You Know it's True...

Can anyone relate to this? Staring down the barrel of a huge endeavor, goal or life change sometimes makes me want to just sit down and stare off into space hoping the enormity of the task diminishes over time. 

As with everything else we don't want to (like waistlines and weeds) they grow when ignored. Today I had the satisfying feeling of completing a side-car project for my Money Wise book. Before I started it, I thought it through to the detail.  It was ugly, hairy and certainly tough to chew.  It made me face things about my process and forced me to choose either reaching my desired end or failure via complacency and procrastination daily.

I could choose to show up and work or delay and regret. Thankfully I chose to show up for this project but there have been plenty of times when the question of "How on earth will I get this all done?" alone was paralyzing.  

My friends, these are our defining moments. These are the choices we make that determine champion or coward, leader or runaway, voice or shadow.  Name the elephant you are facing. Whether it is a project, life-change, emotional issue, relational issue, name it. Say it out loud (or in your head, if your stubborn like that). See the first step toward removing it and take it. 

How many people are waiting for you on the other side of this process of obedience? Decide to start even if you don't have it all figured out just perfectly. The reward comes when it is no longer keeping you from your purpose.

Look up James 4:17 if you need to hear the message a little louder :)

Much love,

Charity

What if?

The alarm clock goes off.  You get up and do the morning routine.  It is so routine you despise it. The routine of getting ready for a job you are less than fulfilled in but dependent upon.  They pay you just enough to make it worth all the horrible staff meetings and mundane reports you fill out and you work just hard enough to not get fired.  You clock watch after the first forty minutes of being there hoping that part of the day would speed up so you can get home and crash after a long hard day of enduring mind numbing work.  You daydream of being fulfilled by being the solution of a problem you have seen for years.  You see people coming to you for help and advice that you are accredited to give. You envision yourself going home after work with a strong sense of gratitude for the ability to do what you love and make a living at it.  You sit at the dinner table reliving the glory moments of the day and ... Oh wait, you are actually still in your cubicle staring at the same pale gray fabric you have been staring at for years.  

But...what if? 

What if you decided that you were going to start taking the small steps it will take over time to get you to that dream you see? Yes, it make take years of small steps, but still, you decide to begin.  What if in six months of the decision you are actually measurably closer to your dream becoming your reality? What if your pursuit of the dream causes your current job to transform into the vehicle you need to help you reach your dream rather than a slow ride to your grave? 

What if you took a risk? What if you leveraged some comforts for the payoff of stepping into a more authentic career? What if you reduced your lifestyle so you could afford to send yourself to college?  What if you showed people around you that you can reinvent yourself at any point in your life? What if that gave them the hope and inspiration they needed? What if you try something new that puts you in the company of new people and you meet someone who changes your life?

Conversely, what if ... You don't?

What if you choose to remain afraid? What if you decide change is just too painful? What if you willingly cling to a job, a relationship or lack of a relationship because you don't want to get out of your current familiar yet painful routine?

If you truly want to change things for the better and actually try, but don't know how to get started, I am here to help. I offer one-on-one mentoring packages starting with just one session.  We can connect via video chat or phone wherever you are.  To begin the process,  email admin@charitybradshaw.com and put mentoring in the subject line. You will receive the mentoring package options which includes the costs.  Once you decide which is right for you, I will send you the Client Connection profile form. 

Dont let another day, week, month or year go by feeling stuck or hopeless. This is the time to begin taking the steps toward your dream! 

Much love, 

Charity

Start Your Engines

One of the best things I have ever read off of a church sign is, "You don't have to know it all to begin." I can't stand wasting time or energy so I like to know all the details before I commit to do something. 

When God showed us the option to move to Houston, I knew the path was going to have unfamiliar territory, rugged terrain and blind curves. None of which are my kind of good time. 

Despite the fact that I could foresee there being many awesome moments that make the change all worth it, I knew there would be immense costs and maybe a few that brought me to my knees. There might be some things about decisions that I make along the way that turn out to be mistakes in judgement, spending, trust or investing.  

What if I fail? What if this doesn't work out? What if I have to find something else to fall back on? 

Are those valid concerns? Sure. Do I need to plan as best as I can? Absolutely. Are they worth not trying? No.  More people can relate to mistakes or failures than successes any day. 

If you are staring at your own personal starting line afraid of what your race will look like, let me tell you this. It may be ugly, it may be tough, but it WILL be worth it.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Just like a baby develops beyond where the eye can see, there are things that must develop in you that will not be recognized until they have fully matured. Does that make them any less worth developing? No.

Begin, right where you are. Posture yourself for the dream you have inside by making today the first day you truly pursued your dream in spite of anything you may have ever feared.

Much love, 

Charity