2018 Resolutions...Kind of

Resolutions.

I understand it's to start the new year with the best of intentions and a goal which I am all about! Believe you me, out of all of my friends I'm the nerd about goal setting and vision boards.  However, why wait until January 1?  Really though, ask yourself why does January 1 sound like the perfect date.  Is it because you believe it's easier to start on the 1st?  Is it because everyone else starts at the time?  (I know I'm asking a lot of questions and  really making you think, but hey, it' what I do).

I mean, if you want to lose 20 pounds,  quit smoking or be more present why not now?!  

Did you know that it takes 21 days for something to become a habit?  So whether you start going to the gym on January 1st or January 15th you still have to do it for 21 days for it to become a habit.  I'm not trying to deter you from going to the gym - it's one of my fav activities - but according to USA Today, on average 12% of new gym members join in January and of that 12 percent 95% drop off after January 15th.  BUT, what if we started a week or two earlier?  You would be that much closer to developing a new habit and you might not mind how packed the gym got for those 15 days.

What I'm trying to say is don't wait.  Don't use the new year as an obligatory starting point for this new goal you have in mind.  If it something that is important to you and God has put it on your heart than go out and DO IT!   

"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:23-24  

So, if you decide on March 25th that you want to start a daily prayer journal than start that day!  If you decide on November 4th you want to lose 15 pounds than start that day!

Sometimes starting is the hardest part, but if you think of it as working for God's good and not your own it will become easier.  Serve Him and blessings will follow.

Love you always,

Leah


P.S. I'm pretty versed in goal setting and have a few tips and tricks if you guys would be interested.  

Back at it!

Hey.  How are you? Long time no posts...my bad... 😬So much has happened.  Like SO much!

But guess what? I'm back - ready to write what God has been putting on my heart and get my creativity out into the world.

I'm ready to be loud.
I'm ready to be bold.
I'm ready to be honest.
I'm ready to be all the things He created me to be.

I can't wait to share about how God has been using me this past year.  I guess to everyone else it's just normal life but for me, God has been challenging my heart.  It has been much more subtle than other seasons of my life.  Maybe I don't need the booming alerts to hear from Him anymore, just a still small voice.

Since when do I notice a still small voice? Better yet, when do I ever listen to it?!

Uhh, can we say "Growth" people?!

Have you grown much this year? I know this year feels like a doozy but stay with me.  We can do this!

Stay tuned over the next couple of days. Things. Are. Happening.


Love you always,
Leah

Overhaul Your Life

How many times have you said to God, "Ok, I'm ready for your plan for my life" ?  It was most likely said in a time of despair when your plans, that you made on your own, didn't work out.
(Am I right or am I right?!)

Believe me, I've done it too.  I've prayed that prayer that so many times in my darkest hours because I was just SO done with this life.  However, I've also said those words when I felt lost and confused.  Word of advice,  DO NOT ask God to take away or give you anything so that you can do His will, unless you are prepared for the consequences.  I know from experience.  Let me tell you it was a freakin' doozy.  It was my senior year of College, my fiancee left me, I had to move back in with my parents and I totaled my car.  All that happened in 4 months! Talk about moving mountains!

I say this as a word of caution.  If you think you're at a low point and need God to save you, you're right.  But the thing is you needed Him waayyyy before that.  I have this theory (which I could be totally wrong)  that if you are actively seeking a relationship with Him and do love God before you cry out for his overhaul, that He will make small moves first. If you are open an seeking Him then you will see these small signs or changes in everyday life.  At the time of my overhaul I was not nearly as deep with my walk in Christ as I am now.  I see small changes and hear his voice more frequently.  He knows I am sensitive so small signs are the best for me.

I wonder how God is speaking to you?  Do you need a small change or large?  I would love to hear all about it in the comments below or reach out to me on social media.



" So often our dreams are actually too small for God to fit into them, and what God wants is for us to invite Him in and hand them over to Him."  -  Mariah McManus Goss  



Love you always,
Leah

Practice Gratitude

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Every night before I go to sleep I give a prayer of thanks.  With a smile on my face I give a small whisper, "thank you".  I thank God for the people in my life and for the experiences I had that day.  Some days it's really hard to say thank you.  Some experiences I wish weren't so, let's say faith building ;)

I've been put through the ringer in quite a few aspects of my life.  But let me tell you I wouldn't have it any other way.  One of my favorite quotes is by Glennon Doyle Melton as she simply and beautifully states, "Follow the heartbreak."  What? Are you serious?!  I'm for real for real.

