What's Your Superhero Power?

What's your superhero power?  Do you know what it is?  As mom's I think we can get lost a little bit in the day to day--even when we do it well.  

I am on a committee at my church to help with some redecorating projects that we are doing.  I love it!  I love being part of the behind the scenes stuff. Most people just notice that something looks different, but don't really think about how it got there or who designed it.  It just appears one Sunday. It's a small committee, only 5 people.  We each have distinct talents: one is our fearless leader and idea finder; one is photographer; I'm the lettering and idea mixer; a super creative student artist; and finally, a super star idea supporter.  Now that last mentioned person might not think much of her contributions, but it's actually really important.  It had never occurred to me that she might not think much of her contributions until our leader asked her what her superpowers are, and she said she didn't know.

I've been completely guilty of downplaying (out loud and in my mind) what my gifts are.  I've not valued them and short changed myself for what my skills really are.  There are some things that I really am good at, others that I could do better, and a lot that I'm still learning.  We all have a range of skills.  This beautiful friend of mine didn't seem to value her supportive and critical role.  The kicker is that I've seen on more than one occasion that her support has helped make people around her very successful.  I'm not saying she is a magic pill, but having the support of someone you love is a key element to building dreams--whether it's decorating a church or building a business from scratch. 

When you have someone that is fun to be around, supports what you do, understands that it's okay to think outside of what is the norm, and makes you laugh??  That's called a blessing and a friend.  Be thankful and  be sure to tell these supporter people that you appreciate them and their reliability.  I appreciate this friend's sweet and sarcastic sense of humor.  I love doing things with her, on committees or just hanging out.

Can I just say, I have the best friends ever?  A couple weeks ago, I posted about another beautiful friend of mine.  This is a completely different person I'm talking about this time.  Different skills.  Different personality.  Different style.  Still a huge blessing to me.  I'm so blessed!

Who is your quiet superhero friend?  Are you the quiet superhero friend?  Tell me below what it is that you appreciate about that person.  Now go tell them.

It's Okay to Move On

I attended my 20th high school reunion last weekend.  Well, I went to 2 of the 4 arranged events, anyway.  I had a great time!  Through God's grace we ended up sitting with a classmate and her husband that we really clicked with.  I feel like it could have been awkward and uncomfortable, but it was fantastic.  Really!

The first night was an easy, casual event at a local restaurant owned by one of our classmates.  The second event was a family picnic in the park. The third event was a more formal dinner at a different restaurant and finishing up with a farewell breakfast on Sunday morning.  As I said before, we attended 2 events. I enjoyed the company at both. It was fantastic to catch up with people that I had at one point so long ago attend so much of my time with...but I'm not there anymore--and that's okay.

There's probably a reason that most of us haven't kept in touch. Some of us don't have much in common anymore.  Some of us didn't have much in common 20 years ago either.  That's okay, too.  Sometimes those people we don't have much in common with can still love us and teach us valuable lessons--even if it's but-for-the-grace-of-God-there-go-I.

I'm blessed to have the amazing husband I do.  I'm blessed to have the beautiful children I do.  Every now and again we need a gentle reminder of who we used to be to see how far we've come.

I'm thankful I went. I'm thankful for the relationships that were rekindled. I'm also thankful it's over for now.  It's time, once again, too look forward to the amazing plans God has for me...plans for hope and a future.

Where Does Your Worry End?

It is so scary to be stretched outside of our comfort zone, but growth won't happen unless we do. True statement.  As I was preparing for my black belt test, I was terrified I wouldn't pass.  It was a lot of work and time put into it.  If I didn't pass, I'm sure I would have felt rotten about it.  The really cool and amazing part of growing, is that God meets us where we're at and equips us completely for what He calls us to do.  

It's no secret that I am growing and building my color & inspiration consulting business.  I've been working on it for quite some time now and there's been a lot of growing that I personally had to do to get this business growing.  Last week I received a message from a person interested in utilizing my services for a big project.  Not a big project, but a huge project--bigger than I've ever done.  I was excited just to have the opportunity to get to talk with the person about it.  He was upfront and told me he couldn't promise anything, but he wanted to talk.  We met at the site.  He gave me very broad strokes about things he would like to see in the final results, but didn't have a whole lot of specifics. Cool!  He is trusting me to create my own vision of this space.

