"Quitter"

Today I want to inform you about a book that will change the way you think about your job. Quitter by Jon Acuff, who I’ve mentioned on the blog before, is a piece written to people who have a dream job that is separate from their day job. Now don’t get me wrong…there are a lot of parallels to life in general, so even if you have your dream job already I still suggest you read it. I, for example, don’t currently have a steady day job, so some of the points did not apply to that aspect of my life. However, I still got some advice from Mr. Acuff himself.

The book is written in his typical, satirical style, which is why I might be slightly obsessed with reading his stuff. Nevertheless, I chuckled throughout the entire writing. The points are well thought out, and there is even some pages in the back for you to brainstorm on. I did not do this because I borrowed the book from someone, and I didn’t think they would appreciate me scribbling in their book. But, when you buy this book, you can do it. So get yourself a copy. Seriously, just click on the little link below…very good…and purchase it. Enjoy!

A Slap in the Face

Anybody who knows me knows that I am a HUGE sports fan...this includes the sport of baseball. Specifically, I am a fan of the Atlanta Braves. Some of you who know what happened last night are either: a)laughing at me because you are a Cardinals fan, or b)sympathize with me because you, too (for some reason) are also a Braves fan. If "a" is the case, then don't talk to me...I'm not happy with Cardinals right now. If it's "b", air hugs...lots of them.

For those of you who aren't big baseball fans, then I'll fill you in briefly...hopefully without shedding a tear. At the beginning of September, the Braves had a GINORMOUS lead over the St. Louis Cardinals in the Wild Card race. The winner of the Wild Card goes to the playoffs, which start Saturday. Over the course of the month, the Braves lost a couple of games and the Cardinals tied up the Wild Card race on Tuesday night. So, Wednesday's game was crucial. The Cardinals won Wednesday, so the Braves had to win to force a playoff game tonight. Long story short (I'd prefer not to recap the game because then I really will cry), the Braves lost in extra innings. So, no playoffs. After all that.

Fast forward to this morning. My husband (knowing that I would be devastated) sent me a text that said, "try to have a good day today." That's not really important to my story, but I thought it was sweet. I decided to work out my feelings through a run. I go to a local track. This man and his dog walk up to the area. I notice he looks in a nearby trashcan. "That's weird," I think to myself. Then, I notice, he goes to all of the other trash cans in the area. This man was looking for food.

SLAP. IN. MY. FACE.

It was like God hit me with a 2 x 4 right in the middle of my forehead. There I was, fussing and angrily thinking/replaying the game in my head, and there was a guy looking for something to eat. In the trash can. That just got to me.

Have you ever been slapped upside the head when you're feeling sorry for yourself?

A Day Away to Keep the Blues At Bay

I'm looking forward to my day today...want to know why? Ok, ok...I'll tell you.

I'm getting out of the house. After the ridiculously depressing day I had yesterday (and it was all self-induced), I'm ready for a day out. Now, you might think to yourself..."But you just had a day out with your Mom on Monday?" Very good...and somewhat creepy because I didn't tweet, Facebook, or blog about that...but I have found that when I have a week when I know that I won't be working (at least that's the way it looks right now), then I need my "away" time.

When I say "away" time, this does not always mean going out and spending money. In fact, today I probably won't spend much, but I'm getting out and going to enjoy the company. My away time has a twofold purpose:

1. It takes my mind of things. For a few precious hours, I do not have to worry about the fact that I don't have a steady job. And believe me, that in and of itself is worth whatever I spend.
2. It helps me get recharged for the next day. I come back home in a better mood, and I feel more energized to face the rest of the week. This is crucial to my mental health right now.

Sometimes just going out for a run can do these two things for me, but some days it takes a little more. Like today. So that's why I'm excited about my day. And I hope you are too!

Two Events I Think You Should Know About

There are two pretty cool events that I think you should know about. I hope somebody out there reading will be able to go to at least one of them.

1) Catalyst Atlanta- This is a next-level leadership conference. The Catalyst people are amazing, and they are passionate about teaching young people (and old ones, too!) about being better leaders. They do many different conferences throughout the year...some are one day only and some are spread out over a couple of days. Catalyst Atlanta will take place October 5-7. Some of the incredible people that will be there include (but not limited to): Jon Acuff, Dave Ramsey, David Platt, Andy Stanley, Mark Driscoll, Francis Chan, Jim Collins, and Michael Hyatt. How about that list??!! I would love to attend this event or one of their future events.

