Why did I take the plunge to write?
As an army wife and homeschooling mom of four, I never dreamed I would have time for a career, at least not in the near future. However, a few months ago, a desire stirred in my soul that I could not ignore. I was in the midst of the toughest season of my life – a trial in our family, the birth of our fourth child, a move a few weeks later that took us away from dear friends, an ongoing battle with mastitis, and a debilitating round of the flu for the entire family, all while my husband was deployed for the third time. I had no physical or emotional energy to think about new ideas. I struggled each day to keep everyone fed and to keep our school year on track.
The kids and I spent the holidays in the southeast with my family and my in-laws. We came back to Kansas in mid-January. Between winter weather and sickness, we didn’t make it to church very often in January, but we did watch online. The series, called Dream Again, began to shape the desires in my heart into tangible ideas. (You can take a listen here ) I dared to pray and dream about what the Lord had planned.
With my feeble desires starting to grow, I began praying about my dreams. What could I achieve? Outside my family, what purpose did the Lord have for my life? I made a few new years resolutions. I wrote them down knowing full well the statistics stacked against my success. The more I wrote, the more ambitious I became – spiritual, physical, emotional, and parenting goals. However, my days were already so full. How would I find time to achieve these goals, especially with my husband gone? I knew I had to dig for motivation to break small, time-wasting habits.
I distinctly remember sitting with a group of moms and one mom joking about her typical day: “I have two goals while the kids are at school – get dressed before they get back and watch Netflix.” As I wrote out my goals for the year, that thought circled in my mind. I didn’t know what I could actually hope to accomplish given my circumstances, but I knew I wanted more than to see how many Netflix series I could plow through in a year. I wasn’t judging this mom, but I knew I wanted more.
The goal I wanted to focus on more than any other was to read. With four young kids, I always claimed my days were too full to read, yet somehow I found time to watch TV and browse social media. I needed specific and achievable goals, so I made a list of fourteen books to read, trying to rotate between biographies (my fave) and spiritual growth books. I purposed to read at least fifteen minutes before bed each night and took my book with me anytime I knew I would be waiting – doctor’s appointment, gymnastics classes, etc… I know for avid readers this would be a ridiculous standard, but I knew I had to start somewhere.
In my first few weeks of reading I read two Michael Phelps biographies. If you know me, you know my obsession with the Olympics, It’s a bit extreme. Thankfully my family loves the Olympics too, otherwise the Olympic viewing seasons would get a bit awkward. Naturally books about my favorite Olympian were quick reads. I am fascinated with people who set lofty goals, reach them and become the best in their field. A natural follow-up book was his coach, Bob Bowman’s book – The Golden Rules: Finding World-Class Excellence in Your Life and Work. (find it here)
In combination with what the Lord was already stirring in my heart, that book flipped a switch in my head. I did not want to live an ordinary life. I did not want to settle for simply making it through each day. I did not want to just survive my life. Coach Bowman laid out 10 steps to achieve your goals. Now I had traction for action steps to move my dreams into reality.
I knew I wanted to write, but did not have a concrete idea of what direction I wanted to take. Just a few weeks later, the Lord orchestrated events that led me to my first project. I am ghost writing a book for a friend. It is an amazing story and I am excited to help her tell her story.
I look forward to where the Lord takes me on this journey of writing – telling stories, sharing encouragement and inspiring hope along the way.