inspiration

Is fear holding you back from your goals?

August 21, 2017

Hey, friends!  I wanted to hop on and talk to you for a minute.  Let me start with a short story.  My husband and I have been raising beef cows as a hobby for the last 3-4 years. It’s been a fun and adventurous little venture that our boys thoroughly enjoy.  A few months ago we purchased this year’s cows that we will eventually sell in quarters early next year.  To say these cows were skittish from the get-go is an understatement.  The move from the farm where they were born to our current location was traumatic for them.  My husband first held them in a small holding pen for a couple of days before opening up a corral and letting them out into the larger pasture that had been cordoned off with a portable electric wire.  The cows, being curious and trying to run from my husband, went up to the wire and as expected, it shocked them.  The electric wire stayed up for three to four days before my husband removed it to give them more roaming privileges. Here’s where it got interesting; Even though the live wire had been taken down, the cows refused to go past where it had previously been.  Here they were with the complete freedom to roam free and run the entire length of the pasture yet they were too afraid to go past the spot that had previously caused them pain.

Fear can happen to any of us

I wonder how many of us are like that in our own lives?  Living a fear-based life because of what happened in the past when we have complete freedom at our disposal.  I’ve been there, so I know how it feels.  You try something new, and it doesn’t work.  All the negative circumstances that come with the failed attempt leave you hurt, vulnerable and afraid to step out again so that when another opportunity comes along, you refuse to take a chance and try.  When this happens often enough, we can lose confidence in ourselves, our abilities and the goals we’ve set for ourselves.

Move past fear

Friends, don’t let past failures keep you from pursuing the life of freedom that lies ahead of you.  Don’t be like our cows who missed out on a great opportunity of fresh, green grass for days because of past disappointments. You’ve been given the world to conquer. Refuse to let the fear of repeating past failures hold you back from conquering it. This time you just might find an open door and success.

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Are you walking in your purpose?

August 11, 2017

Do you know each of us has a particular purpose?  A purpose that fulfills you and shares your gifts & talents with the world?  Walking in purpose helps you feel satisfied, needed and for the most part, complete.

Did you also know that people are waiting for you to walk in your purpose? That’s right, walking in your purpose has just as much to do with the people you are called to help and influence as it does with you being happy.

You will always touch other lives when you’re doing what you were created to do. It doesn’t matter if you’re the next Steve Jobs, a teacher or a stay-at-home mom.  What a great thought that you will change someone’s life because you are who you were meant to be! You could very well be carrying someone else’s miracle inside you right now.

Here’s the thing y’all, walking in your purpose is NOT just about being well-known or making a lot of money.  It IS about touching every life you are meant to reach and bringing everything you are made to bring into the world; every gift, every word, every invention, every drop of love, compassion and attention to every human who is meant to receive it.

I’m encouraging you to dust off your dreams, let go of your fears and start doing what you are called to do. Don’t fret if you’re not sure what you’re called to do.  It’s not as hard as you think to find out and we’ll talk about how to do it soon.  Just remember people are waiting for you to step out and walk in your purpose.

 

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Inspiration board: An Iowa friendship brunch

December 4, 2013

Today I’m sharing the inspiration board for a friendship brunch I recently had the honor of helping plan.

My client Betty came to me asking for help planning a brunch she was having to celebrate her friend Susan.  Susan was a dear friend of Betty’s who passed away unexpectedly this past summer.  Her birthday was in November so Betty wanted to bring together a group of Susan’s closest friends to celebrate her memory.

The inspiration for the brunch came from a picture of a beautiful yellow rose taken from Susan’s casket at her funeral.  Betty’s daughter-in-law took a picture of the rose she’d been given and kept in her refrigerator for over a month after the funeral.

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Betty decorated for Christmas the week before the brunch so we thought a Christmas feel for the event was more appropriate. Yellow is not a typical Christmas color but since it was such an important part of the event, it had to be included.  So the requirements were:

1)  Use the color yellow and incorporate yellow roses

2)  Make the decor fit in with the Christmas decor already in the house

3)  Add a bit of sparkle

Here is the inspiration board I created for the event:

Friendship-brunchI went with a yellow and grey color scheme and I was oh so excited!  This is my favorite type of event to plan, one that has meaning and an obvious attention to detail.

Join me later this week when I share pictures of the finished event.

P.S.  How fun is the idea of a friendship brunch!  What a special event to share with your friends.  I might just have to use this idea in the near future to get a group of my favorite ladies together.