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Do You Have a Dream Inside of You? It’s Time to Choose Your Own Adventure

June 16, 2021 By Stephanie Leave a Comment

16 Jun

When I was growing up there were these books that I loved—Choose Your Own Adventure. The book would start telling a story where you were the main character. Throughout the book, you would be faced with decisions on what the character was going to do. You would turn to a certain page number based on your decision and then continue reading. It was like you were making the story happen as it went, even though the author actually had it all pre-mapped out for you.

I believe that’s how life is supposed to be. It’s an adventure with many winding paths and choices along the way. If you’re bored with your life, if you feel that there is more that you’re capable of than what you’re doing, if you feel you settled somewhere along the way—you’re not truly living that adventure.

I know we like comfort. I think we’ve been trained over the years to seek to live a life where everything feels good. We don’t want to step out of our comfort zone because we could make a mistake and look foolish or fail altogether. So we don’t try new things even when we have this deep nagging that it’s really the direction we’re supposed to go in.

We’re so deeply afraid of the unknown that we refuse to step out in it. And I get that, I do. There are many times I struggle with that too. But there have been some life experiences along the way that I think forced me to keep moving outside of my comfort zone. And I’ve realized lately what a blessing that really is.

You can’t screw up God’s plan

There’s a saying that keeps going around on Facebook that says something along the lines of “If you think you’ve blown God’s plan for your life, rest in this: You, my beautiful friend, are not that powerful.” I’m not sure who first said it, but I think it’s really a great message.

Here’s the thing, you can screw up all kinds of things in your life. You can make poor choices and have to live with the natural negative consequences that come with them. That’s true.

But God is so much bigger than you and your actions. And here’s what I love, God can turn your screw ups into something wonderful. He can use the bad things in your life – even the bad things that you caused in your past- for His good. And it’s amazing when you see that happening.

Now, I wouldn’t run out and recommend purposefully screwing up and doing all kinds of wrong things because even if God uses those things for good, it doesn’t mean that you won’t still suffer consequences here on earth because of it.

So, I guess my overall point here is this, don’t let fear of screwing up what God wants for your life stop you from trying something. If you’re really trying to follow after God and seeking to make decisions that will honor Him, then even if you don’t make the best choice, I believe there can still be plenty of good reaped out of the situation.

Don’t be indecisive

There comes a time when you just need to make the choice. As a kid reading the Choose Your Own Adventure books, I had to choose between the options I was given when I got to that part of the story. I didn’t know what the outcome was going to be and if it would lead to something good or bad. But I still made a choice. If not I would have just put the book down and hemmed and hawed about what the best choice would be. I’d probably still have the book today with my bookmark in the same place, just waiting for me to make a decision.

Now I know that seems like a little silly analogy to use when you’re making big, tough decisions in life. And of course, you should take the time to gather information, pray, and listen to God before making a decision. But I think way too many of us get stuck in that stage. We say that we’re waiting to hear from God, but I think most of the time, we’re just too scared to move forward.

Don’t let fear make you become indecisive.

Step out of your comfort zone

It’s so easy to NOT choose an adventure at all. We live in a way that every day is exactly the same as the one before it. And we sort of like that routine. We like knowing what’s coming next and what to expect. It’s comfortable to see the same friendly faces day in and day out.

But that makes it easy to forget that life was meant to be lived. We aren’t here merely to go through the motions and check the boxes off each day.

Now let me be clear for a minute. I believe it’s important to learn to be content. But there’s a difference between being content in life and being afraid to step out of your comfort zone when God has placed a dream in your heart.

And the tricky part is that you might be the only person who knows that you’re really letting fear keep you in the comfort zone. If you’ve never shared your desire, dream, or idea with someone else, no one else knows that you’re not taking that next step you need to. It’s up to you to determine.

It’s OK for life to be fun

Life is meant to be enjoyed and lived fully. It’s OK to have fun when things are going well. It’s OK to have fun even if you’ve experienced something difficult in life. And it’s OK for you to have fun in life even when the world isn’t perfect for everyone else (Although we should be careful about how we handle these situations. There’s no reason to be a jerk and rub people’s faces in things.)

Not only is it OK to laugh and enjoy life. It’s SO healthy for us to do so.

Sometimes you have to take action first

Here’s the tricky thing with adventures, sometimes when we set out on a new adventure, the path isn’t clearly marked. As many times as I’ve asked God to just show me the entire path at once, it’s never worked that way for me. And it didn’t usually work that way for people in the Bible either.

The Bible is full of stories of people doing crazy and/or miraculous things. BUT, the big exciting thing didn’t usually happen until the person took action. They didn’t know exactly how it was all going to pan out. But they took the first step anyway.

