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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Be the Light That Others Seek

Well friends, another week has passed and I am sad to say that the world is still a mess. If only I had a magic wand to sweep over the nation and fix it all; wouldn't THAT be awesome?

I am thankful today for my health, for my family and for the simple fact that I am alive; for that, I am blessed. I do not live in fear, although there are several people who do. I do not live in worry, because I can only live day to day being the best that I can and plan for a brighter future.

My goal today is to be short and sweet, to be a muse for those of you who need an escape from all that is happening and just need some light to shine in on your life. After all, if we all became beacons for others, this world would be a better place now wouldn't it?

But instead, most people spread negativity, they replay news stories that we are all tired of seeing, hearing and being reminded of. We do not pose solutions, but simply regurgitate the problems. We thrive on, yet also fear the chaos. It's the most obscene contradiction I know of.

Nothing is perfect, but that does not mean we should give up trying to perfect what has gone so terribly wrong. We get swallowed up in current events, political debate and propaganda. Meanwhile... we miss out on the bigger picture; CHANGING OURSELVES to influence others.

We CAN'T change others, but we CAN change ourselves, and through those changes we inspire others to change. Anger fuels anger, hate fuels hate, fear fuels fear, worry fuels worry, violence fuels more violence.

On the other hand, love... understanding and hope fuels the same. What fuel are you pouring out for the world to see?

I will continue to be a light in a VERY dark world. I will continue to spread the Word of God in hopes of changing a few hearts, because I know how miraculously mine was changed and what that change did and continues to do for my life.

I STARTED WITH ME when things were a mess, and I encourage you to do the same. When people start to see you change, they take notice, they pay attention, and soon enough, you will have a few people following you. You will inspire others to change so that they can have some of what you have... happiness. Be the page that people go to when everyone else on their feed is negative.

"Be the light and others will seek you. Be the dark and people will fall into it with you."
©2016 Shelley Giard

Matthew 5: 14-16
"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.


Until next time....

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

xoxo

Shells

WWW.THESGIARDGROUP.COM

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 IF YOU LIKE MY BLOGS, YOU WILL LOVE MY BOOK

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Life Is a Whirlwind... Make it an Unforgettable Story

As I sat here tonight thinking of topics to write about, several ideas came to mind. Life seems to be such a big ball of tumbleweed right now and with so many things going on as this new year has begun I am feeling mentally and physically exhausted. Change is in every deck of cards I have in front of me right now and given that I have SO many things that I want to accomplish this year my biggest challenge is trying to lasso my brain into focusing on a plan for each one. That can be the hardest thing for someone who thinks like me... and the start of a new year is ALWAYS the worst... or the best depending how you look at it.

Life is truly a whirlwind of events... some good, some bad and some are even repetitive. I am sure some of you reading this right now are wondering where in the world you will end up, how in the word you got where you are and what to do next. You may find yourself wrapped up in a big ball of uncertainty, a big mess of confusion, fear or maybe even pain. If I am not where you are right now, I have likely been there before and gotten through it, so the first thing to know is that YOU CAN GET THROUGH IT. I have my days... in fact I have had some recently; the days when a good cry is the only thing that makes you feel better. However instead of crying depressing me, crying gives me clarity because when I reach that point I usually pray harder and have more faith because that is when I need it the most. The times when you have nothing left but to say "HELP ME ON THIS" are often the moments in life that you will grow the most from; and having faith is what those moments are all about.

Life is always going to throw curve balls, it will always knock you in the head with a wrench so be prepared both mentally and spiritually so that you can bounce back. I would like to share a quick little story with you, something that happened today that proved once again that my life changes when I think about what I need. Putting it all out there, I had a very tough fourth quarter last year, mainly because I am in the middle of a career shift and have been planning a lot for what is ahead which has created some additional expenses. Needless to say, my pennies are tight and I have had to become more frugal than I already am. These are the growing pains when in business; it's a necessary evil when in growth phase. Luckily, I have been here before so it is familiar, but it is scary when you are your only source of income and have three beautiful kids counting on you to provide. Most people would just go get a job that pays them a set amount every two weeks, but an entrepreneur like me would rather ride the crazy roller coaster train.

I had a rough day yesterday and went to bed thinking to myself "HOW am I going to get through this?" With that, my mind started working and my mouth started praying to just get through this week because I know in the weeks ahead I will have what I need coming in. I woke up this morning still uncertain but tuned into my positive radio station on the way to my office doing all I needed to do to stay uplifted. This afternoon when I got home and checked my mailbox there were two envelopes mixed in with the junk mail one which was unmarked and the other was from a recognizable income stream that typically produces a small residual each month. As I opened the envelopes, I smiled and a tear rolled down my face because both were checks that I was not expecting... and they equaled almost the exact amount that I needed to get me through this week.

The moral of this story? Life is a whirlwind of ups and downs, they will never stop; you just have to keep going. You have to focus on what to do and what you want, not what's happening right now. You have to think about what you need in your life. You have to ASK for the solutions you seek and focus on them instead of the problem. If you focus on the problem, you will manifest more problems... I say this ALL of the time. I went to bed asking for a solution and I woke up focused on finding one... none of what happened as I opened that mail was on accident, it was a reminder during a tough time that I can get through ANYTHING, I was built to survive; I am NOT alone and that all I have to do is ASK to receive. When you walk the right path, not only will you reach your destiny, you will appreciate the journey you have been on so why not make it an unforgettable story?

"There will always be days that get you down, there will always be times when you don't know what direction you will go, there will always be moments when you don't know how someone truly feels about you, how valuable you really are or if your life will ever be what you hope it to be. We cannot predict what will happen, we cannot control how someone else feels, we cannot expect everyone to see how valuable we are and we can't determine what our life will be like in the end.

What we can do is focus on the positive even when it's hard to find, move in the direction we want to go instead of staying where we are, choose to care more about how we feel rather than worrying about what others feel and determine our value by constantly improving, loving who we are and giving value to ourselves even when nobody else will. Life is never perfect, in fact someone else will always have what you hope for; many don't even deserve to have it. The fact is your dream is always someone else's reality... that's why you have to do what you can to make it yours."

Excerpt from
"Going After the Happy Ending"
©2015 Shelley Giard

Until next time...

xoxo

Shells

                                                   

                               

                                                          

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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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