ONE WORD

The last few years I have thought of one word to be my theme for the year.  Last year I challenged my school staff to find a hashtag that people would know them by.  Mine was #lovedwell.  Everything I did that year, I wanted the end game to be that I loved well through good and bad times.  I think I did just that.  Relationships are not hard for me.  It's just who I am.  I wanted to be intentional with my actions and taking time to spend with my tribe.  Let's face it, the first year as a principal and opening a new school at that --- I was exhausted most days and weekends.  The balance was (and is) still hard to find. I'm working on it. :)

Fast forward to 2019 --- what's my word this year?   I really thought long and hard about what I truly needed to be intentional about this year and one word came to my mind again and again----

DISCIPLINE

What areas of my life did I need discipline?  ALL OF THEM!!! When I started thinking about it I listed I needed discipline in my spending, reading my Bible, working out, eating right, keeping my house tidy, balancing work and life. ALL THE THINGS.  I seriously wondered how I even made it day to day.   It's a lot to try to revamp all at once, so I started with spending.  I bought a planner I loved from Living Well and Spending Less.  I love Ruth Soukup.  I started reading her blog a few years ago.  She is very inspirational, and I love her Podcast "Do It Scared" - It goes along with my being brave theme :)  Here's her website if you want to check it out:  https://www.livingwellspendingless.com/


So the planner has everything - goal setting, calendar (weekly and monthly) meal planning and, yes, the dreaded budgeting page.  For this month (so far) I wrote down every penny I spent and what category it went to.  I was doing great, but last week I was not intentional and I could tell when I sat down tonight to adult and pay bills.  I caught up on my week of receipts and saw the money I had basically thrown around.  The bottom line is discipline is all about choices.  Why does it have to be so hard? (Insert whine here)

I am continuing being intentional with my spending this week.  I am working on being mindful what I am eating because I have to weigh in every week for our school weight loss challenge and at Weight Watchers.  This week I am working on getting back to running.  Listen, this is huge.  I like to run.  However, I hate the cold and getting out of my warm bed with my weighted blanket at 4:30 a.m. when it's 30 or less degrees outside.  That's a lot folks!  I know many of you will ask why I don't just go in the evenings?  There's not enough consistency with my evenings to have a solid schedule, so mornings it is.   It's a choice.   It's a change I have to make daily.  I promise I am going to be brave through the cold mornings of Texas winter. 

Have a great week, my friends.  Be intentional, make good choices, and BE BRAVE!

I AM EQUIPPED

So, I didn't blog last weekend and totally got called out on it.  Thanks, friend (you know who you are) for holding me accountable. 

To continue my journey of being brave, I ordered a bed for my extra bedroom.  I mean, I could have only ordered a mattress for my existing futon but what is the fun in that?  Sidebar here--- I ordered from Josh & Main which is part of Wayfair.  Listen, they have the absolute best customer service EVER!  They have won me as a customer for future purchases. 

I was so super excited about this bed and bedding I ordered and couldn't wait for it to come in.  It's seriously better than Christmas morning.  A few days pass, and the text came in that boxes have been delivered.  I couldn't wait to get home.  When I pulled up in my drive way - there it was my beautiful bed and bedding in 3 beautifully plain big cardboard boxes.  I've never been so thankful for tile floors that allowed me to scoot the fifty pound box into my house.  I heaved it down the hallway to my extra bedroom until the weekend when I actually had time to put it together. 

Then on Saturday, I took everything out of the box and just looked at it.  I sent the picture below in a text to my friend with the caption "I don't even know what all these words mean!"

ALL of the pieces, y'all.  What was I going to use to put all of this together, you ask?  The answer, an allen wrench and a Phillips Screwdriver.  I just had to walk out of the room.  I thought there is no way I could possibly put this together by myself with those 2 things!  Insert whine and pity here! :)

 

 Stay with me --- I do have a point coming!

I took a deep breath and walked back in and looked only at step one and found those pieces.  I was resourceful at managing holding one end up and working on the other end.  Guess, what?  I found I was totally equipped with that little allen wrench.  Being equipped has been a huge part of my story I have been learning this past year.  It's only been the last month or so that I have been speaking it daily.

See, before our feet ever hit the floor each day, we are equipped by our heavenly father for whatever we are going to face that day.  There are parts of the day that I do have to walk away for a minute, take a deep breath, and go back and just tackle the first step.  Life is so overwhelmingly hard at times.  Being a principal is no different.  There are so many issues that are new every day, but they are not new to the Creator whose mercies are new each day as well.  What I learned from this experience is that I didn't need a lot of fancy tools to conquer this job (it's a good thing, because that would have been a problem).  It's the same with life.  God doesn't require us to have degrees or all these fancy titles and skills.  He calls us to faith.  The kind of faith to believe we are equipped each day even if we feel we only have an allen wrench in our tool belt that day.  Taking one step at a time (my friend refers to that in real life as 15 minutes at a time), I was able to accomplish the task. 

