It Works! strongly encourages you to share your “why” with people and I haven’t done it yet. I’m not really sure why, probably some fear, so I decided tonight was a good time to put it out there. Normally people can fit it into a Facebook post or a video but I’m apparently too long winded for that because FB kept cutting me off… so back to the blog I go!

So what is my “why” for jumping in with It Works! Global??

I actually have a few! My first why is my family.  I love my boys so much and want to be my best self for them.  Josh works so hard day in and day out and never complains. I admire him so much for that.  But in residency, working harder doesn’t equal making more money.  He still makes very little despite all of the time he puts in.  I want to do my part in helping our family stay afloat financially during these hard years of residency.  I don’t want him to have to stress or worry about us not having the money we need to buy groceries or get new brakes.  I actually take care of all of the finances but he knows by the sobbing and anxiety when things get tight.  Then there’s Rowan, who brings us more joy to our lives than we could have ever anticipated or imagined.  I can’t even put it into words.  Josh and I prayed so hard about our decision to have me stay home with him after he was born and not go back to teaching full time.  It has certainly not been an easy road financially but every minute I am home with him is worth it. I would not trade my days with him for anything.  After a year of trying to do side jobs with crafting and taking time to just figure out being a mom, I knew we needed more in order to survive these last 2 years of residency.  I was praying hard about where God wanted me.  This company came out of no where for me. I had never tried a product and I thought it was crazy.  But after we did a lot of research on the products, witnessed results, and see how the company gives back to its distributors to help them get out of debt, and how they give to back to others to make a big impact for Christ, I was sold.  One of the foundations they work directly with is called Selah Freedom and they are fighting to end human trafficking. This is a cause that weighs so heavily on my heart, as you’ve read about if you’ve read my previous posts.  So once learning about this, I couldn’t help but be a part of the movement.  Right now we are not at a place to give big amounts of money away to people and causes that are in need but I believe this company was put in our lives for that reason as well.  My last why is because I want to be able to give back more.  I want to be able to help those in need and many times that takes some extra finances.  I am so excited to see where God leads me in this business!  For me it’s about helping women feel beautiful whether it be on the inside or outside.  I want to help raise self esteem, build women up, free them from the lies they believe about themselves.  I could go on.  But this company is giving me that opportunity.  I’ve been very hesitant thus far in really shouting it from the rooftops because I have so many fears of being judged, which go back to me dealing with my own self esteem issues.  But I’m ready to move forward and overcome.  I know that I am capable of having a team of women that want to go on this journey with me.  I am ready to fight with people by my side.  I want to make a difference and I want to bring people along for the ride.  I want to be genuine, motivating, and a world changer. My goals are big, and most people shake their head and roll their eyes at me, but my God is big so I trust him with my big goals and dreams.

With all of that said, I am looking for 3 people to join my team.  I have the opportunity to earn a $500 GOOD (Get Out Of Debt) bonus if I can do that by the end of August.  I’ve had the past 2 months to get people to join as well but I just didn’t feel ready nor did I work hard enough.  But I was still feeling out how I wanted to approach my business having never done something like this before.  My fears of how people were going to judge me squashed my excitement about growing. But I’ve decided my approach is just to be real. Be me. Love God and love people. I know that meeting that goal is a long shot, and honestly, I’m not too concerned about it.  What I want to do is help people grow, help moms stay at home with their kids, help people get out of debt, and be a part of what God can do in people’s lives through this company.  If you sign up by the end of the month you will have until October 31st to earn your own $500 GOOD bonus as well.  I would love to do this alongside some ladies so that we can encourage one another, build friendships, and make a difference together. So I guess it would be safe to say that my actual last why is you, and all of the people out there that are looking to make a positive change in their lives.

So there you have it. Every last bit of the long winded explanation.  I’m sorry, I’m just not made to fit my stories into 140 characters. If I’m going to be me, I’m going to use ALL. THE. WORDS. I really can’t believe I still had that many words after 5pm.  Normally things all start to slur and blur together. I’ll call it a success!

Thanks for reading!

What would be YOUR WHY???

I want to start by copying and pasting an excerpt that I read the other day from “My Utmost for His Highest” by Oswald Chambers.  Read it slowly to give it a chance to sink in. Let’s be real… I have to read everything he writes slowly, because half the time it’s over my head and if I read like more than 5 words in 30 seconds I end up completely lost. Anyyywaaays…

“We tend to think that if Jesus Christ compels us to do something and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to great success. We should never have the thought that our dreams of success are God’s purpose for us. In fact, His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have the idea that God is leading us toward a particular end or a desired goal, but He is not. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself.

What is my vision of God’s purpose for me? Whatever it may be, His purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish— His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see “Him walking on the sea” with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right because I see “Him walking on the sea” (Mark 6:49). It is the process, not the outcome, that is glorifying to God.

God’s training is for now, not later. His purpose is for this very minute, not for sometime in the future. We have nothing to do with what will follow our obedience, and we are wrong to concern ourselves with it. What people call preparation, God sees as the goal itself.

God’s purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now. If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present time. However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience is the goal, then each moment as it comes is precious.”

I am the queen of looking ahead. I plan until I can’t plan anymore.  I think about planning for what’s to come more than I focus on what’s here now.  I want to be ready for what’s next and prepared for anything.  I want to reach the goals I set and see the fruit of my labor. I love the end result.

That being said, I was slapped across the face by these lovely words above.

This blew my mind for many reasons, but one being, very rarely do I think about the process.  A lot of times I don’t think about what I’m doing while I’m trying to reach a goal or the things I’m learning along the way.  I see “done” and “not done” or “now” and “not yet/never.”  It’s easy to have the mindset that God won’t get the glory until you have the final product. So work harder, right?? That’s how Satan twists my thoughts to think that the process and hard work can sometimes be worthless, especially when you aren’t seeing any fruit. The next reason being, just because God calls you to something, doesn’t mean it’s going to be a success.  It could mean the opposite. Say whaaaaa?!? BIG TIME SCARY.  I want to be successful at everything I put my mind to.  You mean God might want me to fail? More than once? Even when I work hard? And do it for His glory? I’m having trouble coming to terms with that one.  The type A in me doesn’t get how failing works into anyone’s plans.  When things aren’t going my way, I immediately look for how I can control it and fix it.  I want to find the answer in the chaotic storms of life.  ERRRRR (buzzer sound ha!) WRONG!

Chambers says here, the answer is this: obedience.  Moment by moment obedience is the goal.  If I’m constantly looking ahead to a big end result then I’m not looking at right now. And I know I miss a lot by doing this.  I miss reasons to be thankful, lessons I should be learning, and seeing God work in mighty ways. I’m just beginning to realize how much God is teaching me in the process. I don’t want to miss out on the moment or the lesson because I’m preoccupied with the outcome. I want to be obedient and receptive to his teaching now, not later.  I want to be “calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life…” Easier said than done, right?! Yikes!

Just remember, His purpose IS the process.