Once The Dust Settles...

The dust has settled from a busy week of trying to get nestled into a temporary space until the construction is complete on our new place. I figured I better not miss my Monday morning blog post.

BREATHE RELAX AND WRITE...

This is what I told myself on this Labor Day weekend. It is Sunday night, the first Sunday of football season, and my first Sunday living back in Florida.

I have had a great first week, excluding Wednesday; my first full day back. Not really sure what happened that day, but my emotions took over and a tremendous feeling of overwhelm got hold of me. Do you find it crazy how one simple thought can lead into a tornado of emotions, and how those emotions can completely overtake you in a moment? It happens to all of us, as strong as I am, it happens to me, so you are not alone.

Do you ever have moments when your whole life plays in your head like a movie in a matter of minutes, and as your movie ends in the present moment you are in, you wish it would just keep playing to show you what's ahead?

IF WE COULD ONLY SEE...

Life would be so much easier if we could just SEE the future. Think of the choices we would make, the people we would go see, the excuses we would no longer have and the purpose we would find in each day. It would be amazing, wouldn't it?

So...

Why don't you just pretend that you CAN see that future? Go ahead, picture the things that you want to happen... and know that EVERY choice and EVERY decision you make from here on out will have everything to do with making them happen. Then realize that your clock is ticking... How much more would you do if you TRULY adopted that mindset? How much would you do tomorrow if you woke up and realized that you only had 24 hours left?

After all, this IS how life works right? Of course it is, we just don't consciously think of it that way.

For the past several months, I have spread myself very thin, so much has been on the brain, and trying to make so many decisions all at once has paralyzed me in many ways.

I needed peace and clarity again... and this week, despite the many things that surrounded it, I believe a little clarity came back. Wisdom was gained through deep thought processes and getting my groove back is on the forefront of my goals.


REALIZATION

There are times in our lives when we have to enter chaos to experience peace. We have to feel overwhelmed to realize that we need to calm down, and we must feel lost to find ourselves once again. Adversity, as we all know, is a chance to grow, but it is also an opportunity to realize things... to discover more about who we are and what we are made of. Without confusion, we would never know clarity. It's just par for the course.


AS THE DUST SETTLES MORE AND SETBACKS DIMINISH

The next few weeks will require more patience,.. more of finding my groove again, and although I can't say I feel 100% ready for it all, I can say that I am better today than I was yesterday. I am more level in my head than I was a week ago and I am ready to tackle what lies ahead of me. I may not be ready to conquer the world again like I once felt I was, but I know in a matter of time... as I jump life's hurdles one by one and celebrate the small victories, I will be ready to conquer the world once again and I hope that the world is ready for me  when that happens.

Until next time....

PURSUE WHAT YOU HOPE FOR; LEAVE BEHIND WHAT YOU WISH TO FORGET.... 

xoxo

Shells

WWW.THESGIARDGROUP.COM

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You Can Overcome It!

Ahhh.. that calming sound of piano music twinkling through the headphones as I type; one of my favorite times to myself is when I write.

It is healing, cleansing and always seems to remove heaviness I feel in my mind. It's why I choose to sit and write when that feeling comes on... when I feel weight that needs to lift. I feel that is when God is telling me " Sit Shelley, sit, type, and inspire... sit to pour out what so many others feel but never share, what they wish to overcome but can't."

I simply obey, even when reluctant, and well, tonight is one of those nights.

I am feeling anxious tonight, scared a little and confusion in some areas of life are pretty strong. I know I will be okay, some answers have already been revealed, but I am human, after all, and my life is a puzzle that is still incomplete.

I am sure some of you have times in life when you sit back and think WHY??? Why is this happening to me? WHEN? When will life get easier, less complicated and more stable?

Just know....

You are NOT alone. There are other people exactly where you are in this moment, where you've been in the past and even where you will end up in the future. It's a journey that you MUST live out, you mustn't give up... a path that was paved for you a long time ago and it has a happy ending. I know this first hand and no matter how hard the blows, I KNOW that I was placed here to carry on, to be strong in my walk and stronger in my faith and I am also supposed to share it all with you.

Although my personal life is something I like to keep semi- private, I have been dealing with some things personally that seemingly made no sense. It seemed like another hiccup in life, and I am REALLY over the hiccups. How many more blows can I take? I often think. However, then I am reminded that the hiccups in my life have been the exact things that have revealed the real me... they have pushed me to grow in heart and in faith. I am thankful, and appreciative of them.

In times like this, I remind myself of where the hard times led me. It helps. It reminds me how far that I have come, and gets me excited of the journey ahead.

Life is tough, and then it gets tougher. But if you hang on through these storms in your life, the rewards will be sweet, and will get sweeter with each struggle you overcome.

YOU ARE AN OVERCOMER!

