Firsts

This happens to be a first for many this week. With the start of a new school year, social media is full of children’s pictures ready for a new school year. For me, I am joining the first day by writing my first post. I have to smile at the irony. I penned these words on Monday, the first day of school.

Firsts can bring an abundance of emotion, feelings of uncertainty, doubts, questions regarding our decisions, and most importantly the unknown. Sometimes people are paralyzed by this process, giving up on their dream or vision before ever giving it a try.

The truth is most often our emotions lie to us in an attempt to hold us back. When change, stepping out into new territory is exactly what we need in our lives. Forward motion takes us to new places and new levels of growth. When we move out into areas unfamiliar to us, we allow ourselves to stretch and grow.

This week, I saw one of our boys experience these first feelings. As we were driving to school, I noticed him getting a little antsy. We started talking about what his feelings, we talked and I encouraged. I reassured him his day was going to be great! We arrived. I took their picture, prayed with them, and off they went. Upon picking them up, I discovered it had been a great day for both of the boys!

As we talked on the way home, the doubts were not gone about the year. The questions were there…am I good enough, can I keep up with everyone else, and a few more? I encouraged them that hard work always pays off! Don´t be afraid to ask questions! It takes a little bit of time to settle into new things.

At the same time, here I am stepping out into this digital world. Honestly, over the past month, I have moments where the feelings and questions have come in like a flood.

We are all the same. It is human nature. Doubt and fear are always there to prevent us from moving forward. We all question ourselves. Learning to step out, making mistakes and having to choose to get back up after being knocked down is a reality. The lessons we learn through those chapters in life are invaluable, preparing us for new chapters down the road. I believe success will come if you keep trying.

If you are at a place in your life holding onto an idea or thinking of trying something new, I want to encourage you to try it. Do some research, aka homework. Make a list of what you need to start. Take a big leap of faith and try it!

What if you succeed? What a joy that will be for you! Who will you be able to bless from your success? Let some of those answers be the inspiration to move you forward.

You might be saying, “Yeah, but what if I fail?”

Thomas Edison is one who inspired me to think differently. When a filament would not perform as he thought in the design of the light bulb, he would proclaim that it was just one idea that didn’t work. He never saw those moments as failures and he discovered hundreds of filaments that were not going to work. We need to change the way we look at our attempts. The words we use have power. When we attach the word failure to our lives, it dismantles our hope and we often give up instead of looking for another way. If you decide to venture out into something new, I promise that you will learn and grow along the way. Isn’t life the journey of discovery.

And what if you succeed! You will become an inspiration to others.

We all are made to succeed. We all have gifts and talents inside of us and the people around us need them.

I love to encourage and build people up. I love to give hope.

Hope changes us.

Hope inspires us to try.

Hope allows us to see through different lenses.

For myself, I will write as I am inspired and share treasures as I find them. And through the pages to come, my hope is you are encouraged to be brave and step out into new territory, discovering all you are designed to be.