And when they took that first action, the Red Sea parted, God sent fire from the heavens to burn up the offering Elijah prepared, the sacrificial lamb was provided, the walls of Jericho came tumbling down and on and on the stories go.

You see, we have to take action even when we don’t know exactly what the results are going to be. If you believe that God has placed a dream in your heart and given you a passion to do something, He will provide a way. But you might have to take action and keep taking action before you see anything happen.

You might not get it right

I get it! The thought of failing at something is terrifying. The thought of trying something new and it not working out just sucks. There’s no other way around it. But it happens and it’s OK.

I’ve tried and failed at a LOT of stuff. I’ve also tried things and realized along the way that they weren’t the right things for me (or at least at that moment).

For example, I was once a Certified Personal Trainer. I think my husband is the only person who knows that. I paid for the course. Studied. And passed the test. It felt great and was exciting, but it wasn’t for me. I could look at it as a total waste of time and money because it kind of was. But I grew confidence through that time. I learned that I was capable of more than I was giving myself credit for. And it was a stepping stone for me to continue growing into other areas of my life.

We’re not going to get it right all the time. But I can promise you that if you don’t try, you’re not going to get it right ever.

So, here’s a story for you to write…

One day I read a blog post and it really got me thinking. There was an idea that has always nagged at me. An idea that I should do this certain thing. Try this certain thing. A feeling within me that there was more to life than just going through the motions. I wanted to believe that it was possible for things to be different but I had a choice to make.

  • Keep life the same as always – (Continue doing what you’ve always done)
  • Head out on an adventure – (Take that one small step today that’s going to get you started.)

Now you’ve got to ask yourself: What page are you going to turn to?

Filed Under: Personal Growth

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Stuck in Your Rut - Stephanie


Today has been a terrible, horrible, no good, very
Today has been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. 

Some days are like that.

And sometimes those days are our fault.

My day was caused by a toxic client. As much as I would like to blame her, I take responsibility because I knew from the beginning that I never should have worked with her.

When we go down paths we shouldn't go down, we usually have painful consequences.

Several valuable lessons were learned today and I would like to share them so I don't have to relearn them again in the future and maybe I can spare you some future pain too.

1. Be careful when doing business with people whose values don't align with yours

2. When you feel you should get out of a situation, do not delay

3. Never do any type of work that leaves you feeling your values were compromised

4. Toxic people can play nice... for awhile... But their true colors will always show through in the end

5. Trust your instincts

6. When you turn a situation over to God, it doesn't mean the way out will be pain free

And finally remember, some days feel like terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days, but it doesn't have to stay like that.

Happy Friday!

I've been pondering this a lot in the past week.


I've been pondering this a lot in the past week.

I do a lot of work in the mental health space. I believe in the benefits of therapy and medication as needed. 

But as I help people share this message that "therapy is for everyone," I'm starting to wonder if we are spreading the wrong message.

Yes therapy can be for everyone. And there are some people who absolutely need the support and guidance of mental health professionals. But does everyone actually need therapy to be mentally well? 

That seems to be the trend we have taken as society.

Therapy can play an important role in helping people heal and live healthy, but are we becoming too dependent on believing we ALL need therapy? Have we lost the ability to process through difficult situations on our own or with our own support system?

I'm not sure. I'm still pondering. But I would love to hear your thoughts.


We see what we look for.

In our first house, we h
We see what we look for.

In our first house, we had beautiful sunrises and sunsets over farm fields. A few years ago we lived by the ocean where we saw stunning sunsets regularly over the water. 

Beautiful sunrises and sunsets is one the things I've missed since living in a neighborhood in a suburb of Louisville Kentucky. The trees around us block out most of these beautiful moments every morning and night.

I was up early this morning and decided to sit outside and enjoy the cooler air and I had the opportunity to watch an incredible sunrise from this small little section.

It reminded me that we often get what we look for in life. If you want to see all the bad, you will. If you look for the good, you can find it. And just because we don't see good things happening at every moment (like I don't usually see the sunrises) doesn't mean they aren't still happening all around us.

#thankfulgratefulblessed #tuesdaythoughts #beencouraged


Wow! So true.

I came across this incredible remi
Wow! So true. 

I came across this incredible reminder in an email today from @lysaterkeurst and @proverbs31ministires.

Yesterday was a rough day. I got myself into a difficult conversation with someone and ended up saying things that I regret out of my frustration.

Too many times in life I have allowed my emotions to get the best of me which never ends in me feeling better than I did in the beginning. Carefully planned words are ALWAYS better than speaking in the heat of the moment.

Sometimes we need to say difficult things to people, but we can choose to do it out of love instead of frustration and anger.

