Overcoming...One baby step at a time!

Hi all! I know once again it has been way too long. The summer has flown by. We have made many memories that will last a lifetime including three different trips to visit with grandparents. One of which celebrated Tim's granddad's 90th birthday! And a 2 week trip exploring Seattle, Vancouver and a week cruise to Alaska, complete with helicopters, seaplanes, glaciers, gold-mining and railroads! It has all been a whirlwind of a blessing and now, for us school starts next week!

I have plenty to share in the coming weeks and months about different things the Lord has laid on my heart throughout the summer. But one thing I want to do right now is to encourage each of you to take a look at your life, see if there is any area that causes you pointless anxiety (of course Jesus tells us all anxiety is pointless!) and then make a decision to find baby steps to begin overcoming that 

issue. 

I know that sounds a little vague so let me give you an example. I recently started a new business with Nerium International, a biotechnology company that has some incredible antiaging products and is taking off like crazy. I've been doing a lot of reading and listening to some great personal development material, and I realize that one of the main things that holds me back is that I cannot stand to talk on the phone! I know that seems so silly, but it causes me so much anxiety that if I know I have to make a phone call I freeze. I get all tied up in knots, and I procrastinate so long that of course my anxiety continues to build until I am just a mess! I can't even stand to call and order takeout! And if my phone rings there's a really good chance I won't answer it! I seldom call people, even though I know our friendship would be so much stronger if I did. And from a business perspective, picking up the phone to talk to someone I don't know well makes me want to cry! But alas, I realize that this is silly, and it is causing me anxiety over such a pointless issue. And it could be holding me back from significant success in many areas.

 So I have identified this point of weakness in my daily life, and I have challenged myself to start doing something about it. I am trying to talk on the phone about once every day. And I'm not talking about text messaging! :-) It could be as simple as answering the phone when it rings because the pest people are confirming our appointment or calling a customer to follow up. Either way, I'm trying to find little ways to overcome this issue. Now, if the phone rings I actually answer it...most of the time! 😄

So until I get back on here, I challenge you to take some time to sit and think about little things that cause you anxiety or may be holding you back from your full potential. Maybe you've never even identified it as a problem before because it's something you have lived with for so long. But as the kiddos head back to school let's make this season of learning and growing ourselves as well. There's a picture below of Holden's latest accomplishment. Today for the first time he wrote his name all by himself! :-)