Let me tell you dear friends you have so much to learn about yourself in that heartbreak.  I have had the most amazing epiphanies and relationships blossom from heartbreak.  I am so thankful that God allows us to feel heartbreak.  It might sound crazy because it's not a pleasurable feeling, I get it, but god does not gift just anyone with serious heartbreak.  Only the might who He knows will triumph.

When I experienced a particular heartbreak about two years ago I hit rock bottom.  I gave up on my dreams, I gave on trying and worse, I gave up on people.  I was physically and mentally deteriorating.  I lost 23 pounds in 2 months and only left my home to go to class, sometimes I didn't go at all.  It was the worst I had ever felt in my life!  I am so thankful for that time.

I am thankful because it aloud me to develop deeper relationships with my family.  I am thankful because it brought me closer to God and my relationship with Jesus.  I am thankful because it showed me that with His strength I can do anything!  It it the reason I am doing what I do today.  It is wonderful and perfect.

Now it's your turn.  I invite you to say or list at least three things you are thankful for right now!  Then do it again tomorrow and the next day.  It will start to open your eyes to the beauty all around you.

Love you Always,
Leah

Being Open to Receive

Guys! I completely had a lightbulb moment the other day!  (I know I've been getting them a lot lately).  But seriously, I overheard someone talking and they said a phrase I've heard so many times and for the first time it finally clicked.  It only took me 26 years and a few experiences later.  Hahaha.

How many times have you heard someone say, "It's not the end of the world."  I know I've heard it a bunch of times.  Now, keep in mind I am hard wired with anxiety. I use to think a lot of things that went wrong would almost be the end of the world.  (If you're like me you know what I mean).  However, during one of my internships their was this huge issue that happened during my first few weeks and I thought I was done for.  But I had a very senior director say to me those exact words, "It's not the end of the world."   It was like a light bulb wet off in my head. It immediately put me at ease!  If it was any other time, person, or place I still would have freaked out.  It wasn't until that point in time when that woman said it that I was ready to receive the message.

The point is this;  sometimes you hear the same motivational speech or phrase many times but it isn't until you are ready to receive the message that you fully understand.  Maybe that person has a totally different way of bringing you the information that makes you go, "Oh my lanta!  This totally makes sense now!"  Gods timing is perfect.  When you are ready to go to that conference you will.  When you are ready to fully comprehend what is being said or done you will!

Ecclesiastes 3:11 “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.”   

If at any point in your life you've had one of theses "lightbulb receiving" moments let me know in the comments below!  I want to hear from you!

Love you Always,
leah

Take Action

Is their anything more inspiring than the Olympics?! I can't think of anything.  I know for me stories of grit and perseverance inspire me to keep going.  It also had me thinking how alike all those athletes are.  Yes they might compete in completely different events but they all have one thing in common; they took action on their dream.  

Todays post is going to be about taking action on the dream that God has put on your heart.  Some of you might be saying, "But Leah, I don't even know what to do first!"  Well to be honest, starting is the hardest part.  The simplest, yet the hardest.  However, you're full of all these great ideas and ambition is just pouring out of you.  You are exuberant when telling your mom and friends of the dream that is aching in your soul.  If they really care they ask you what you're going to do, to which you freeze and say, "I'm not sure."  (Sound of air coming out of a ballon.)  

Now you might feel a bit deflated at this point but that's ok! Everyone's been there.  I have too.  But I want to encourage you to keep seeking after what it is that was put on your heart.  It's not some weird deep desire to go start a farm in Africa somewhere even though you grew up in the upper east side of NYC.  Other people might find it strange but guess what, it's not their dream! He has given everyone a unique path to take.   We can try and do what society expects from us but in the end we don't have much control AND we will feel unfulfilled.   Proverbs 16:9.  

Starting can be as simple as doing research of others who have gone before you.  It can be following a role model on Twitter or Instagram.  Another highly underutilized tool is to pray.  Ask God what you should do.  Ask Him to invite people into your life that believe in you.  Then watch Him work.  You have done your part, now let Him do His.

If you just start you will amaze yourself.  I promise.  

“In the same way that you gave me a mission in the world, I give them a mission in the world.” (John 17:18 MSG)


Just do it.  (No this is not sponsored by Nike).  



Love you Always, 
Leah 

Moments of Pause

If you're anything like me, you hate having down time.  The word relax is not in your vocabulary.  In fact, your own mother makes fun of you for always being "on the go".  Also, insomnia is something you are very familiar with.  I mean seriously though,  how can you sleep when you could be doing something else wwaayyy more productive?!