So, I cannot control the actions of others or many details of this specific situation, but I can control my words in the midst of it, and I can control how much power I allow the situation to have over my life.

Sharing in case my failure can help anyone else do better.

#workinprogress #stilllearning


The power of our minds and the way we choose to th
The power of our minds and the way we choose to think is amazing!

A couple weeks ago on vacation, we had the chance to hold a baby alligator. There were grown people on the boat who were terrified to sit next to a person holding the alligator. Then there were those, like Macy, who took advantage of a new opportunity and gave it a go.

If we really think about it, this is exactly what happens in life too. Some people are too afraid to take a risk and try something new when the opportunity comes and others are willing to give it a try. 

Some are afraid to let their friends and family try a new adventure because their own fear is so strong so they discourage them from doing the thing even if that person really wants to try it.

Our minds and our thoughts are so incredibly powerful but the good news is that we get to choose our thoughts and actions. A new situation may feel scary, but that doesn't mean you can't choose to move past that fear and try something new.

#tryingnewthings #overcomingfear #chooseyourthoughts

Have you ever thought about how a click of a camer
Have you ever thought about how a click of a camera button has the ability to capture a moment in time? Pretty amazing!

We always make a point to take pictures of the big moments or the things we do when we travel, like our day trip to Nashville yesterday.

But there are so many day-to-day moments that make my heart happy too, like seeing my daughters cooking dinner (which they choose to do a lot - blessed mom right here!) or when my husband is helping the girls build garden planters for our veggies. I need to make an effort to take pictures of these moments more so I can be reminded of these simple joys. The days seem long but the years are going fast!

What is something you see in day-to-day life that brings you joy?

Do you ever just wish you had a quiet moment alone
Do you ever just wish you had a quiet moment alone?

I loved this little bit of time I had on our Tennessee vacation, sitting on the porch swing listening to the rain.

I'm guilty of filling my day too full and trying to do too much and tiring myself out.

This morning I was reminded of Luke 5:7 "But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed."

It's important to be intentional about creating space to withdrawal and pray.

Some days it looks and sounds pretty. Most days, it's finding the one quiet place in my house. All that matters is that we do it.

How do you talk about and think about yourself?

Y
How do you talk about and think about yourself?

Yesterday I had the pleasure of chatting with several different women. I'm getting ready to write website profiles for them and wanted to learn more about them.

I noticed something that got me thinking during one of the calls. 

I asked the question "Who do you enjoy working with?"

The woman gave me a long list of the people she didn't feel qualified to help. She shared her heart for people but would then explain the areas she felt she was lacking. 

I'm sure she didn't realize she was doing this. I know I struggle with doing the same thing. It's so easy to spot in other people what we miss in ourselves. 

So, how do you think and talk about yourself? Do you focus on where you are lacking and where you don't feel "good enough" or qualified? Or, do you acknowledge your skills and strengths? 

We all have areas we can grow and improve but we are unproductive when those are the main areas we focus on.

#focusonyourstrengths #thoughtlife #positivethinking #buildconfidence


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It made me really reflect on my actions, words, and behaviors to see if I was helping or hurting others. It made me think about what areas of my life I needed to walk in healing so I could help bring others along.

I also love the way this shifted from the negative to the positive. "Hurting people hurt people" can be used as an excuse if you've experienced pain in your life. "Healed people heal people" is so much more of a calling to rise up out of painful situations to make a positive difference. It gives your hurtful experiences and pain a new purpose. 

Just something to think about.

#encouragement #movepastyourpast #womensupportingwomen

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On Thursday, I took my kids to the zoo for a few hours. We've had an exhausting couple of weeks. Things haven't gone as planned. Work has been hectic and I've been working long hours. We're in the middle of trying to make some big life decisions again (which seems to be the constant state of life).  
 
Can you relate?  
 
The zoo is one of our happy places, so we picked the warmest day of the week and took some time off to get outside and enjoy ourselves.  
 
Some of my favorite animals to watch at the zoo are the meerkats. 
 
If you ever watch a gang of meerkats, you'll probably notice that there is almost always one meerkat that is standing up checking the skies and looking around while the others are off doing their thing. Why? 
 
That meerkat is watching for danger. They are checking the skies and surrounding areas for predators. They remain alert in order to allow the others to find food and do what they need to do. 
 
On this trip, I could relate to that poor little meerkat standing up, not enjoying herself in order to try to protect her family—not realizing they are safe from predators. As a wife and mom, I think that instinct comes pretty naturally to us women. I've been so caught up lately in trying to figure out how to balance what the different members of my family need that it's been harder to enjoy the good things in each day.  
 
