In the past few years, I’ve learned a lot about finding my passion. Figuring out who God created me to be. And what that means to my life. Things did not happen the way I thought they would. Nevertheless, I couldn’t be happier with where I am and where God has placed me, in the right moments at the right time. Unfortunately for me, I learned this later in my life than some. At 40 years old, I know my purpose. I wish I had known back in my 20’s what I was doing. But again, that was all part of God’s plan for me.
There is someone I admire who, I’m sure, doesn’t have it all figured out, but has let God take control of his life. At the young age of 26, Russell Wilson knows what he wants and how to get it. So, I’ve taken some cues from him, and applied it to some of my own life experiences and want to share some of his words, with mine. I hope you can find some things that you can add to your own life.
1. How do you promote positive self talk? This is a big one for me because, as a woman, my negative voice is usually louder than my positive voice. I hear things from back in my childhood and teenage years. Usually from myself, but still things that resonate. Why are my jeans too tight? Why can’t I get that promotion? So, how do you overcome these things? Speaking positive thoughts to yourself, sometimes audibly. Russell (because I’m on a first name basis with him now) continues to publicly promote positive self talk. I didn’t get that play? Well, next year I will. I wasn’t a first round draft pick? I’m going to make other teams regret that. Russell has said publicly, “What you say, will change what you see.” This doesn’t mean you will always get what you want. But speaking positively will change how you view yourself and your situations.
2. How do you ignore the noise? This one kind of goes hand in hand, with my previous point. Promoting a positive self-image, while ignoring the negative public image. Few people know what it is like to be viewed publicly and then hear people from all over the world giving their 2 cents about you. Imagine having the worst day of your career and then knowing the entire country saw what you did. How do you ignore that? One of my favorite speakers, Eileen Hunter Wolf , used Philippians 3:2 as a reference, “Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil.” Ignore the barking noise. Those people who yap and bark. Do they even really know you, anyway? NO! So ignore them.
3. How do you recover from a loss? In RW’s (yeah, I call him that sometimes, too) case, the loss is public. In our cases, it’s usually not. But how do you recover from wanting something so badly, and then having it taken away in the blink of an eye? This is something I continually learn from my daughter. She is a budding actress and has had more losses than wins. She goes on countless auditions, just hoping to gain one role, just a tiny bit of exposure. She has experienced more loss in her young 15 years than I have in my entire life. Yet she presses on. How? Because she knows that the win is so much sweeter when you have had the failures. When your end goal is something that few people achieve and you’ve worked as hard as you can to get it, you keep pushing. Even when it hurts and you feel like you have nothing left, you keep pushing.
4. Who do you have in your life that’s pushing you toward greatness? We all need a cheerleader. For me and Russ (because I have nicknames for him, too), our cheerleaders have gone onto eternity. My mom, my cheerleader, is not here anymore. So who else do I have? My husband. My sister. My kids. My mentor. Surround yourself with people who only want the best for you. I have let go of anyone that does not support me, and some of them hurt to let go of. But by surrounding yourself with like-minded people, who will make you a better person, you will become better and greater. The bible says, “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” Be around people who will sharpen you, not make you dull. Or as Russell says, “Eagles never fly with pigeons.”
5. What are your next steps? You have your goal, but do you have your plan? I’m a visual learner, so I like to write my goals down then mark them off when I’ve achieved them. Prepare for what steps you are willing to take. “The separation is in the preparation. Chances are what you make of them.” Philippians 3:12 says, “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.” Find YOUR perfection. And prepare for it. You were given a dream. Figure out and plan for your dream.
Unexpected Mom 