Category: Facing Fear (Page 3 of 5)

Don’t Give Up!

March 2, 2018 / juliesc@pacbell.net / 0 Comments

It’s so easy to become discouraged when life does not progress according to our timetable. We live in an instant world that expects instant gratification. When we don’t see results, we want to stop.

I have been on a weight loss journey for the past two and a half years. At first, the weight came off quickly with not too much effort. I have gradually increased my exercise time and protein and water intake while reducing my sugar, fats, and carbohydrates. As time has progressed, the weight loss has slowed even though I have stayed true to a healthy lifestyle. Now I am at a plateau that seems to be transforming into a mountain. When I ran into this obstacle in my 20s and 30s, I gave up my healthy habits and consoled myself with chocolate. I am determined to change my ways and dig in my heels in the difficulty.

Even though I may not see instant results, I will “keep on keeping on.” I will continue to pull on my running tights even when they fit a bit more snug. I will continue to lift weights instead of keeping my hand in the candy bowl and my body on the couch. I will see setbacks as opportunities to develop my character and strength. And I will continue to place one foot in front of the other.

What in the World is a Vision Board?

January 12, 2018 / juliesc@pacbell.net / 0 Comments

I resisted creating a vision board for many years, giving random excuses like, “I’m not artistic,” “That’s too trendy for me,” and “I have no idea how to start!” An email at the end of 2016 changed my perspective and gave me the initiative I needed, and now I wish I would have started doing this exercise years earlier than I did.

For the past two years, I have participated in fitness challenges at https://www.jennyhadfield.com/. It provided me with motivation, camaraderie, and expert advice for very little money, and I highly recommend it. In the particularly dangerous weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, I would receive email with weekly challenges, and the last one in December contained these words. “Visualization is one of the most powerful exercises you can do for your mind. Professional athletes use visualization to perform at their peak, and when they do, research shows that the their brain activates in a very similar fashion, just like when they train or race.

According to peak performance expert, Jack Canfield, “your brain will work tirelessly to achieve the statements you give your subconscious mind. And when those statements are the affirmations and images of your goals, you are destined to achieve them! Because your mind responds strongly to visual stimulation-by representing your goals with pictures and images – you will actually strengthen and stimulate your emotions…and your emotions are the vibrational energy that activates the Law of Attraction. The saying “A picture is worth a thousand words,” certainly holds true here.

Creating a vision board is one of the most valuable visualization tools available to you. This powerful tool serves as your image of the future – a tangible representation of where you are going. It represents your dreams, your goals, and your ideal life.”

How to Create your 2017 Vision Board

Keep it simple and include things you want to achieve, as well as how you want to feel. You can start very simply by writing down words on a blank piece of paper or on your phone.
When inspiration strikes, create your board with your words, notes, and things you want to happen in 2017.
It doesn’t have to be fancy. You can cut pictures from a magazine, color, use photos, stickers, or images off the web – or simply make it a word-based vision board.

Your board doesn’t need to be constructed this week. Start the process by writing down how you want to feel (calm, present, successful, fit, healthy) and include your goals, and let your visions come to you. Then look for images and ways to express these visually. For years my vision board was just words or numbers on a gigantic white board in my office. It can be as simple or as fancy as it makes sense for you.”

These instructions gave me the direction and confidence to undertake the task. While I was on my one-woman, one-afternoon retreat at the end of 2016, I used stickers, markers, and pictures to make the following board:

by h

Just before I went on my one-woman, one-afternoon retreat a couple of weeks ago, I looked over 2017’s vision board and cheered as I realized that I had accomplished each goal I had written on the board. This fact motivated me to create one for this year. This is what I came up with:

I have heard that if you fail to plan, then you plan to fail. Planning to make a vision board can make 2018 so much more productive! It doesn’t have to be perfect, and it doesn’t have to follow a particular format. Please comment if you have any questions or if you would like to share a picture of your vision board.

New Year, New Word

January 8, 2018 / juliesc@pacbell.net / 0 Comments

The new year always brings a flurry of thoughts about how this year will be different from all the ones in the past. It causes us to analyze how we can be more effective and make resolutions to change habits as a result. I struggled to harness these strong feelings of resolve and to fine tune them, and I have found success in doing this for the past five years.

My secret? Choose a word! Just one word. A word that you want to aspire to learn more about and one that you will come to resemble more and more as the year goes by.