2) Cross Point Night of Worship- I affectionately call Cross Point Nashville "my Nashville church." I regularly watch their sermons and read their Pastor's (Pete Wilson) blog. If I lived in Nashville, I would attend there. Next Tuesday, September 27, Cross Point is hosting a Night of Worship. No sermon or anything...just worship. Check out this sneak peek of what might happen:


WORSHIP // The Stand from Cross Point Church on Vimeo.

Looks pretty awesome, right? If I could find someone ride with me to this, I would go in a heartbeat!

Well there you go, 2 events that look freaking sweet. Hope you can check them out.

Have a great weekend guys!

The "I'm Feeling Richer" Effect

I love this commercial. It is so applicable to how we live our lives. Even if the point of the ad is for you to switch wireless companies, I think there a couple of things we can pull from it:

1. We often disguise our conversations or talks. If you notice at the beginning of the commercial, the woman is on the phone. Talking about CRAZY dinner plans. Cornish hens??? Who does that? Answer: nobody...unless you are a CEO or President. So nobody that those people in the commercial would know and (most likely) nobody that you and I know. This woman is trying to make herself feel important because she is talking about a subject that she thinks the other person will regard as high society or important. How many times have you done this? I'm not talking about discussing Cornish hens (although if you have...I apologize), but using our words to make us look important or distinguished.

2. We hide behind our stuff. Clearly this is the overwhelming message of the ad. That normal, everyday Joe couple would never drive the same car as hip-hop music mogul would. They drive a station wagon. Because that's normal. But, when you think you are better than you are or more important than you, you buy a lot of stuff to uphold this image of yourself. AKA...fancy cars, ones like Kanye or Jay-Z would drive (never thought I would ever mention them in my blog...awesome). Way too often, people buy more stuff to hide their "stuff." Their worry. Their pain. Their sorrows. They think that they can't let anyone know that they are just like everyone else, so they try to be BETTER than the average Joe. With Cadillacs...Lexuses (lexii??)...Beamers.

Sure, we laugh at this woman's stupidity for thinking she drove that nice car and could fix Cornish hens at her dinner party. But how many times have we been right there with her??  

One Little Action

The other day I encountered a scenario that brightened my day tenfold. (And no, it wasn't when the Braves or Tennessee won...although that helps.) This instance occurred when I picked up my mail. I was flipping through it and I noticed a bright pink greeting card.

I paused for a second, rolling through the list of who would be sending me a card in September. It's not my birthday, anniversary, or Christmas. So, I drew a blank.

I decided to open it (well, duh), and I immediately noticed it was a Thank You card...because it had "thank you" written on the front. My mind went a hundred miles an hour trying to determine who would send me a thank you note for something I had done. I turned to the inside and discovered it was from my doctor's office. (No, it wasn't for an expensive visit or anything like that) It was to thank me for referring my sister in law to her practice.

Boom. My day was made. Why?

Because the doctor took time out of her ridiculously busy day to send a thank you note to me, a patient who sees her once a year. It was a simple gesture that had a tremendous impact on my day.

What simple gesture can you do to improve someone's day?

Tune In Tuesday

Some great music is being released into the world today. The band Leeland's fourth studio album comes out today, "The Great Awakening." Do yourself a favor and go buy it. I have their other three albums, and they are absolutely incredible worship musicians. I love it.

Just to give you a sneak peek, here is the single "I Wonder":

It's the Only Story I Can Tell Really Well

I've got one story under my belt. Not just any story, but the kind you can tell at cocktail parties. And guess what? I don't even go to cocktail parties...not that I've ever been invited to any, but still. I'm not a drinker. But I've got a "cocktail party approved" sticker on this story. Here goes:

One year ago today. It was a beautiful day. Warm, but not hot. Sunny, but not so bright I couldn't see. I had just signed up to run a 5K and decided it would be a great idea if I actually got into good cardio shape, which is somewhat necessary to run a successful 3 mile race. So I head out on my bicycle down our street and turn down another. Perfect, country back roads. What a picturesque way to spend a free September Friday afternoon, right?????

WRONG.

About two miles from my house (told you I was just starting out...I'm no Lance Armstrong), I was heading back. When OUT OF NOWHERE this humongous dog came bolting towards me. More like a man-dog (that's not really an animal or a word, but I thought it would provide you with a more accurate description of just exactly how huge this dog was). Now, I'm used to seeing dogs on this bike ride...I had passed several that had greeted me with a lovely little bark and let me go on my way. Not this one. He decided to chase me up the street for awhile, and then proceeded to tear into my leg. He got some nice flesh. In several different places. Oh, and guess what? He brought a buddy with him. I panicked. Like I said, I wasn't exactly close to my house and I had no idea how long my new friends was going to hang out with me. Being in front of a house I raced my bike into the driveway and proceeded to bang on the door inside the garage. Just my luck...no one was home. The dog had me cornered. He could have ended me right then and there. So I took my bicycle and made a makeshift shelter with it. But THANKFULLY the dog was done with me. He did want to keep watch on me and make it impossible for me to pass by him and laid down at the opposite end of the garage. So, all I had to do was wait. And wait. And wait some more.

