This blog has been inspired by two amazing and influential women in my life (or so I like to think): Jody Moore and Brooke Castillo. I began listening to Jody's podcast over a year ago and her ideas really hit me hard. I found her podcast titled Bold New Mom at a time when I was struggling with the birth of my third (and final) child, adjusting to not working outside the home ("What have I done?? Can I handle this?"), and feeling beat down by the daily grind. I was also trying to manage my own outlook on life through the lens of depression (hello, maternal mental health!), which is no picnic. (My mental health journey is another post all on its own, but suffice it to say that it is a never ending battle that I have yet to win, and I am not sure that I ever will, but I have accepted that.) Anyway, after I found Jody's podcast on iTunes it was all I could listen to for months. I was excited for long car rides where I could just turn on my phone and drive down the highway while Jody sat in my front seat spilling gallons of wisdom and compassion into my soul. I told everyone around me about my 'new life coach' (because that's what she is, a certified life coach!) and how they could not possibly survive one more day without drinking from the fountain of her genius. I knew that she was a blessing from God, sent to help me discover a whole lotta knowledge and to get through a rough patch of life. That was some time ago, and frankly, without looking back in my journal or facebook-stalking myself, I'm not sure exactly how long ago it was, maybe a little over 18 months? 2 years even?
Cue Brooke Castillo. (She's Jody's teacher at The Life Coach School) Just a few weeks ago a friend of mine encouraged me to listen to Jody's teacher, Brooke, to see if I could take some pointers from her since she teaches with a slightly different approach. I took her up on that and listened to a couple recent podcasts and saved a whole bunch more for later.
Tonight as I was driving home on an hour and a half drive with my family all asleep in the car around me, I was privileged to partake of le buffet de Brooke! Wow folks. Don't get me wrong, I love Jody and she speaks to me on a regular basis (literally--I'm in her Be Bold Community program!), [in fact, I was listening to her first but my phone quacked out and I had to try a different App.] but Brooke hits it hard. She has a different style and it's nice to hear the same concepts delivered in a different way by multiple people. I began with the podcast on Minimalism and then moved on to The Power of Planning (both from August 2016) but didn't finish it because my brain felt so full of information and my heart felt such a desire to improve. There were so many paths to real change floating around in my mind that I just had to turn it off and sit with it, really let my brain think about what was happening (a practice that Brooke also suggested in the podcast!).
Jody refers to Byron Katie a ton (Byron is a woman with a very amazing personal experience) and references "The Work", which basically entails figuring out what your thoughts are and what they are leading you to believe, and then going from there to change your unhealthy and not so productive thoughts. Simply put: change your thoughts, change your life.
As I drove down the dark back roads of North Central Florida listening to Brooke talk about how we have to plan to create our lives in order to become what we want, I realized and felt a ton of things:
1. I haven't been planning lately. I've really been suckin' it up in this area. (My diet...my days....my life...)
2. When I have taken the time to plan and set goals in my life things have gone better, even if I haven't achieved those goals exactly as I set out.
3. I really don't want to spend my life wishing and hoping that it turns out the way I 'dream of' (and when I say dream of, I mean the person I am in my day dreams...how awesome I am in the various roles I get to play: wife, mother, sister, friend. IE being on time, showered and put together, etc.). I have spent years being indecisive about SO many things, and what I realized tonight is that my indecision is just an excuse. It's an excuse to not have to do the hard stuff-- The Work.
BAM.
That triggered some more things.
1. A scripture came to my mind, where God states "this is my work and my glory: to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."
2. Jesus Christ has already made it His mission to bring about eternal life for me. My life is my work and my glory, but if I don't do it, it won't happen. I have to do the work to become the person that I want to be--the person that I know that God can help me become, that He knows that I have the potential to become; but hoping and dreaming about it isn't going to make it happen. (...then I wrestled with my lack of ability to get up early in the mornings and how I justify that about 500 different ways...)