What happened after the appointment is not like me at all.  I was without a direction.  It's not that I was nervous.  I really wasn't.  I just couldn't see where I wanted it to go.  I'm an idea person.  That's what I do.  But God is good!  I texted my small group friends and asked for prayer.  The first response I got back tells the whole story,

"Congrats, Jennille!  God will equip you absolutely!"

And He did.  He gave me a vision for something so cool and amazing!  I'm so excited about it that I get completely forklempt talking about it.  Then God continued to bless me.  We went to church this morning, like we always do.  Our pastor has been preaching through the book of Judges in the Old Testament.  He was off this morning and we had a lay pastor speaking.  He happens to be a good friend of ours, but he had no idea about my dilemma.  He continued in the series and spoke about Gideon, whom the Lord called a mighty man of valor...even though he was from the weakest clan from the least tribe and he was the least of his family.  Gideon was not someone that the world would have chosen to lead, but God did.  (Edit: here's the link to the sermon, if you'd like to check it out for yourself.)

While I often feel ill prepared to do what God has called me to do, God will equip me with everything I need.  It may be He has given me these ideas to make this space amazing and awesome, or it may be that He has given me an amazing support group because I won't get it.  I don't know.  It's not in my hands beyond presenting the ideas I believe He has given me.  Here's what I do know for sure: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Have you ever had an idea that you knew was from God?  Did you present it as such?  Please comment below.

Do You Manage Time Well?

Do you manage your time well?  I like to think I do, but as I write this, it is 9:15 p.m. on the eve of publishing it...so I may not be as good as I originally thought.  That being said, I usually am pretty good with my time.  I've picked up a lot of tips of the years in various books and out of necessity, especially as I was preparing for my black belt test.  I'll share a few things in hopes that it can remind me that a) I do know how to manage my time (so do it, Jennille!), and b) maybe it will help a few of my faithful readers out there.

First things first.  My kids are still learning this one, but it's much less stressful to get the work done then go play.  If I only have a set amount of time to get everything done, it's going to nag me in the back of my mind because I know that I should be doing the work first.  If I get making those business phone calls first, then it's not poking my conscience while I'm doing other things.  Get 'er done, as Larry the Cable guy says.

Of course, everyone knows we need to prioritize, but it's oh so much easier to do the less demanding tasks first...no explanation needed here.  See the "first" point...

Here's another tip: look at your schedule in blocks.  For me, since I work a full time job, have a business on the side, blog regularly, study karate two nights a week, and have a regular small group Bible study night...on top of taking care of my family and home...well, it doesn't take a genius to figure out there isn't much extra time laying around my schedule.  I look at the times I have available to see clients.  I know I have Wednesday or Friday nights, or Saturday mornings available.  I can also see clients on my lunch hour, but I know I will feel more rushed.  Those are the times I have available.  Did I mention I crossfit, too?  It's important to take care of me, so that happens at 5 a.m.  Yep.  I go workout at 5 a.m.  I know it sounds crazy, but my own health also needs to be a priority so I can do all the other things I want/need to do.  I know that writing & devotional time is early in the morning (usually, but not tonight!), and reading time is before bed.  It's not that I am so rigidly scheduled, but I do have to look at what time is available to me and take advantage of it.

I could go on and on about time management, but I'm going to leave you with this tip: it's okay to leave things undone, and it's okay to ask for help.  Sometimes, I'll admit my laundry gets piled up a bit higher than I'd like, and I have to give myself enough grace to leave it.  I really love having all the clothes clean, but let's be real, it doesn't happen very often.  Walk away.  Close the door to the laundry room.  It's okay.  If you have helpers at your house, then be humble enough to ask for help...then let them help--even if it's not the way you would do it.  When my husband and I got married, for a really long time I told him to not fold the laundry because I was so anal about how it should be folded.  Then the kids got bigger and the clothes got bigger and it took more loads and more time.  Now I let the kids sort and fold and deliver.  They all put their own clothes away.  Sure we're a little more wrinkly, but they're not naked, right?

I'd LOVE to hear what time management tips you use.  Please comment below.

God Rested. So Should You.

We need rest. We are so busy and if you happen to have a business or hobby on the side, you are intentionally (and what feels like) exponentially busier. 

