Extraordinary-02

One thing I struggle with a lot is doubting myself.  Such as starting this new blog this week, the nervous part of my gut told me, “Oh gosh, does anyone still care about what I write, am I just wasting my time?”  At the same time, I’ve always considered myself a risk taker, yet those risks don’t come without their fair share of doubts.  With each new crazy idea I’ve tried to carry out, or get the guts to believe it just might succeed, I am instantly attacked by the all the “what ifs” attached.  What if I fail?  What if my prayer doesn’t get answered? What if I try and end up looking like a fool?  What if I’m not making the right decision?  What if?  What if?  What if?

Are you in that place where you are feeling in the depths of your heart that God is calling you to try something so extraordinary that you know it could only be Him calling you to do it?  Are you stopping yourself from moving forward because of the doubts that cloud your head?  Are you just darn afraid to take that risk?  That next step?  That challenge to spill your heart into the fear of the great unknown?

Here’s a few life lessons I’ve learned along the way that I hope can encourage you to move forward with doing the extraordinary.

LESSONS LEARNED:

  1. God calls the ordinary.  If all you are hearing in your ear is “Who am I to do something like that?”, then that is not God’s truth.  God says “You can” (Phil 4:13).  God says “I have called you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:24)  God says  “I have equipped you.” (Exodus 4:13-13-17)   God says “You are my child”. (3 John 1:4) God says “Be strong.”  (Joshua 1:9)
  2. Sure you might fail, but you just might succeed.  One of the greatest gifts my dad left me before he left this earth, was the gift to overcome fears of failure.  I love to share the story of when I went to him with a crazy business idea, and explained to him all my fears of failure surrounding it.  And in his fatherly wisdom way, he simply responded “Sure… you might fail…. but you just might succeed.”  In that moment I suddenly realized I was actually more afraid of succeeding, not failure, because if I wanted to succeed so much, what was stopping me from moving toward that?
  3. Get yourself a cheer squad.  I would not be the person I was today if it weren’t for my mom always reminding me to dream big, and that anything was possible.  I also wouldn’t have the confidence I have today without my husband constantly reminding me to look at the glass half full instead of the emptiness I naturally see and fight against everyday.  And I certainly wouldn’t be as strong in my faith, not only in God, but also in myself, to go after great risks without loving friends who surround me in prayer and a big YOU CAN DO IT turned to a celebration of WOO HOO when it actually happens.  I need my cheer squad.  I need to be able to lean on their faith in me when I am lacking faith in myself.  You need it too.  Who are 5 people you can reach out to to ask them to stand in the gap of your faith?
  4. Replace the negative with positive.  So often the enemy (usually in the form of critics here on earth) tries to fill my head with negativity that have nothing to do with the path that God has me on.  Yet, the enemy is passionate about trying to steer me off that path… and he knows how to do it by attacking my thoughts first.  I once read a book by Joyce Meyer called “Battle of the Mind” that I highly recommend, and that’s the bottom line.  Our mind is a battlefield where spiritual warfare happens.  If Satan can get us to doubt in our thoughts, to dwell on negative lies, to stop reading God’s truth… then he WINS.  We must must must stay ingrained in God’s word so that we can counterbalance the negative thoughts that repeat in our head.
  5. Live a life of “I did that!” instead of “What If?”  Though it might seem like a long time from now, picture your end days.  When you look back on your life, do you want to say “Wow, I had a fulfilling life,” or “Man, I regret not doing more of the things I always wanted to do.”  Choose to live a life that has more to list of things you experienced or accomplished rather than a regret list of things you wanted to do.  One thing I started recently was composing a list in my iPhone notes called “TO DO/DONE”.  In the TO DO section, I have a list of things I would still like to try.  It’s not always business related, it’s mostly personal.  It’s practical things to aim for like “Watch a drive-in movie” all the way to crazy big ideas like “Own a kangaroo.”  Then, I got started on my DONE list, and as I really thought more and more about all the cool things I have done in life, that list far exceeded my TO DO list.  On days I feel like my life is so boring, or I’m feeling down and not content or consumed with doubt, I like to look at my DONE list and realize, “I’m so glad I did that!” instead of always wondering “What if?”  I never imagined I would see the Sydney Opera House, or scuba dive, or stand on the top of the tallest mountain in Switzerland, or swam in a waterfall, or write a book, or hold a blue butterfly.  But I did.  They all started as a “what if” that I’m so glad I didn’t let doubt keep it as that.  What things need to be on your DONE list that you are letting “What if?” hold you back from accomplishing?

If you haven’t seen it yet, I have a page here on the blog dedicated to providing you inspirational quotes I love that I’ve designed to make it easy to grab and share and Pin!  Here’s an example one, with many more by clicking here!  I thought this one below goes along with today’s post perfectly!  Enjoy!

BeInspired18

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