I read a great book on the topic, One Perfect Word, by Debbie Macomber, at the end of 2013, and I was inspired. On January 1, 2014, I dared to write down my word for the year and pray it each day for myself. The word terrified me; my word for the year 2014 was Surrender. I wanted to surrender my plans, hopes, dreams, and agenda to God, who had an even better plan for my life. I had no idea how strongly this word would play out until I found myself in ICU not able to breathe on my own in June of that year.

By the end of 2014, I had not only gained my strength back but had also learned far more about surrender than I ever imagined possible. I was hooked on choosing a word, now not only for myself but for each member of my immediate family. My word for the year 2015 was Rejoicing. I wanted to learn to rejoice not only when circumstances were going my way but also in the deepest disappointments. It was a worthwhile journey. The words I chose for my family were endurance, maturity, and trust.

When 2016 rolled around, I couldn’t wait to do this exercise again. My word for the year 2016 was Renewal, as I looked at my new life with children moving away and going on the international mission field. My words for my husband and children were balance, faith, and courage, as they all were learning huge lessons of their own.

By December of 2016, I even took myself on a one-woman, one-afternoon retreat to evaluate my life, set priorities, and, most importantly, determine my word. My word for the year 2017 was Freedom as I sought to be released my own self-doubt, others’ expectations and opinions of me, and the limits I had placed on myself due to fear. I experienced my best year yet, achieving more than ever and daring to do activities I never expected that I would. My words for my family were fortitude, security, and maturity.

This year is no different. I have chosen my word. It’s another scary one because I know that there are many lessons I need to learn about this subject. My word for this year is Humility. True freedom only comes when I choose to humble myself before God and trust Him completely for my future. The words I have selected for those closest to me are direction, leadership, and abiding.

I have found a great website that has also helped me in this journey: www.oneword365.com. It’s a wonderful community of people who have also chosen one word for the year so we can support one another as we live out our word for the year.

What will be your word for the year?

Stay tuned to my blog for posts about one-woman retreats and vision boards!

Taking the Back Seat

December 6, 2017 / juliesc@pacbell.net / 0 Comments

My husband and I took a road trip with my son and his girlfriend over Thanksgiving break. We traveled over 400 miles each way to spend the holiday at my husband’s aunt’s house. It was an excellent opportunity to spend time getting to know David’s girlfriend, Mariana, and a chance to get away and have some fun.

My skills as a car passenger lack subtlety. I overreact to each car that comes to close, each sudden movement, and each time the driver does something that I have deemed to risky for my taste. It’s caused many tense moments between my husband and myself, since he is the most frequent driver in the household.

As usual, Darren drove most of the miles of this trip, but he did allow David to drive the longest that he ever has on this annual Thanksgiving trek. On the way home, David drove for over three hours. As the four of us switched spots and I moved to the back seat, I felt myself tense up. Would I be a Nervous Nellie backseat driver? I had brought many activities in my backpack that I had hoped to complete on this trip that I hadn’t even begun. I tentatively pulled out my Bible Study lesson and started to fill in the answers. As the miles continued, I felt my shoulders ease and my nerves settle. I was able to read a book I had wanted to finish, prepare for Bible Study, read a magazine, listen to the music, and engage in conversation.

This is a metaphor for my relationship with my children. Darren and I are no longer the “drivers” of their lives. We taught them the rules of the road and watched them become proficient and licensed drivers. Instead of gripping the door handles with white knuckles or feverishly pushing my imaginary brake pedal, it’s time to trust their abilities, sit back, and enjoy the ride.

New Month, New Outlook

November 1, 2017 / juliesc@pacbell.net / 0 Comments

I’ve always loved the first day of a new month. It’s a day for changing calendars, for looking ahead to all the fun that the month promises, for receiving special “first of the month” coupons and emails, and for wiping the slate clean from last month. I especially love November because I can say, “Thanksgiving is coming later this month,” and “Next month is my birthday and Christmas.” When I encounter a flawless, new month, I am empowered to forge ahead instead of paralyzed with embarrassment over the mistakes I’ve made or overwhelmed with too much to do.

May we all greet November with a spirit of adventure and gratitude!

Hope for the Future

October 27, 2017 / juliesc@pacbell.net / 0 Comments

One of my favorite Christmas traditions as a child was sitting next to our stereo cabinet listening to Lionel Barrymore’s portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge on an album of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. I loved the sound effects, the background music, the lively reading of the well-loved book, and especially Barrymore’s characterization of Scrooge. I was a naturally fearful child, and the visits by each of the ghosts caused me to hide under a blanket for protection. The most terrifying ghost to me was the Ghost of Christmas Future. In fact, I can still remember the terror in Barrymore’s voice as he pronounced, “I fear you more than any specter I have seen.” This was my first exposure to the word, future, so I always associated the future with anxiety and panic.