The owner finally came home about an hour and a half later. I have often imagined what was going on his mind as he turned in from the driveway to see a hysterical bike rider in his garage with blood covering my legs. It had to have been amusing! So he got me all taken care of and took me back home. Oh yeah, my husband was out of town so my mother-in-law and grandparents took me to the hospital where my mom met us. Everything was fine...they just cleaned me up good. All I've got is a scar and a story to show for it.

WHEW...that was a lot to type...I can look back on this occurrence one year later and laugh and be glad God chose to take care of me (I was in more danger of passing out than anything). And if I ever find myself at some distinguished cocktail party, I have an awesome story to tell that I can exaggerate at just the right places...

One of those days

I'm having one of those days where all I can see is my failure. I don't know if it's because of the weather (cloudy and rainy here) or because I had hoped to receive a call to sub either today or tomorrow or something else entirely different. All I know is that I have days like this every now and then. And I'm sure you do too.

When the kids just won't listen...

When no one likes your proposal at work...

When you receive yet another rejection letter from a potential employer or college...

When the doctor shakes his hand and says, "No, you're still not pregnant"

Those days are difficult. They flat out stink. But, I also think that those days lie to us. They all get together one night at Starbucks and say, "Hey, tomorrow...let's really rough em up. Let's make it seem like there is no way anything good can come from this situation." And they plan to make our life miserable for whatever particular day they choose to show up on.

Ugh...frustrating. I hate "those days." But as I was driving in my car today (good place to let my eyes glaze over while I think, right?), I realized that there might be one bright spot to "those days."

Those days almost always call you into action. You get tired of being pushed around by those days. You make a choice. You take action. You move. Yes you may take a break first to let your emotions and brain recover, but after this sabbatical is over you change. You try a different approach to a work project. You decide to go a different route to having a baby, like adoption. You apply to a different college.

If you are having one of those days, take a deep breath. You are not alone, and it is not forever. That's why the saying is one of those days...

The Jean Saga

It's funny if you think about it. Me...waiting outside the Gap two hours before it opened...in the frigid November morning air...hoping that I could get in and out before my class started. It was Free Jean day, and I was bound and determined to knock one item off my Christmas list. I was going to get my hubby a pair and wrap them up good for December 25. The requirement was that you had to be one of the first ten and check in on their Facebook page. So I did both of those things, and all I had to do was wait. 10:00 rolled around and I was in and out with a free $60 pair of jeans. Heck to the yes. I couldn't wait to give these to him on Christmas morning. I knew he would be surprised and ecstatic being the frugal person he is. :)

Flash forward to present day...I'm tagging items to take to a consignment store. Guess what item I discovered was in hubby's pile????

Those jeans.

At first glance...I was a little hurt. I had put a lot of thought into getting him those jeans. Not to mention the effort that I had put into it as well. But then, insight (as it usually does) came out of nowhere and hit me upside the head.

He's not throwing away his love for me. He's getting rid of an object.

I had to take a deep breath and get over it (I'm still not taking them to consignment, though...my bro will be getting them...I'm sad, I know). Material things DO NOT matter. How many times do I have to learn this before I start believing it...

The Day After...

So yesterday was the big 10 year anniversary of 9/11. It was crazy to experience those emotions all over again. I surprisingly made it through the day without breaking down...I teared up several times, but I managed to hold it in. The images and videos that were displayed on TV yesterday were breathtaking. And not in a good way. It's still difficult to fathom what happened that day.

I found myself trying to remember how I felt when I walked into Mr. Harper's 8th grade science class and saw that the TV was on. Truth is...most of that day is blurry and fuzzy around the edges. I know for a fact that we did not do any schoolwork that day; we watched the news all day long. And hardly anybody talked while we stared at what was happening in our country. We knew it was bad. By the end of the day, government officials had figured out that it was indeed an attack and not an accident. This was when I first heard about Osama Bin Laden...strange.

The day after the towers fell may be as significant as the actual occurrence. Why? Because it spurred people into action. We helped. We volunteered. We rallied around our hurt to unite the nation. It was an incredible thing to watch. During sporting events, teams wore hats that said "FDNY" or "NYPD" to recognize that we were one. It didn't matter if you were a Mets fan or a Giants fan...we came together to support our fellow Americans.

