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Month In Review For July 2012

August 2, 2012

We had another exciting month and are now into the final third of the summer. We continue to push forward towards the dreams and the vision we have for our future! I trust you are doing the same.

photo by danielgfreeman

Some of what we’ve been up to:

– New video project We started working with Matt Horwitz on a cool rise365 video project. You’ll be hearing more about this later.

– Refocused rise365 Time spent refocusing rise365! (more info soon, I promise)

– Date nights It’s our goal to have a weekly date night. We went 2 for 4 this month which was awesome! (Way better than going 0fer!)

– Business growth We had 5 new students sign up with Soundboard Music School. Incredible!

– New op-in form You’ll notice now at the bottom of each post, there’s a box to sign up for updates via email. This is a great way to make sure you don’t miss a thing, so check it out below on this post!

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Going Undercover At Lowe’s

August 1, 2012

This morning, I did some mystery shopping. Two different Lowe’s stores were on my list. Mystery shopping, by the way, is great because it gets a mother and her child out of the house and on a mission. Plus, it pays you to do it!

photo by kylacovert

As I entered the first one, I was feeling a bit anxious. I had never done a job at a Lowe’s before and there seemed to be a lot of things I needed to remember.

Some of my assignments included, observing 2 customers checking out, asking for help in the locks department, and getting close to 6 different employees to see if they would greet me within 2 minutes

I found myself needing to put my spying and acting abilities to good use. (“Spy” was one of my favorite games as a child.)

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Watch Your Coffee

July 31, 2012

I once heard Tony Robbins talk about a concept that I have since found very interesting. He termed it, “Watch your coffee.”

What he was referring to is very similar to the verse in proverbs where we are instructed to “guard our hearts.”

The whole concept being, be very careful what you allow into your mind and heart. Because what goes in, is what will come out.

It is the same with coffee. If cream or sugar are put into the coffee, it changes the coffee.

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Not Putting Up With The Crap Anymore

July 30, 2012

Recently, I recognized something in my own life that needs to change. It’s something that I’ve been aware of for quite some time now, but I haven’t really done anything about. Claudia’s been aware of it too as it directly involves her.

It’s one of those areas of life that I know needs to get better and I say I’m going to work on improving it, however no real action has been taken.

Have you ever wanted to change something, but the only way you can think to change it isn’t working? You keep trying the same thing over and over thinking somehow you’re going to get different results.

That’s what I found myself doing. And that’s crap! What the heck was I thinking?

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Do You Know What Your Strengths Are?

July 27, 2012

Michael and I talk a lot about the DISC personality profile (affiliate link). We do this because it changed our lives and our marriage, so we can’t help but talk about it!

photo by hang_in_there

Next on my list is to take the StrengthFinder 2.0 test (affiliate link). Michael has already done this. I am next. The test simply brings clarity on what your true strengths are so you can focus on pursuing them.

Knowing your strengths brings clarity and a much needed filter for life’s many decisions. Work, volunteer positions, even family roles can all be filtered through strengths.

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But The Future Is So Pretty!

July 26, 2012

Today was an interesting day. Jude and I went out to do a mystery shopping job, which was a new experiment for us. It gets us out of the house and brings in some extra money.

The two of us

That is a win in my book.

After our outing, lunch arrived and nap time. Glorious nap time!

Nap time is when I get everything done. I write, I eat, I revel in the quiet house. I think and find refreshment.

Jude, however, did not view this nap nearly as glorious. He struggled to fall asleep and then proceeded to wake up after just a short snooze. “What?!” I couldn’t believe it. “I need that time!” I begrudgingly walked up to the bedroom to find my little boy covered in tears, his little face red in frustration. He wasn’t ready to be awake either.

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Eyes Don’t Lie

July 25, 2012

I look at myself in the mirror on many occasions. I look at my eyes. My eyes tell me lots of things.

photo by RachelEllen

They told me for years to make changes.

They told me to address unresolved issues.

They told me to finish the race I had started, to pursue things that brought life, not death.

They glimmered hope at me. Hope that my life didn’t have to be an endless road of disappointments.

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The Great Bully

July 24, 2012

“Peter did not feel very brave; indeed, he felt he was going to be sick. But that made no difference to what he had to do.”

-C.S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia

Sadly, fear often plays a huge role in how our lives turn out. Many people fear and simply stop there. 

This fear includes things like fearing what others will think, fear of feeling stupid, fear of getting hurt. We also fear hurting someone else, the fear of being uncomfortable. The list goes on and on.

We use fear as a compass for our lives and it guides us to be silent, unmovable, unchangeable, impenetrable, and cowardice.

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