Hope

Can you believe it?!? I won the contest I wrote about in “Leaving a Legacy” (below)! I met with the lifestyle coach, Dory, over the phone last week, and it was a valuable experience. She had great questions to get me thinking, "assignments" for me to complete (both as pre-work and post-coaching), and some really out-of-the-box ideas.

One of the most valuable pieces of advice she provided was to shift the paradigm of my thinking by remembering that "I don't know what I don't know". Instead of trying to fit my ideas into a pre-defined mold, I need to stay open to other opportunities by focusing on what my passions are and coupling them with my strengths/natural abilities (or what Dory calls "calling cards"). In just one hour she pointed me toward possibilities that I hadn't really thought of before.

Also, she calmed my fears about really being able to accomplish my dreams (or actually the fear is that I can't accomplish them without negatively impacting my family financially). I instead need to look at this current chapter as creating the building blocks for my future goals and to define the financial "jumping off point" where I will be comfortable moving from my current career into something new. (You're probably thinking, "well yeah, that makes sense...why hadn't you thought of that?" Okay, okay...I had defined a number of things, including the dollar figure of what I need in the bank to "retire" someday, but I hadn't defined in detail this important milestone in between.)

Here’s the one caveat…it’s again more “work” to move toward a different future. More time, more effort, more work setting things in motion. Already I’m burning the candle at both ends, so that’s truly a dilemma. I’m getting only about five hours of sleep a night. (Well, except today, when my oldest son had to wake me up for homeschooling because I was so tired last night I set the time on my alarm clock but forget to actually turn it on! Okay, and here’s the amazing thing…he actually woke me up and didn’t take advantage of the fact I overslept! I homeschool him on Mondays and Friday mornings due to my work schedule…and I cherish those days…and obviously he doesn’t dread it as much as I thought he did!)

Today I read in one of the blogs I like to visit (http://www.lovejoelr.blogspot.com/) that “the day just needs to be longer than 24 hours”. I sure have felt like that the last couple of months. Honestly, sometimes I forget that my hope is in the Lord. I cannot place my hope in a lifestyle coach, a new career path, or in myself and my efforts. I must meditate on Isaiah 40:31, which states, ”…but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” I have been trying to rely on my own strength, and I am so weary. I look forward to soaring on wings like eagles as I give it all to God and ask that He be the One to show me “what I don’t know”.