Now, we are days after. Weeks after. Years after. The pain is still there, particularly on the anniversary days. I challenge you to consider the following:

What have I done to make the world better since 9/11?
Have I kept the commitments that I made on that day and the days after?
How can I do better going forward?

I hope you are doing something rewarding in your life. I hope that you are impacting those around you. And I hope that in the days to come you will commit to something worthwhile and never give up.

Focus

Have you seen a commercial recently for 5 Hour Energy/Red Bull/or any of the various energy drinks that are on the market? They seem to be on just about every commerical break. These items are extremely popular in our culture today. Why?

Because they provide us with the focus we need to finish the job.

Seriously? We can't even make it through the day without needing caffeine to help us focus??

Don't worry...I'm not trying to condemn anyone here...I can't do it either, but I have been thinking about why.

There's this movie called Limitless that banks on the principal that we can't access all areas of our brain and we lose focus too easily. In the movie, the guy discovers a pill that allows his brain to be fully functional for 24 hours. While under the influence of the pill, he learns to play the piano, writes a new book, and does various other tasks that would take the average person several weeks to accomplish.

How. Cool. Would. That. Be.

It's a sad comment on our society that we think it's better to get something done quick, rather than take the time that is needed to finish it. We want to take the easy fix pill (see above paragraph) and be an instant genius. But, I think it's better if we slow down, focus in on our project, and work hard to get it done.

Who's with me?

Acceptance

It's been about a month since school started back, and with that comes the realization that I will not be teaching this semester. This does not come from lack of effort, but from something that I have absolutely no control over. Now that I've typed it out for the whole world to see indicates that I've reached a critical point in this matter:

Acceptance.

I believe it is critical in all areas of your life to learn to accept. Dictionary.com defines acceptance as "the act of assenting or believing." To concur. To believe. To accept.

This is kind of like how in those meetings they say the first step is admitting you have a problem. In other words, you are accepting yourself for you who are. And I think that is applicable here. There are two main things that I've learned about when dealing with this issue:

1. Admit who you are. This is the base of acceptance. Like I said earlier, when you admit who you are, then you can begin to accept who you are. You say things like...

I am unemployed
I am a drug addict
I am unable to have a baby
I am a liar
I am emotionally or physically abusive...

And you begin to see that when you learn the truth about yourself, then you might not like it. Which is why the next step is so important.

2. Do something about it. Take actions to fix your problem. This may mean...

Finding temporary employment in a job you don't love
Going to meetings or finding a therapy group
Researching various options to having kids, like adoption or foster parenting
Reconnecting with God to learn that the Truth will set you free
Learning about your past and finding better ways to express anger or disappointment...

Step 2 is hard. It may be harder than Step 1...I don't know. I'm not quite there yet.

How do you define acceptance?

A Blank Slate

So with the start of September comes the need to reevaluate my goals for August and set new ones for September. The August part is easy. I didn't accomplish any of them! Perhaps the most obvious one is my lack of losing 5 lbs. In fact, I actually gained weight. Ugh. Also, I didn't get to read The Help before I saw the movie, which was unbelievable by the way (in a good way). And, no job. So I'm 0 for 3.

Good news. New month. Blank slate.

With that said...here are some of the goals I have set for September (you may notice some layover).

1. Beef up my resume' so that it becomes impossible not to hire me for a future teaching position- I don't want to think that it has been my fault that I haven't gotten a job. It makes me sad. It makes me depressed, so I don't want to think that. However, I realize that there are some steps that I can take to make sure that in the future that I do not have this fear in the back of my mind. I want to be 100% sure that I have done everything on my end to pursue a job.

2. Work out three times a week using the Couch-to-5K program to develop a healthier lifestyle- I need to focus on increasing my fitness level and my health. I want to shift my thinking from losing pounds to gaining a healthier lifestyle. And hopefully, I will lose those 5 lbs in the meantime.

Those are two of my focus areas for September...I may come up with a few more over the weekend, and I will add them later.

What do you want to accomplish in September?

In With the New

I don't know about you, but I sure am glad September is here. And it's not for the reason you might think it is. Not because it's college football. Not because the weather will cool off (one can hope). Not because there is a craft show that I'm going to with my mom (although that is certainly a plus!). Nope, none of the above.

I am glad it's September because that means August is over.

August was a rough month for me. It seemed like it was just a series of failure after failure for me. And it was really starting to wear me down. So the end of it definitely comes with relief!

I have decided that I will be positive this month and continue to work hard. I'm going to "hustle" if you will (this is not my own term, but rather one of Jon Acuff's...click to visit him here). I will focus on continuing to "market" myself as a certified substitute and possibly as an after school tutor (more on that later today). If I had one word for September, it would be: focus.

What's your word for September?