I’m learning that we can anticipate the future with great hope and excitement or we can dread it. The choice is ours. The future will inevitably contain both positive and negative elements. I am assured that I will die in the future, unless Jesus returns before then. I could choose to focus my life on that so much that it prevents me from living today to the fullest. I can look forward to upcoming great times with loved ones, the addition of a new generation to our family tree, and the chance to grow and learn into my fifties, sixties, and seventies. I can’t wait to see just how valuable my golden years will be!

This post is part of a 31 Day Blogging Challenge entitled Embracing Fifty. Please click here to find all the posts in this series. You can find the work of more bloggers participating in this series here. You’ll be glad you did!

Change

October 26, 2017 / juliesc@pacbell.net / 0 Comments

My life has completely changed in the past ten years. In October of 2007, I had two young teenagers living at home whom I was homeschooling full time, my dad was still alive and took a lot of my time and energy, I was still driving close to 100 miles a week in a minivan, we had different pets, I weighed close to fifty pounds more than I do now, and my good health was sporadic. Now, just ten short years later, the kids have moved out, my dad and two pets have died, I drive less than 50 miles a week in a sporty Camry, and I’m in the best shape and health of my life.

It would have been ridiculous to refuse to accept the changes as they came. I would have done my children and my husband a disservice if I refused to allow the kids to spread their wings and fly the coop. I get much better gas mileage in my car than I ever did in my van. I have energy to get up each day, thanks to my new exercise and diet habits.

I used to view change as scary and unwelcome, but it is inevitable. I can deny it and resist it, but that doesn’t keep it from happening. It just makes life harder for everyone.

In this new decade of my life, I will choose to embrace change. My husband’s and my lives will certainly change this coming April when his job of nearly 27 years comes to an end. Our children’s lives are changing as is our relationship with them. We can grow and learn so much from change. I don’t know all the changes God has in store for my life in the next ten years, but I will trust Him and look forward what is to come.

Encouragement

October 22, 2017 / juliesc@pacbell.net / 0 Comments

All Christians have spiritual gifts, those special attributes that God has given them to help others. I used to wish that I could be a great worship leader or a gifted evangelist or be able to prophesy or be a natural helper or be rich in mercy, but I haven’t been given any of these gifts. My gift is encouragement. It doesn’t look fancy and may not get noticed much in today’s world, but I like it. I can use it in both the written word and the spoken word. I love that the centerpiece of the word encouragement is courage. I believe that encouraging words have the power to equip others courage to tackle the next task, to face their fears, and to continue when they feel like quitting.

I also need to encourage myself in the same manner and let the wise and affirming words of others spur me on to grow as a person even when I don’t feel like it. I can’t think of a single situation that isn’t improved by encouragement, so I will increase doing so as I enter into this next decade!

Becoming an Overcomer Instead of a Victim

October 21, 2017 / juliesc@pacbell.net / 2 Comments

I am an avid reader, and I love a good story. I especially enjoy great character development, watching the protagonist in the story grow throughout all the activity of the story and triumph over the antagonist at the climax of the story. I get way too involved in the characters’ lives, rooting for them, shedding actual tears due to their emotional pain, empathizing with their highs and lows, and rejoicing at the end of the book even though the hero is a fictitious, created in the mind of the author.

I need to apply these feelings to my own life. It’s so easy for me to make excuses or blame my lack of initiative on past circumstances or on the hurt that others have caused me to feel. My natural tendency is to see myself as the victim but it’s time to become the hero in my story. I need to look at opposition as means for growth and change and see that I have the Creator of the universe always on my side. I need to see the pain of my past propelling me to face the future. I need to focus on the triumph instead of the turmoil.

I will still be the same person I was in my forties as I enter this new decade of life in just fifty days, but the fifties will be my decade of being the one who overcomes!

Aches and Pains

October 20, 2017 / juliesc@pacbell.net / 0 Comments

I will admit that aches and pains are not my favorite thing in life. There’s not an hour that I don’t feel a twinge of discomfort in some part of my body. However, I have learned some advantages to pain.

It reminds me that I am still alive.
It makes me rely on God more.
It causes me to look forward to the day that I will leave this imperfect body on earth.
It often signifies that I had worked a muscle hard enough to fatigue it.
It allows me more empathetic with others who are experiencing physical pain.
It forces me to slow down and rest.
It humbles me and shows me that I am not invincible.
It helps me to be thankful for the moments that I experience less pain.

As we age, aches and pains are inevitable, but moaning and complaining about them is optional. I am making the choice to rejoice!