Hello blog... hello friends, I have missed you. It's been two crazy weeks! Between my busy schedule and life happening, I had to forfeit blogging. With the warm Florida sun comes seasonal allergies and having two seasonal asthmatic kids, a season change means flare ups. As a result, Abrielle ended up in the hospital last week with double pneumonia... (which by the way was also the last week of school) It was triggered by her allergies and an odd string of the flu. I felt so blessed and fortunate to be able to be there by her side the entire time. I knew I could pick back up where I left off when things calmed down. I continued to post on all my social media pages and sites so you would not be left without, so hopefully you follow me there too. I'm always sad when I cannot deliver on my commitments, but it happens to us all and we simply must prioritize.
After an exhausting week, I sat down and watched a movie tonight... one that turned out to be incredible! Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close truly exceeded my expectations! Then, of course, it inspired me with a thought provoking blog topic. I related to the young boy in the movie so much, he was searching for answers... for hope, that maybe his father left him something... a clue to what happened and why. I got so choked up as he practically went crazy on this search to find what he hoped would give him peace. Although I am not sure how old the boy was in the movie... I remembered me as that young little girl who lost her sister and everything she knew and then reflected on how my life unfolded afterwards. It really was an incredible movie for so many reasons; if you have not seen it, I highly recommend it!
Life is really short, you must truly hold onto every awesome moment, every meaningful word, gesture, or person that comes into your life. Cherish what you have and never stop going after what you want in life. Hug your kids, your spouse, your parents, your siblings, your friends, and tell them how much you love them EVERY DAY even if it's in a text or on Facebook. We are never promised tomorrow and as cliche as that may sound after hearing it SOOO many times, we still need the reminder that we are not invincible, we are not here forever and we need to be conscious of what we will leave behind when we are gone.
You can never truthfully say that one person cannot make such a significant difference with their words and actions that they will be remembered for years and years after their death. Too many people have come and gone in this world who have spent their whole lives using the gifts that they were given to inspire, impress a message or feeling upon others to help them. Many and most were shunned, made fun of, ridiculed and called strange only to be celebrated and quoted for years after their death; at some point the ridicule lessens and they prove to be an inspiration to others.
We never forget the extraordinary ones, the ones that never gave up, the ones that were consistently "different", the square pegs, the misfits, the ones that discovered their purpose, their passions and did everything they could to share with others what they have learned along their long and windy path. You see... without people that are willing to do what you are not willing to do, you would never know the meaning of significance.
So I ask you today... how significant are you? Are you willing to do what others won't in order to make a difference? Are you hopeful that you can change peoples lives in a positive way or are you the one who wants to sit on the sidelines quietly? Are you willing to stand up for what you believe in or take a stand for what you are passionate about?
I am, and all of you have it in you to do the same. It may not be something that will yield you a huge income... but it CAN be significant and you CAN make a difference in someone's life no matter how uninspiring you feel. When I sat down to write my book, I did not "feel" inspiring... I felt deflated, depleted, lost and defeated. Ironically being in that spot allowed me to be vulnerable and to just pour out my heart and be REAL with people, to be raw and full of emotion and it ended up being the very reason it has inspired so many people now. Humility became my lesson and with that lesson came the biggest growth spurt and peacefulness I had ever had and it is awesome. It was not about me anymore, it was not about MY success or MY winning the prize or proving something to the world about me; it became about what I could do for others. It became about making people laugh, smile, cry, think, or change. My life shifted at that moment and has been in high gear ever since.
If I were more like most, I would be ordinary, I would be unwilling to do more, sacrifice more, and seek more in order to have more; not more things... not more money, but simply more impact. For me, being like most is not an option, I choose to be as significant as I can be, as extraordinary as I was meant to become and to use every single gift and form of knowledge that I have gained to better the lives of others. I hope that no matter how insignificant you may feel , that you realize that you have gifts to share; experiences that would inspire others. I DARE you to discover them, to use them, and to be humbled by them.
I hope you have a WONDERFUL week...
Shells
To purchase a signed copy of my book click here
After an exhausting week, I sat down and watched a movie tonight... one that turned out to be incredible! Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close truly exceeded my expectations! Then, of course, it inspired me with a thought provoking blog topic. I related to the young boy in the movie so much, he was searching for answers... for hope, that maybe his father left him something... a clue to what happened and why. I got so choked up as he practically went crazy on this search to find what he hoped would give him peace. Although I am not sure how old the boy was in the movie... I remembered me as that young little girl who lost her sister and everything she knew and then reflected on how my life unfolded afterwards. It really was an incredible movie for so many reasons; if you have not seen it, I highly recommend it!
Life is really short, you must truly hold onto every awesome moment, every meaningful word, gesture, or person that comes into your life. Cherish what you have and never stop going after what you want in life. Hug your kids, your spouse, your parents, your siblings, your friends, and tell them how much you love them EVERY DAY even if it's in a text or on Facebook. We are never promised tomorrow and as cliche as that may sound after hearing it SOOO many times, we still need the reminder that we are not invincible, we are not here forever and we need to be conscious of what we will leave behind when we are gone.
You can never truthfully say that one person cannot make such a significant difference with their words and actions that they will be remembered for years and years after their death. Too many people have come and gone in this world who have spent their whole lives using the gifts that they were given to inspire, impress a message or feeling upon others to help them. Many and most were shunned, made fun of, ridiculed and called strange only to be celebrated and quoted for years after their death; at some point the ridicule lessens and they prove to be an inspiration to others.
We never forget the extraordinary ones, the ones that never gave up, the ones that were consistently "different", the square pegs, the misfits, the ones that discovered their purpose, their passions and did everything they could to share with others what they have learned along their long and windy path. You see... without people that are willing to do what you are not willing to do, you would never know the meaning of significance.
So I ask you today... how significant are you? Are you willing to do what others won't in order to make a difference? Are you hopeful that you can change peoples lives in a positive way or are you the one who wants to sit on the sidelines quietly? Are you willing to stand up for what you believe in or take a stand for what you are passionate about?
I am, and all of you have it in you to do the same. It may not be something that will yield you a huge income... but it CAN be significant and you CAN make a difference in someone's life no matter how uninspiring you feel. When I sat down to write my book, I did not "feel" inspiring... I felt deflated, depleted, lost and defeated. Ironically being in that spot allowed me to be vulnerable and to just pour out my heart and be REAL with people, to be raw and full of emotion and it ended up being the very reason it has inspired so many people now. Humility became my lesson and with that lesson came the biggest growth spurt and peacefulness I had ever had and it is awesome. It was not about me anymore, it was not about MY success or MY winning the prize or proving something to the world about me; it became about what I could do for others. It became about making people laugh, smile, cry, think, or change. My life shifted at that moment and has been in high gear ever since.
If I were more like most, I would be ordinary, I would be unwilling to do more, sacrifice more, and seek more in order to have more; not more things... not more money, but simply more impact. For me, being like most is not an option, I choose to be as significant as I can be, as extraordinary as I was meant to become and to use every single gift and form of knowledge that I have gained to better the lives of others. I hope that no matter how insignificant you may feel , that you realize that you have gifts to share; experiences that would inspire others. I DARE you to discover them, to use them, and to be humbled by them.
I hope you have a WONDERFUL week...
xoxo
Shells
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