Personal Growth

5 Benefits of Looking Back and 5 Benefits of Looking Forward

October 11, 2012

When we look at our current situation, where we are and where we want to go, we must find a healthy balance between looking back for understanding and looking forward with vision and hope.

photo by Pete Prodoehl

There are times when we need to spend more time on one than the other. Both, however can help us create a better story for our lives.

About a year and a half ago I joined Free Agent Academy for knowledge and support. I wanted to start my own business and I knew they could guide me in a healthy direction.

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Miscellany

Your Reality Is Waving At You

October 10, 2012

Sitting in a parking lot as Jude caught a much-needed catnap, I looked up and what I saw astounded me.

To my left, there was long series of stores and above them, on the second floor, a large beauty school.

I could catch glimpses of the movement of people in the building. They were working with mannequin heads of hair and moved about in black outfits from one room to the other.

As I sat there, girls started to emerge from the building. They were of varying ages, all dressed in black, and each one pulled behind them the exact same small black box.

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Miscellany

Claudia’s Spartan Race Debut – IDC #19

October 9, 2012

This post is part of the IDC Project. The IDC Project’s mission is for us to take a stand for who we are and what we believe without worrying about what others may think. Read more about the IDC Project here and view completed IDC’s here.

I was recently challenged to do a Spartan Race by two friends, Alana Mokma and Jody Berkey. (You can watch their races here and here!)

While this IDC was a little different from some of our previous ones, it was certainly delightfully energizing! I ended up wet, muddy, and happy as a clam. Enjoy!

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Question: When’s the last time you took on a challenge and did something a little crazy?

 

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Personal Growth

I Just Have to Pull the Plug!

October 8, 2012

When do you pull the plug on a day? Do you stay up late to finish a project, or call it quits and plan to get up early the next day?

I am facing a dilemma right now where I have an extra project which I want to get done. Sometimes an extra project doesn’t fit into the normal schedule of the day. So, the question is, “Where does it fit in?”

We’ve been working hard to keep balance in our lives so spending an enormous amount of time on one project and neglecting others is not the balance I want. An easy answer might be to get less sleep. However, I don’t think that’s always the solution, at least not long-term.

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Personal Growth

Is a Balanced Life Possible?

October 5, 2012

Something I’ve been thinking about recently is the importance of keeping all areas of life healthy. It’s so easy to swing all our attention over to a suffering area only to leave the others completely neglected.

photo by gilest

A better approach would be to maintain balance in all areas making steady progress in each.

So, does this mean you leave deals on the table at work to spend quality time with the family? It might sometimes. Or, does it mean not mowing the lawn or getting all the house chores done to get your exercising in? Perhaps.

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Miscellany

There are Rusty Nails in your Mind

October 4, 2012

Each day as I walk to the park, I encounter a pile of rusty nails laying haphazardly directly in my path.

photo by uitdragerij

Steering the stroller to the side to avoid them, I realize they have been raked up at least twice over the past few months.  I have seen the rake marks in the dirt and for a small time the nails disappear.

Soon, however, they start popping up through the soil again. Interesting. They just won’t go away. Someone must have buried them deep in the dirt long ago and they just keep re-surfacing.

As my feet continue down the path I think more about those pesky rusty nails.

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Entrepreneurship

Month in Review for September 2012

October 3, 2012

Wow, what a month! I don’t know about you, but for me, the month of September was sure exciting! Stressful at times, but always exciting.

OBX 2012

We started the month off with a week in the Outer Banks with family. It was a great time to be somewhere different and experience new things with friends. I will say, with the beginning of September being the busiest with our business, it made a little crazy when we got back! But, it was all good because it meant the business was doing well.

I also joined a local men’s group which I’m really excited about as we’re going through a course on what it means to be an authentic man. Sounds pretty cool, doesn’t it?

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Entrepreneurship

When Crickets Chirp at Your Best Efforts

October 2, 2012

Have you ever poured your heart into a project you were passionate about only to have it completely flop?  Worms scream louder than the reaction your efforts got. Crickets chirp in the ensuing silence.

photo by w3i_yu

I have. I found it a strange place to be.

I start doubting my capabilities and tweaking my passion based off of other people’s opinions. I begin rating my abilities by the response I get. It is a very slight shift. I feel the temptation to do this often.

I have realized this is a poor judge of truly how valuable my heart’s work is.

The problem with this approach is I will end up loosing me and what I was so passionate about in the beginning.

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