Love Your Story:: A Guest Post

There is so much I could say today really, but there are too many other places I need to be… like fully present with my littles for the couple hours I have with them today. The end of a long stretch of work, of driving three hours each day for it, of having little time at home, it’s about to wrap up. And though I’m ever grateful for the work I have when so many others are lacking, for the fun nature of what I do, for the friends and added-on family I’ve made along the way, I’ll be glad to have a little time to hibernate in our cozy family den with my little cubs soon. So, today, I leave you with an amazing friend, Briony from Outside The Lines, who always seems to inspire me at the right times… and I think she might inspire you too!

Tabitha asked me yesterday if I’d be interested in writing a guest post on her blog. The first thing I thought was what could I possibly have to share that would be interesting, entertaining or helpful…all of a sudden I was extremely nervous. I am not an expert in anything. I thought the best thing I could do is share something that I am passionate about and hope that it encourages those who need to hear it. So, my new friends, today I am going to share a few steps that I’ve begun to implement in my life to better the story I am living.

I read a book by Donald Miller called A Million Miles In A Thousand Years. In the book he challenges the reader to see their life as a living story that is being written with each choice they make. If you don’t like the story you are living, then you have to start writing something different. If you don’t like the characters in the story, you need to go out and find new ones. I loved this book; it motivated me and inspired me to begin making changes to better the story I was living. Because this is a blog and not a book, I am only going to hit on one of the things that I’ve personally begun to rewrite in my story.

I don’t know about you but my schedule is full. From the moment I wake up to the moment I go to bed, there is always somewhere to be, a project to be done, a commitment to complete. At the beginning of this year, I took some time to reflect, like I’m sure many of you did. I found that a large majority of my time is spent doing things that I’m not passionate about and I realized I needed to make some changes. Now we all know it is one thing to want something in your life to change but making that change is something else entirely.

I knew if I wanted this change to last I was going to have to take baby steps; sometimes I get over zealous and I go all in too fast and I burn myself out. So the first thing I knew I needed to do was to stop all of the busyness that I had control of and take time to let myself dream about the kind of story I wanted to be living. So below are the steps I am taking to make my story one worth reading.

Step 1: Schedule time to dream. Life gets busy, responsibility piles on…we have to make time to just sit down and let our imaginations run wild. We need to loosen the grip we have on life and let ourselves dream again (without limitations) about the life or story that we want to be living. Too often we keep ourselves from our dreams because we don’t take the time to realize them.

Once you’ve identified the dream, you’ve got to chase it. We only get one story, and the older you get the more you realize how fast each chapter passes you by. Don’t leave your dream for tomorrow. Start chasing it today.

That leads me into Step 2: Be Courageous. I know change is scary but it is so worth it. Change is a process like so many other things, so don’t try to make it all happen at once. The best thing you can do is just take one step closer to your dream. That first step is always the biggest and the scariest, but it is also the most exhilarating. Now is the time to explore your ability to better your story.

It always seems that as soon as we start making changes, different challenges arise. Step 3: Identify those obstacles. Be honest with yourself about your fears and doubts and give yourself goals to overcome them. If that obstable is a person, don’t allow them to belittle your dream, stand your ground.

Step 4: Share your story. Our good relationships are our strongest allies, share your dream along with your obstacles and find comfort and strength in the support and accountability. Life is so much better when you share it with others.

Step 5: Help someone else achieve their dream. I truly believe that what we sow in this life we will reap. If you have the opportunity to support, encourage, and motivate someone else to follow their heart and write a better story, jump on it. I believe being that kind of person (that kind of character) can only make your story a better one as well.

I want to leave you with this because I know when I first started this process, I didn’t know where to start and I felt a bit overwhelmed (I still do at times.) If that is you, take a moment and think…what is something you haven’t done for a long time that brings a smile to your face just thinking about it? Ok, do you have it in mind? Your assignment this weekend is to go do it!

Life is full of moments, so many of them are filled with things we have to do…why not take the time to do something we want to do. Start writing the story you want to live!

Happy Friday All!
Briony