So... that is my message for you tonight. it is pretty short, and pretty simple, but behind it lies strength to overcome, strength to push through, faith to guide you and hope to help you know that YOU CAN MAKE IT THROUGH.

Please know that the world needs you... you are significant even when you feel so small. And when nobody else loves you, GOD does. He is there, He has been there for me through many tearful moments; He is there for me right now in this moment, and He is there for you too. If you need His strength all you have to do is ask for it, and also ask for patience.... because trust me when I say, you will need a lot of it as you push through this life. But eventually... one day this life will be over and what matters then is who you were and what you did for others. Nothing more.

His timing is the VERY best timing, I promise. TRUST in it and carry on with a smile just like I strive to do each and every day.



Until next time....

PURSUE WHAT YOU HOPE FOR; LEAVE BEHIND WHAT YOU WISH TO FORGET.... 

xoxo

Shells

WWW.THESGIARDGROUP.COM

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The Secret to Reaching your Fullest Potential

As you may already know, I typically write my Monday blog post on Sunday nights unless something interrupts that routine like a business trip, my crazy schedule, or a holiday..... in this case it was Father's day that led me to wait until tonight. I am happy however, because I was not really sure what I was going to write about and just as it often does (because everything happens on purpose) the delay did me good. Tonight, as I read Abrielle one of her favorite bedtime stories, I was inspired with this blog topic. So.... as I sit here with Pandora "classic lounge radio" piping through my headphones as I type, I deliver to you a little secret.

How many times in your life have you wondered "why me"? How many times have you looked at the people around you and felt that they were much better off than you as you struggle through every single day, every financial woe, jump every hurdle and exhaust all your efforts to gain what you feel is a bunch of nothing? We have all been there at some point, maybe more points than we care to admit. I can certainly share that I lived that way for many years. I had direction in my mind and even had my written plan of how it would all happen but doors would shut and waves came crashing; yet something inside of me kept making me get back up... a drive, an ambition, a will to continue on ran deep in my veins just as it does today. Today, however, I look at things very differently... I realize that every hurdle is a gift that will lead me to the greatness that is meant for me just as it is for every single one of us if we merely pay attention.

As I read my daughter that story tonight, I smiled as I do every time I read this particular book because the moral behind  it regardless of what you faithfully believe is so true. The name of the book is called "Hermie" the Common Caterpillar written by Max Lucado. In the story there are two common caterpillars; Hermie and Wormie and they are living life feeling very common. What they do that is not common is that they talk to God. In the story Hermie and Wormie often wonder why they are so common and ordinary and continuously ask God why they are. Each time they talk with God, God tells them that He is not finished with them yet and tells them to be patient. This answer makes them happy each time until they come across some creature who is more beautiful or has something more extraordinary than them and then they question everything again. God continues to tell them not to worry.

How often do we size ourselves up against things that surround us, comparing our worth to that of what we see others accomplishing? It's normal, but it also stops many people from reaching their fullest potential, it is exactly what causes so many to simply give up hope. This is exactly what kept me running in circles for years. All of us have this "explosion" inside of us that needs to happen, that we want to happen, that CAN happen, but we stifle it by comparing our lives to the lives of others, by wanting more and not appreciating the blessings and talents that we already have, and then giving up when we think that we will never become something extraordinary.

The story continues...

Finally, after several feelings of disappointment that he is just a common and ordinary caterpillar, questioning God about his intentions, Hermie has a heart to heart with God one night and tells Him that it's okay he is just a common caterpillar... and that because He loves him, he realizes that alone makes him special.

How many of you can stop right now, in all your chaos, disappointment and strife and accept yourself for who you are and realize that you too are special regardless of it all?

And so the story ends....

Hermie goes to sleep after his talk with God that night with peace and acceptance in his heart and overnight God blesses Hermie with all that he has ever hoped for. As Hermie wakes the next morning he is in a cocoon and as he wiggles out of it, beautiful, colorful new wings spread... for he has now become a beautiful butterfly. He quickly flies to show and tell his friend Wormie that God wasn't finished with him after all and his friend cannot believe how beautiful Hermie has become and with this Wormie finds hope that he too will become a beautiful butterfly.

You don't have to believe in God to get this message or to understand the moral of this story. Whether you think it is God, the universe or simply a coincidence.... we can all be beautiful butterflies. However, life must often humble us before we can reach our fullest potential. I was completely humbled back in 2005 and with that also came the beginning of my renewal in faith. Since then, I have grown so much, more and more each year, and I am now sharing hope with others through my writing, mentoring and speaking... for my wings have been revealed.

I hope that this blog makes you think, that it inspires you to change a little, or a lot. I hope that it helps humble you so that your wings can spread too allowing you to soar high above anything you have ever dreamed of. For until you have reached your fullest potential... you are not finished.... you have more to become and I encourage you to simply go after it.

Wishing you a productive and positive week. See you next Monday!

xoxo

Shells

                                                          

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