It was a business trip offered by one of the companies I work for. The company chartered a boat with a Captain to take us fishing. It was the inspiration I needed for this year.
He cast the lines and we had to watch the tip of the rod. If we saw it bend, we were to grab the rod and pull hard. That embedded the hook and then we had to reel it in fast. Captain Wes would see the rod bend and yell at us to, “Get it, get it, get it, get it, get it!”
I still hear him yelling at me.
I was on the edge of my seat the entire time! Captain Wes reminded me that fishing is similar to reeling in anything we want to achieve.
Yesterday, I saw this mug and bought it for afternoon tea. You know I don’t need one more mug, and it wasn’t even about the mug, but what it said on it. I need to see this everyday.
They say a dream will never leave you, unlike an ‘idea’ we soon forget. You will have ideas toward your dream. Stepping stones. Jot them down.
That dream that God placed in my heart…It’s still there. When I need encouragement toward my dream, I pull it up in my mind and see it instantly and clearly, although God showed it to me years ago.
It’s always the exact same, like watching a rerun.
I am my own worst enemy for my dream. I could quit it at any given time.
Go Back to the Beginning
“If you’re not willing to begin at the beginning, you’ll never end up at the ending.”~Christine Caine
The end of August, I stepped off the beaten path and changed the name of this Blog, but a week ago, I changed it back. I didn’t think up the name Letitgocoach. It was the only name available on WordPress with the words, ‘let it go’. God knows what He’s doing, even when we don’t.
Someone in my life at the time laughed at that name. He thought it was absurd. Let them laugh.
They may look at you like you’re a nut, but to an Oak tree, you’re everything.
Hold Onto the Dream
Now that you are daring to dream, there is something else you need to encompass.
BELIEVE.
Sounds simple right? It is, but you are going to go through tests. Pass those tests. Just get through them to the very best of your ability. Every test will make you stronger, better and quicker for the next one.
Dreamers can live in a lonely world.
Listen to motivational speakers. Read uplifting books, and Blogs. Look at people who have already achieved a similar dream, and learn from them.
Keep people in your life who love you, motivate you, encourage you, inspire you, enhance you, and make you happy.
I continually let people walk out of my life.
Let Go of the Plan
I would venture to guess no football team won the Super Bowl their first year of playing. It takes years of dedication. The same with Olympic Gold Medalists. They have that dream at a young age.
How long have you had your dream?
Maybe it’s not happening as quickly as you planned, but continue laying your hand to it. Use your gift, let go of those pesky expectations, and believe.
Success is when our preparation, and God’s timing meet on the journey.
Over the years, God has given me success. At some point in the journey I’d always ask, “What is keeping me from everything you have for me?”
My life is quiet. I created it that way on purpose.
Some people cannot embrace the quiet. They have to stay busy. The stillness of life is a beautiful thing. Have you practiced just sitting in it?
Sometime last year, I took all the apps off of my phone that made noise. I have an undying love for Google, so the Google family of apps stayed.
My phone may be quiet, but my mind is not.
I’m always thinking, and this was disturbing my sleep. It would take so long for my brain to shut off, I started dreading bedtime. Plus, I would wake up the next day tired from trying to get some sleep!
I tried a lot of things to prepare my mind for bed.
My daughter recommended Melatonin, but that just knocked me out. This is the same daughter that told me, “You look tired.” I longed for a good night’s sleep. That feeling of drifting off to dreamland.
The other night, I laid in bed and listened to my breathing. In my mind, I heard my Yoga instructor say as if to remind me, “It’s all in the breath.”
I’ve been practicing Yoga and meditation all year.
I’ve been doing both of them wrong.
Yoga was a form of exercise for me, but that is not it’s main purpose. That is more like a fringe benefit.
I could never get my mind quiet long enough to meditate. Guess what? I’m not supposed to. It’s okay to be mindful of your thoughts during meditation.
This is when I tried Headspace for 10 days straight.
My daughter mentioned I was ‘sighing’ a lot, but it wasn’t a sigh. It was controlled breathing. I was sorting through my thoughts with each breath.
Two nights ago, guess how I fell asleep?
By counting my breath. Just being aware of my breath, and counting each inhale and exhale.
I felt myself drifting off to sleep. Quiet is good.
Sitting at my desk looking out the window at the pier, thinking…”It looks cold out there.” I remember standing on that pier over a year ago, in the cold, crying and begging God to help me. To wrap His loving arms around me and just hold me. That was last fall, and this is a new one. Thank God for new seasons.
Today’s suggestion for A Better Way to Live is a good one. It breaks my heart to see people looking behind them. Our Creator put our eyes in front for a reason!
Whenever you make a mistake or get knocked down by life, don’t look back at it too long. Mistakes are life’s way of teaching you. Your capacity for occasional blunders is inseparable from your capacity to reach your goals. No one wins them all, and your failures, when they happen, are just part of your growth. Shake off your blunders. How will you know your limits without an occasional failure? Never quit, your turn will come.
This is a highly motivational piece of advice. It would be easy to give you a big rah-rah speech on brushing yourself off and trying again. Life is not easy, but there is one thing I know. God has a plan for me. That is all I need to know. He has a plan, and it is for my good.
Yes, I can make wrong choices, but even then He promises to turn them around for good. Sometimes choices place me in painful situations, but that is where growth happens. When I’m in pain, worry and fear, God is there watching and waiting to see my next move. This is where I’ve learned to hit my knees, or stand before Him and seek HIS plan, not mine. You might recall, my best laid plans got me a lifetime membership to AA.
I encourage you today to shake off what life is throwing at you and begin again! Every moment is new, and we only have the exact moment that’s in front of us. The past is gone, and the future is not here yet. The choices we make right now, are what paves the path to the life we want to achieve. Make it beautiful.
Quote is from, “A Better Way to Live”, by Og Mandino
Letitgocoach 