck is not what I choose to do. WAIT, unfortunately sometimes it does, so what do I do?
I surround myself with people that energize me.
I am not looking for those who are in a pity party; otherwise I will end up in the pit with them. If you put a crab in a bucket and it can climb out of that bucket, it will climb out. But if you put two crabs in the bucket, when one of the crabs tries to climb out, the other will pull it back in. Neither will ever escape. It doesn’t matter that it’s possible to escape, the crabs will hold each other back from doing so, that’s why its important to choose driven and like-minded people to be in the bucket with you. Thrive15.com is an “edutainment” company created to help you succeed; I choose to be surrounded by mentors that help me stay driven. I enjoy being around those that encourage me to be a better version of me. The Journey Training allows me to be around people that encourage me to pause in my life and take action on things I may be putting off.
Listen to music that uplifts me.
There are certain kinds of music that uplifts our spirit, others that supports our misery. I choose uplifting. I also listen to soundtracks from movies. I think and you think of happy things, it changes your mood.
I go for a walk
When you exercise it releases endorphins, and it puts you in a better mood. I was recently on a walk, and irritated by my own decisions. I came across this HUGEMOUNGOUS, UGLY spider. It was eating its own web. I sat there for 30 minutes. No radio, no TV, no distractions other than the occasional bird, or dog barking, and watched it. It was almost like the spider was taking up the webbing that it had made, and put in the wrong place and was eating it. I read later that spiders do that to get back the energy and protein it needs. It helped me realize that some of the decisions I made may have been wrong, but I can learn from them, and they can make me stronger.
The solution here is when you get stuck, get moving! Take action! Hiding, going to bed, addictions, watching TV, all of these are easy ways to stay in your rut, in fact they are ways to continue to stay stuck.
When you are ready to make a change, you will take action. This is one of the many reasons I am a HUGE supporter of The Journey Training. You want to get unstuck, go thru this training. I will guarantee this will help you. Why? Because you are taking action, taking a step.
Being stuck is a just that – stuck! Want to be Unstuck? Get UNSTUCK!
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