My hubby recently left his job of 7 years to be self-employed again. The good news is he is busy enough to work 7 days a week. The bad news is he is busy enough to work 7 days a week. Just today, I was reading a Facebook post by a fellow hustler about the same issue.  Here's the thing, kids: we need to rest. Not all the time--that's being lazy. We do need to work... And we do need to rest. Even God rested after he created the universe. If God needs rest, then how much more do we need it. 

I completely understand it's hard to rest, but it is necessary.  Give yourself permission to take a little time to recharge, then move forward again. You'll work better. Admit it. I know I do. 

That is your homework assignment today. Give yourself permission to just chill for a bit. While you are relaxing, take a few seconds to comment below about how you like to relax. 

Always Be Yourself. Seriously.

My 20th high school reunion is this next weekend...less than 1 week away.  A lot of the people I graduated with, I haven't seen for the entire 20 years.  Some I've seen occasionally at the grocery store, a few I've stayed in touch with, but for the most part, it will be a group of people coming together after a really long time, that didn't really stay in touch for one reason or another.  It's really kind of weird if you honestly think about it.

I was a little nervous about it when it first came up, but the more I got to thinking about it, I wondered why I was nervous.  I really like who I was.  I was the band nerd who was friends with the popular kids, and it was a small school anyway, so everyone really knew everyone.  But we're not going back to 1995.  It's 2015, and we're all grown ups now.  I'm really proud of who I am and what I've become.  Are there more things that I want to do?  Absolutely.  There always will be.  I'm a dreamer.  Are there things I would have done differently?  Not many.

So here's to being proud of who I am.  Here's to each of us being comfortable in our own skin.  My plan is to look back with fondness (and relief that I not still there!), and to look ahead to where I'm going with excitement.  And if all else fails, I'll take cue from my 12-year-old son:

This expression was just released last week, and it is perfect for him.  He randomly tells me that he is Batman.  He's such a 12-year-old boy...

I'd love to hear your feelings about an upcoming or past high school reunion.  Please comment below.

Rippled Leadership

We all have an effect on those around us...whether we want to or not. It's a ripple effect. I can tell when it happens because one of my friends will say,

"Jennille you will be so proud of me. I did _______!" 

For example, yesterday at work, two of the other girls wore "Jennille outfits"...which boils down to a dress with cowgirl boots.  (It's kinda my thing.  What can I say?) Now I don't know if I am just so opinionated that I tell everybody how they should be living their lives, or if what I am doing is just rubbing off. I like to think I have some sort of people skills and it's the latter, but that may not be as accurate as I'd like to think.

I've heard John Maxwell say that leadership is influencing people.  It's a little bit scary to be a leader. I am so far from being perfect that I don't think anyone should do anything like I do. I almost feel a little responsible for other people.  I know that is flawed thinking for several reasons.  First, I'm not responsible for what other people do.  I can only be responsible for what I do. (Now that seems to be a lost character trait these days!) Second, just by being around people, we will influence them for good or bad.

Here's my list of things that seem to be very Jennille-ish to anyone that is around me for any length of time:

*I'm a big fan of Dave Ramsey.  (Remember my post from a few days ago?  This girl is passionate about money and Dave gives me concrete steps to work with!  Whoo hoo!  Go ultra nerd!)

*Crossfit. (The first rule of crossfit is the opposite of fight club...you always talk about crossfit.)

*Eating healthy. ( I guess people figure if you're not overweight by the time you're 40, then you must know something about eating right.)

*That God thing. (It's not a secret I go to church and have a small group of amazing believers that I fellowship with.  Don't expect me to be perfect, because I'm not.  I'm living by grace!)

*Decorating. (I don't know everything here, either.  But I have a good eye for it, and with some practice--and lots of play--I've gotten good at it...and I'm not afraid to tell you my two cents.)

Those are 5 areas that people ask me about quite frequently.  Often, it's people that I think should know more than I do, but we won't tell now will we? (wink, wink.) If I don't know the answer, I'll find it. Maybe that's why people ask me things.  Maybe I talk like I know what I'm talking about. Who knows?  Either way, I see little Jennille-isms pop up around me and it kind of freaks me out...and makes me proud at the same time.  I'm living my life.  I hope it encourages and inspires you along the way.

What do you do that you see ripple in those around you?  Please comment below.