Once I got to this part, I felt totally empowered that I could really do this - by myself, with a screwdriver and allen wrench just like the directions said.  As Christians, we have the best instructional manual, but we have to read it to be able to follow it.  Something I am always trying to improve on.   However, don't you see, a little faith begets more faith.  Finally, my confidence was up and I completed the project.  I'm not gonna lie... I laid down on it just to make sure it wasn't going to collapse the first time someone laid on it. 

#winning

Now that my project was finished, I stood and looked at what I was able to accomplish with a set of instructions, determination, an allen wrench and a screwdriver..

Y'all!!! I.  Can't.  Even!  I know it may sound silly, but I was so proud.  I pulled out my other purchase for my kitchen and had it put together in no time.  I was equipped.  I had even more experience on how things go together for faster results the second time around.

None of this was done without a few mistakes along the way, scratches and a bruised palm from screwing everything in by hand (I totally think I need an electric screwdriver), but the bottom line was that I didn't have to be afraid of all of these random pieces, because I was equipped to put them in place.  

I thank the Lord for equipping me for whatever He has for me that day.  It has been a life changer for me.  I approach situations and people so differently, I feel.  Each day, I feel braver and stronger in my faith because I know it is not by my power that is making the difference but the power of the Lord.  This, my friends, is what  I know for sure:  I am brave, I am blessed, and most of all I AM EQUIPPED.  

Until next week, be brave, be blessed and know you are equipped as well.

I'm BACK!!!!!

Hello Everyone!

I realize it's been JULY of 2017 since I have blogged.  I really wanted to make my blog a priority in 2019.  Maybe it will be a "must read" for people - or not.  More than anything this is an avenue for me to hold myself accountable for goals I have.  It's scary sharing my hopes and dreams with the cyber world.  It definitely is a vulnerability that is outside of my comfort zone.  My goal is always to be real.  In a world where social media is everywhere, it is easy to get a false sense that everyone is leading a perfect life, and I probably look like a hot mess in comparison.  My life is good but so far from perfect or even where I thought I would be at this point, but I am real and don't pretend to be anything else.

I am currently reading a book, Let's All Be Brave.  Living Life with Everything You Have by Annie Downs.  First, let me say that if I ever met this author, I know we would totally be the best of friends.  She is so my people. :)  She writes real - not technical - but practical.   This exert gave me pause:  "Bravery begets bravery.  If you'll be brave, I'll be brave.  And when I am brave, you feel like you can be too.  We are holding hands and I promise I won't let go.  Let's all be brave."   OH. MYLANTA!!  I love this so, so much!

I'm taking Annie's advice here and going to share my new goals and dreams.  First, I have always wanted to write a book.  I mean I don't know what my book is going to be about yet, but I'm praying!  Then, I want to have opportunities to lead talks with people to inspire them.  I can see it in my head -- I just don't have all the details in place yet.  I told someone in my close circle what my dream was, and I was so nervous to tell her.  I'm not even sure why.  Did I think she would laugh or make me think I couldn't do it?  NEVER!  However, I was scared to say it out loud, but when I did, I felt like I gave my dream a little life.  Who knows, maybe this blog with give me the topic I need to start this project.

The goal for my blogging is to be brave.  To tell you the mountain tops on this journey and the valleys as well, because I know there will be both.

Last night I watched the Golden Globe Awards.  Maybe I was more emotional as my holiday break was ending and school started back today, but I cried so much during this show.  Listen, don't judge! LOL.   My most tearful moment was when Carol Burnett received an award named after her.  The snip its of her career was so sweet.  Also, I loved The Carol Burnett show growing up.  Listening to her talk about how she decided she wanted to be in the movies/TV when she was little.  She not only got to do those things but became an icon in the industry.  Seriously, I was sitting on my couch with tears streaming down my face thinking,  YOU GO GIRL. You did it-- BIG!  Another super cry moment was when Sandra O received a Golden Globe and the camera panned to her parents standing and cheering.  You could see the absolute pride and love of their faces for their daughter.  Then when Sandra O said, "Oh, Daddy!"  Y'all....STOP.  I.  Can't.  EVEN!

I don't want to be 5 more years down the road thinking, yeah, one day I want to do such and such... We are not guaranteed another day, much less another year... or 5.  Today, is my day to be brave and start somewhere.  So... I hope I giving someone the courage to be brave and step out to make your someday, TODAY!  Embrace 2019 and be brave.  I know I am.  Thank you, Annie Downs!