Happy Monday ... I hope the sun is shining on you and your day is off to a great start! For so many of my friends in Texas and Louisiana I pray so hard that their week is so much better than the last one. So many had such awful weather and so many suffered. It truly broke my heart. My specific prayer is for restoration and peace and that this week would bring better weather, water, and electricity for all. I am so thankful that so many have shared resources for us to help. I do not know about you but when I know someone is hurting I need to be able to do something. At this very moment I pray so hard for my friends in Shreveport, Louisiana. Lord, they need water!!!
I had an interesting weekend, very low key but also very emotional. I am most definitely processing some things, more to come soon, but also really just trying to set some goals for the year and that, of course, comes with fear. We all struggle with this and I am doing my best to recognize that is what it is and truly own it. We have some news, nothing bad, but it is taking some time to process and it is taking up some space in my head. I know I am being vague, but it will all be shareable very, very soon.
So let's talk goals and fear. Anytime I make goals it forces me to face my fear of not meeting the goal, I am sure I am not the only one. The bigger the goal, the more fear. So my goals for this year are larger than I think they have ever been which means that my fears are large as well. Last year was crazy and in the midst of that crazy and some organization and clean out I once again started selling vintage and antique pieces on Instagram with a goal of selling what I listed. The goal was simple. I list it and it sells. Beyond that I didn't dream at all, and I should have, the business has grown and has grown so much I am now thinking of adding in help for shipping and what I will do to celebrate the shop when it hits 10k followers.
So this year I am making goals and making big ones and the more I dream the more I fear. I was watching my girl play volleyball in Tennessee via a link on the internet yesterday and really thinking about how far she has come in just a few years. You will recall her sport of choice was swimming for so many years. From the time she was 6 she was on a year round team and also swam during the summer for our neighborhood. She absolutely loved it. When she hit 5th grade she also started swimming for the school team and there were three years she was swimming on three teams at once and really just soaking it all up. I watched her make goals for herself and beat them each and every time. It inspired me so, as she has never been afraid to fail, she is only afraid not to try.
As I watched her play yesterday it occurred to me how far she came since she made volleyball her sport of choice only two years ago. Swim became something she dreaded after a few bad experiences and with the exception of teaching others to swim in the summer she is not competing at all. She decided to try volleyball as a 7th grader and really loved it from day one. This year after the school season the coach suggested she and two friends try out for a club team nearby. I was worried about the time commitment and the travel aspect but she was sure she wanted to do it and we signed up. That was a few months ago and now I see her play and she how much she has grown and I am completely in awe. She showed up the first day of try outs in 7th grade having NEVER played or really even touched a volleyball at all, now she is a starter on a club team three years later. This would never have been possible without her determination to try something new. She showed up, said she didn't know how to play, and made a goal to learn and excel.
Why, oh why do we let fear control us when it truly should never?
This was my thought this morning as I looked at my dream goals on a list. I thought about her playing, about her succeeding and when she doesn't how she shows up again and again to do better. She has always been braver than me, stronger than me, and once again, inspired me. Watching her excel has inspired me to make this dream goal and go after it.
And when I make it I can't wait to tell her it was all because of her strength and bravery and God that it came true.
Dream big ... and have the very best day.
You must have been reading my mind. It's so easy to feel stuck during this pandemic and I've quit dreaming of what I'd really like to be doing vs reality. You're so right about making the goal but letting fear stop you. Thank you for your inspiring words.
ReplyDeleteHi Paige -- You and your daughter have inspired me!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to sit down THIS AFTERNOON and dream big -- not just dream, but choose a goal, put it down ON PAPER (and post it on my fridge -- I have a good friend who swears by this and every single time she does it, her goals are met and her dreams come true!)
heeeeere we goooooooooooooooooooooooo!!