Petering choosing happiness creativity fear freedom god potential trust

I'm in the middle of creating something new, and it's a decision I have felt divinely supported in. Even with this powerful assurance, my mind still cycles back to what I've seen and known in the past, then doubt creeps in, and then I start to sink and choke on the waters of "but what about..." It's...

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Something bigger courage personal growth potential

Sometimes "something bigger" looks like going all in on your dreams; 

Sometimes it looks like scaling back to make room for the essentials. 

Sometimes it looks like having a tough conversation;

Sometimes it looks like pausing to enjoy a sunset.

"Something bigger" looks different for each of us, at each ...

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Start with mismatched corners personal growth potential

I was writing yesterday morning when I heard our little girl squeal with delight from the other room. 

"Ah! I DID it!!"

She ran into the room, waving a folded piece of paper. She had successfully folded it in half, with the corners matching exactly. 

A couple weeks ago, she wanted to make a card for a ...

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12 inches higher choosing happiness courage faith god jesus motivation personal growth potential

A friend of mine was telling me about an amazing tour of Radio City Music Hall she took during her last New York City trip. Her group got to go behind the scenes (literally) and see the whole place, including the costumes, Rockettes dance room, got to spend time on the actual stage, and did a meet-a...

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Our personal caddy courage freedom god jesus potential well-being

I got to watch Chris do a fun thing yesterday! He randomly got the chance to fill in as a caddy for a friend-of-a-friend who's a professional golfer on the Senior PGA tour, and it was like watching a kid on Christmas. He had the best time.

And he was great at it! He did his homework to understand h...

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Doubt and Possibility choosing happiness courage creativity freedom personal growth potential

Doubt and Possibility are sisters, both from the same mother: Imagination.

Doubt uses the imagination to look at how something might be wrong. Possibility considers the negatives, but also imagines the potential positives. Doubt avoids most disaster, but also avoids living. Possibility enjoys much g...

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Backstory vs front-story courage creativity faith freedom god personal growth potential trust

It's really easy to make decisions based on our backstory (who we were in the past). We have clear, often recent, evidence of what worked--or didn't work--for us and what we were capable of. 

The problem with that, though, is there isn't room for much growth. Maybe we try to do a little better than w...

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The people-pleasing fitness trainer courage god personal growth potential relationships

Have you ever heard of a people-pleasing fitness trainer? I haven't.

Fitness trainers are supposed to push you to do things you're not strong enough for. They expect you to be uncomfortable because that's where you'll grow. 

They are basically getting paid to (temporarily) hurt people.

What if there wa...

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Dusting doubts courage enough faith fear freedom god peace personal growth potential

I'm working on a project right now that's requiring a lot of faith. It's the heaviest lift (motherhood aside) I've done so far, which is also bringing some stunning miracles to witness. Because of the heavy lifting, sometimes my brain and my spirit get tired and I hear thoughts like, "Who do you thi...

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Childlike determination courage enough faith freedom motivation personal growth potential

Determination is the fuel that takes us from the unknown into possibility, and children seem to have it in concentrated form (the metaphorical equivalent of rocket fuel).

Watching our kids start with a desire then go for it with determination is absolutely inspiring. Whether it's learning to ride a ...

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Something bigger freedom god personal growth potential

As children of God, every of us is called to something bigger. And not just once! Again and again, building on each development from before. We are here to build strength and make progress as we exercise our power to choose and to create.

"Something bigger" doesn't always look like more, or flashier,...

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Of course it didn't go perfectly courage enough personal growth potential

Of course it didn't go perfectly. How many times had you done it before this? 

It's easy to feel disappointed in ourselves when we fall short of the level of excellence we expect. Holding ourselves to a high standard is a great way to grow, but we also have to be reasonable.

Capacity is expandable, bu...

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