About one month ago I left my miserable job and was forced to relax.  This was the hardest thing I've had to do, and let me tell you, I've done a lot of hard tasks.  The first week was like a vacation.  I went to the beach, slept in, read two books, added a couple chapters to my own novel and I got to spend lots of time with friends.  Week two was similar to the first with only a few bits of restlessness (huge, I know).

Week three however was a different story.  Panic started to set in.  How come the other job didn't call me back yet?  Will I be unemployed for the rest of my life?  Does everyone think I'm a failure?  You get the idea.  My restless brain and my need to be productive was at an all time high.  This was the longest I have been without a job since I was 16!

One day after church I was speaking with my friend who asked me how the job hunt was going.  He saw my face sink down to the ground and said he was praying for me.  I immediately started to vent about how I'm bored and I'm feeling useless.  With his sweet smile he said he understood and that he too struggled with feeling that at times.  But what he said next is what really made an impact. He gently said, God sometimes forces us into moments of pause so we can listen to what He has to say (BOOM, brain exploded).  It is to remind us that we are not the sum of all our accomplishments and achievements.  We are worth more than all of them combined.  He loves us no matter the state of life we are in!

It was in that moment of pause I realized my sense of worth was rooted in my accomplishments, NOT in God's love for me.  I'm sure you have felt this way too at times.  It's easy to get caught up in what the world says we should be doing.  I mean, we see and hear it all day long.  It's much harder to remember and have faith in something that is unseen, but trust me,  He is guiding you to where you are meant to be.  If only you take a moment to pause and listen.

Psalm 32:8 - The Lord says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.  I will advise and watch over you."  


Love you always,
Leah

Fear is just a feeling

Today I felt the need to address the topic of fear.  I know, I know.  It's a nasty little word that carries a lot of weight.  But do you know what makes it so great?  It is not the truth.  (Let that last sentence linger in your mind for a moment.)

I'm serious guys!  I put the Google definition below.

Fear - noun

1. 1. 

   an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.

Fear is simply an unpleasant emotion caused by a belief.  If you pick this definition apart the words that stand out to me are unpleasant, emotion, and belief.  Yeah, it's unpleasant and it's also an emotion. It is an unpleasant emotion that our mind and the enemy uses to try to steal our joy.   Emotions are something which I personally struggle controlling.  Most importantly it is a belief. Beliefs are not facts. Beliefs are not the truth! Take comfort in that.  You should also take comfort in knowing the feeling of fear is not of God." So we can say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear.  What can mere people do to me?"  Hebrews 13:6.  Sometimes when I'm having an extra hard time with my emotions and negative self talk I will say this verse.  Most of the time I just say the last section, "What can mere people do to me?"

Many times in life we are struck with fear.  We can't help it.  If you're anything like me you probably fear the most ridiculous things and think to yourself - late at night in bed - feeling lonely, "Is anyone really my friend or are they all just pretending to be nice so they don't hurt my feelings?"  (I told you it was ridiculous.)  This is not truth.  Again, it's just that stupid feeling of fear.  He's coming for you when you are by yourself and have nothing better to think about.  With that being said, I suggest giving someone a call or text, pick up a book, or turn on a good 'ole episode of Parks and Recreation.  Leslie Knope will honestly make you want to save the world.  Boom, instant shut down/distraction of the beast we call fear.  How?  Because you are taking more than 5 seconds to focus your attention on something else.  If you don't believe me than I challenge you that the next time you feel fear within 5 seconds try and distract yourself.  I know this has helped me tremendously and I hope it does the same for you.

Love you always,
Leah

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Finding Your North Star

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone who seems SO passionate about what they do?  Did they also seem to have a glow about them that made you wish you could find that perfect shade in a highlight from Becca cosmetics?!  Yeah, me too.  My makeup loving self literally went out to find a highlight that resembled my friends face. But the thing is none of them were quite right.  Maybe that's because after a few sweaty hours in the sun they all seemed to fade away.  I needed staying power people!

Then it hit me...Ask her what she was wearing!  When she told me she doesn't even own foundation I claimed she was lying.  I mean seriously?!  I have never seen skin that flawless and radiant unless it came from a bottle. But alas, I was wrong.  What was her secret you ask?   Staying true to her own North Star.  Yup,  she figured it out and is living her life doing what she was put on this earth to do.

I'm hoping this blog will help you discover your own north star, or help you get a little closer.

I love you always,
Leah