Now I find myself writing this blog, which is funny, because I have spent months trying to figure out something meaningful to blog about. Tonight I realized that I don't need to be as good or better than anyone else at anything (especially blogging!)-It's NOT a contest! I just need to find what brings me joy and helps me feel fulfilled and run with it. If nobody ever reads this blog it's OK, in fact, it's totally fine! It's not meant for anybody but me. If I can help a few people (or one?) on the way, that would be awesome. I also know that writing is a great outlet for me and helps me to process my thoughts and emotions, as well as keep my brain challenged (brainercise anyone?).
I have a forever long road to go to reach 'my potential', but we all do. I don't think potential is actually something we reach anyway, it's not a thing-- it's kind of a constant and onward/upward goal. It's a journey.
This is the story of my journey, of My Work.
Cue Brooke Castillo. (She's Jody's teacher at The Life Coach School) Just a few weeks ago a friend of mine encouraged me to listen to Jody's teacher, Brooke, to see if I could take some pointers from her since she teaches with a slightly different approach. I took her up on that and listened to a couple recent podcasts and saved a whole bunch more for later.
Tonight as I was driving home on an hour and a half drive with my family all asleep in the car around me, I was privileged to partake of le buffet de Brooke! Wow folks. Don't get me wrong, I love Jody and she speaks to me on a regular basis (literally--I'm in her Be Bold Community program!), [in fact, I was listening to her first but my phone quacked out and I had to try a different App.] but Brooke hits it hard. She has a different style and it's nice to hear the same concepts delivered in a different way by multiple people. I began with the podcast on Minimalism and then moved on to The Power of Planning (both from August 2016) but didn't finish it because my brain felt so full of information and my heart felt such a desire to improve. There were so many paths to real change floating around in my mind that I just had to turn it off and sit with it, really let my brain think about what was happening (a practice that Brooke also suggested in the podcast!).
Jody refers to Byron Katie a ton (Byron is a woman with a very amazing personal experience) and references "The Work", which basically entails figuring out what your thoughts are and what they are leading you to believe, and then going from there to change your unhealthy and not so productive thoughts. Simply put: change your thoughts, change your life.
As I drove down the dark back roads of North Central Florida listening to Brooke talk about how we have to plan to create our lives in order to become what we want, I realized and felt a ton of things:
1. I haven't been planning lately. I've really been suckin' it up in this area. (My diet...my days....my life...)
2. When I have taken the time to plan and set goals in my life things have gone better, even if I haven't achieved those goals exactly as I set out.
3. I really don't want to spend my life wishing and hoping that it turns out the way I 'dream of' (and when I say dream of, I mean the person I am in my day dreams...how awesome I am in the various roles I get to play: wife, mother, sister, friend. IE being on time, showered and put together, etc.). I have spent years being indecisive about SO many things, and what I realized tonight is that my indecision is just an excuse. It's an excuse to not have to do the hard stuff-- The Work.
BAM.
That triggered some more things.
1. A scripture came to my mind, where God states "this is my work and my glory: to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."
2. Jesus Christ has already made it His mission to bring about eternal life for me. My life is my work and my glory, but if I don't do it, it won't happen. I have to do the work to become the person that I want to be--the person that I know that God can help me become, that He knows that I have the potential to become; but hoping and dreaming about it isn't going to make it happen. (...then I wrestled with my lack of ability to get up early in the mornings and how I justify that about 500 different ways...)
Now I find myself writing this blog, which is funny, because I have spent months trying to figure out something meaningful to blog about. Tonight I realized that I don't need to be as good or better than anyone else at anything (especially blogging!)-It's NOT a contest! I just need to find what brings me joy and helps me feel fulfilled and run with it. If nobody ever reads this blog it's OK, in fact, it's totally fine! It's not meant for anybody but me. If I can help a few people (or one?) on the way, that would be awesome. I also know that writing is a great outlet for me and helps me to process my thoughts and emotions, as well as keep my brain challenged (brainercise anyone?).
I have a forever long road to go to reach 'my potential', but we all do. I don't think potential is actually something we reach anyway, it's not a thing-- it's kind of a constant and onward/upward goal. It's a journey.
This is the story of my journey, of My Work.