Giving up won’t get you there!

I have attempted to learn how to crochet for over 10 years! I have asked and inquired and requested and waited. After not having my request fulfilled, I eventually signed up for a single 1 hour class at a craft store locally. May I add I was super reluctant knowing that I am bright and I am a quick study, but I knew that something this important required hands-on instruction to achieve the level of success I desired?

When I got to the class, I was the sole student! We can agree that this can be intimidating or viewed as an opportunity! Well, guess which view won?

I can look at this project and see the mistakes or I can see my bravery! Not only did I learn, but started with an intermediate stitch! 

Don’t give up on what’s in your heart to do! Find a way to make it work no matter how long it takes. You may be the only one with an opportunity, but it’s yours for the taking!! Don’t be hard on yourself as you grow and reflect. Stay grateful and remind yourself of the courage the journey has required to remain hopeful and thrive. 

What will you choose to see?

Let Your Soul Speak

Tonight, I accidentally let my soul pray, "I can't be all things to everyone" and the weeping began.

In that moment, I was allowed to be weak and encouraged at the same time. Oddly enough, I did not rush out of the moment, as if it were a dramatic play scene. I reassured myself that it was okay to express and have this feeling! This was certainly not a moment to pull myself up by my own boot straps, but to realize that I was wearing sneakers, an entirely different type of shoe.

Meditation and prayer are one in the same for me. The peeling back process of our thoughts, worries and things that make us anxious that occurs through meditation and the quieting of distractions allows me to see with a different eye. The prayer activates my voice and hearing with prayer. As I write this, I realize that I "pray" with my head more often than pray with my heart. While both are important, there are times when my heart's prayer fails to surface because of all the noise. 

This season, I am being lead read to scriptures, quotes and experiences around the word "wait". So interesting. I will pick this conversation up later, but let's start digesting it. 

My Competition

Today, the first thing I told myself when I started running my 5K was “this is the best timing ever”. It’s amazing how during the entire run though,  I rarely glanced at my watch, but whenever I looked at my watch I would look at the distance and not the time that has passed. It hit me that what’s most important in journeys is how we grow and how we encourage ourselves along the way and NOT so much how long we’ve been in a season or how much further we have to go before it ends. 

Quite honestly, as I continued to run one of the encouraging things I reminded myself was that I am competing against myself. I began to see the Olympics and all of the individual lanes on the track. I saw Shaunaof 2015 in one lane and Shauna of 2017 in the other lane and Shauna of 2010 in the other lane. Lane 5 hosted Shauna of 2005 and Lane 6 had Shauna of yesterday. Are you picking up what I’m putting down? The only competition we have is who we were yesterday. If that doesn’t add stretch goals and fire, I’m not sure what will! YOU VS YOU.

Self-Issued Grace

 

I have adopted the disclaimer to my drive, that “the person I was yesterday is my only competition”. High expectations and internal motivation has typically been my recipe for goal achievement.

My greatest challenge recently included giving myself permission to not achieve goals and tell myself no! I wanted my inhalation to be rooted from a strongly founded exhalation.  I realized that I am not just pushing myself to the limit, but often past the limit. Grace was extended to relax my standards and just be. In this time, I was expected to restore and let my health be a lifestyle, not just a box to check off or another ring to close.

Is there a task or behavior that you can allow yourself to be “excused from the table”? It certainly will not change your character. Just know the reward will produce an enhanced YOU, filling yourself with kindness. Affirm that you ARE giving (it) your best! This best includes compassion and peace.

So, will you join me to give ourself permission to exhale and grace to enjoy it?