But I'm not a meerkat. There really aren't predators circling around me, trying to get my family. Yes, there are dangers in this world, but when that's all I focus on, that's all I see. I miss all of the good things that are taking place and the positive moments I could be enjoying. 
 
So, if you can relate to that little meerkat too, here's your reminder to take a break. Be present in the moment.

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Sometimes we feel stuck in life because of things that are within our control.

You can't control what others do to you... but you can control what you choose to do after that. If you're holding onto unforgiveness towards someone, it's going to seep into all areas of your life.

Being easily offended and staying offended and angry gives things outside of your control power over you, your day, and your attitude.

If you're tired of not making progress in life and often feel angry, I encourage you to look inward. Sometimes I'm caught off guard by the things I thought I had dealt with and moved on from that I didn't.

#movingforward #dontbeeasilyoffended #inspiration #armorofgodstudy

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#fallcolors🍁🍂 #louisvillezoo

It can be so hard to ask for things that we want.
It can be so hard to ask for things that we want. The fear of the "what ifs" always want to get in the way. But what if we change our thoughts and expect the best instead of assuming the worst?

My dad has been an incredible example of just asking. He doesn't overthink asking questions to people and because of it, he learns all kinds of cool things. He doesn't worry about if the person says "no" or responds negatively. He doesn't let fear stop him. 

Over the years, my husband and I have learned to ask for things we want. We asked for work from a church without knowing if they would be interested. We asked to barter handyman services and home repair in exchange for lower rent. 

We've asked for some weird things that don't seem like they should have worked out, but they did. And we would have never had those opportunities if we hadn't been willing to ask for them.

Are there questions you've been avoiding asking out of fear?

This.

It's so easy to avoid growth and change bec
This.

It's so easy to avoid growth and change because it's uncomfortable and painful. But so many times the life we want is on the other side.

#motivation #thursdaythoughts #growthmindset #growingpains #pushpastthehardthings


What if you don't wait to get started until everyt
What if you don't wait to get started until everything is perfect? What would that look like? 
 
I'm giving you a sneak peek into what my incredible workspace looks like today 😜 
 
Today I have a few calls so I'm working with my messy bed as my desk so I can have a quiet space. Sometimes I work from my kitchen counter. My family of 5 lives in a small rental house right now. I don't have any space for an office, but I'm running a growing business by working like this. 
 
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It sucks to hear, but you have to get started before you're "ready". That's just the way it works. Don't let your circumstances get in your way. And - this might sound tough but - stop making excuses. Look for a way to make it work as best you can right now. 
 
 
 
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This quote rings so true to me. A little over 4 ye
This quote rings so true to me. A little over 4 years ago, I had such little confidence. I let fear control so much of what I did.

I was working to grow my freelance business and almost skipped an opportunity to take on work because the potential client wanted to schedule a phone call instead of just working through emails and messages. I broke out in hives just having to talk on the phone.

I couldn't handle ordering a pizza because I was too nervous about not knowing what to say. I overthought everything.

Fear controlled what I did and didn't do. It caused me to struggle in my thoughts and postponed my ability to go after the things I really wanted to accomplish.

Learning to overcome my fears took a lot of time. But slowly, I started to make progress. They were little changes at a time. I didn't even notice the growth as it happened. 

But then one day, that same client pointed out to me how much more confidence I had. And then another client mentioned how much I had grown in my confidence and ability to share my thoughts and opinions.

It ended up impacting every area of my life. 

But don't get me wrong, some days are still a struggle. Sometimes I still get hives when I have to talk on the phone or do a zoom call with someone I don't know, but not every time.

If you struggle with fear and confidence, know that you can improve and grow in this area. It doesn't have to be how you remain for the rest of your life. And so much of what you want is on the other side of pushing past that fear.

#overcomefear #buildconfidence #personalgrowth #growthmindset #motivationalquotes

Isn't it so easy to be happy and positive when you
Isn't it so easy to be happy and positive when you're on vacation? This picture is from over the summer when we did a mini vacation. It's easy when you get out of the routines of everyday life to start to think outside of the box and see new opportunities. 
 
But then we get back home. Clients need my attention. The house needs to be cleaned and dinner needs to be cooked. The kids have activities. And before I know it, I've fallen right back into going through the motions instead of really living each day. 
 
Here's your reminder for the day. I know it's Monday and it's easy to drag through the day. But choose to get outside of your comfort zone. Choose to look at things in a new way. Choose to start building the life you want to live, even if it's one tiny decision at a time. 
 
#mondaymotivation

Don't wait for the fear to go away. It's not going
Don't wait for the fear to go away. It's not going to. Choose courage and push past it and just watch as your confidence starts to build.


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