Have you ever made a decision that you knew was good, but you feared at the same time?
One year ago, I did! I made a choice to enter the Bluffton Center for Entreprenuer’s Ropp Tripplet Business Plan Competition. You can read my story here!
My friend, Beth Boehr, of Beyond Budgetingand B&B Investmentshad entered her business a couple of years earlier and had encouraged me to work through the process. I knew she had worked so hard, but was so excited about it. So it did!
What keeps us from Keeping our New Year’s Resolutions?
We make resolutions or goals that are NOT true to ourselves.
Often goals are task oriented- which is great for the task oriented person who loves to check off a list of things done, who does a task for the sake of the task needing to be done.
But that doesn’t work for the person who is relational at the core- like me. I don’t do things just because they need to be done. I do them because it affects a relationship I care about.
Simple example, a task oriented person does the dishes because they need to be done.
A relational person does them because their spouse or their family benefit from having them done.
So lets use ‘health’ as one of our resolutions for 2015, because chances are it is on everyone’s list to some degree. The task oriented person will likely choose that goal because they see that this needs to be done to do life well. The relational person will choose this goal because they want to be in the lives of the people in their world.
Now I know that is over simplifying because many of us have a bit of task and relationship in our personality. But understanding this about yourself can be very freeing. You begin to realize you are not right- or wrong- just different.
A few days ago, a business woman asked me if I thought I was doing the right thing by focusing so much of my coaching business/ministry these days on someone else’s ministry. She was referring to all the Facebook sharing and blog posts I have written that have to do with Authentic Intimacy. Her concern was that I was building their business and not my own.
At the time, I told her that this was something I have wanted to be part of for a long time and it was worth it for me. But as I’ve thought about it- it is much more than that.
You see, 35 years ago, I was given a book called Creative Counterpart written by Linda Dillow. It was a book I went back to time and again early in my marriage and have reviewed often since.
Through the years I’ve had several opportunities to not only hear her speak – but spend time with Linda. I’ve listened as she lived out in her spoken words what she had written in several books by now, including ‘Calm My Anxious Heart” or Intimate Issues, Intimacy Ignited or more recentlyWhat’s it Like to Be Married to Me, and Passion Pursuit. (See titles below)
Kathy with Linda Dillow 2002 – Ukraine Retreat
In 2002, I was invited to lead a worship team for a women’s ministry retreat in Kiev, Ukraine. I was thrilled when I learned the speaker was none other than Linda Dillow.
Her topic was worship- it was the beginning of her book called “Satisfy My Thirsty Soul”.I was the so-called worship leader- but she was the one who led me in into the Presence of the Blessed Controller.
Just the two of us kneeling at her couch.
Just the two of us sitting on her big rock near her home in the foothills of Colorado.
Then with my team in Ukraine!
Precious, intimate moments with our God!
For me, this opportunity to bring Linda Dillow and Juli Slattery to the Lima area for the NAKED TRUTH conference is an answer to a 20 year long prayer. I told Linda then that someday, I would build a platform for her to speak her voice, God’s message to the people in my world.
It’s not just her books,
or the times she has emailed me
or the times she has cried with me,
prayed with me
worshiped with me
always showing up in my life just when I needed her message.
But that is just the point- for 35 years, she has shown up in my life through her books,
her speaking,
her friendship
with a consistent message.
A message that pointed me time and time again to see the Lord; lifting my chin to see His face.
That’s a message I want to be part of!
It’s an act I want to be known for!
It’s a voice I want to not only have- but build a platform for when I hear others speaking that same message.
This isn’t about my ‘business’ – or even Linda’s ministry.
It’s about what God is saying and doing in the heart of women all over the world.
Those are the voices I love listening for!
How about you?
I challenge you to listen and heed the message that Linda & Juli have to give all of us in October. Click here to find out more!
I love them! Those AHA moments! Today I woke to an AHA!
Last fall, as I was regrouping after the weddings of our two beautiful girls, and as I was helping to prepare for the wedding of my dear friend, I did some goal setting for 2014. (I’m not good at new years resolutions so this works better.)
I usually start by writing down a long list of things I might like to do- then I sort those into NOW list and a BUCKET list.
Then I prioritize the NOW list and then choose the 3 priorities that I believe will have the greatest influence.
For 2014, my top 3 were:
My marriage- thriving in being two again
My business- completing the Business Plan Competition in March and bringing Linda Dillow & Dr Juli Slattery, of Authentic Intimacy to Northwest Ohio and the surrounding areas.
My health- finding strength and wellness to increase stamina and enjoyment in life.
This morning, Coach, Author, Speaker and my virtual friend (we’ve never met face to face) Carrie Wilkerson, challenged me to consider whether I was making progress toward my goals- or waiting for perfection.
Often I have- and do – wait until I have all the pieces in the right place, know exactly how I will present it or what needs to happen for it to make the biggest impact. In other words, my project sits on my to do list until I get tired of seeing it and either do something or just eliminate it.
But as I listened to Carrie this morning AHA! I AM MAKING PROGRESS!
Ren and I aren’t where we want to be – but we are having a great time getting there! It’s thrilling to begin dreaming dreams together again and finding new ways to love each other. I wouldn’t trade this time for anything.
I’ve completed the Business Plan- got 2nd in the competition. What’s more- it’s a business plan I refer back to often. It’s working for Kathy Burrus, Green Hope Coaching.
I’m especially excited that Linda & Juli and their team will be in Lima on October 3 & 4! The Lima team is growing,- connecting
women to the message God is giving through Authentic Intimacy! Twenty years ago I put this on my DREAM list- to bring Linda Dillow to my world. Now is the time! Now there is progress!
As for my health, thanks to the research and persistent efforts of a faithful friend and chiropractor, Dr John Needler, I’m finding renewed strength. I’m up much more than I am down- and I’m doing things I haven’t done in a long time. Will I ever be ‘healed’ completely? That remains to be seen. But I feel LIFE in a way I only DREAMED about for the last 12 years.
PROGRESS- forward or onward movement toward a destination!
It’s not perfect! Sometimes it’s even messy! But I’m on my way!
How about you?
Did you set New Year’s Resolutions? Have they gone by the way as so many do? Do you realize that if you start NOW- you may be able to make some significant PROGRESS or even complete them by New Years 2014!
What are you waiting for? Let’s make PROGRESS together!
I’m not sure I remember the last time I’ve said this to myself. But I remember vividly hearing it in childbirth! “Come on Kathy, just one more push and that beautiful little girl will be here!!!
Sorry if that’s gross to you! But it describes perfectly how I’ve felt the past couple of weeks.
I ‘voluntarily’ signed up for the ROPP TRIPLETT Business Plan Competition put on by the Bluffton Center for Entrepreneurs.
I knew that entering this competition would hold me accountable to intentionally looking at what needs to happen in my business.
I knew that I needed a deadline for getting it done so I could get on with the work of Green Hope Coaching.
I knew I needed a challenge that inspired me to be the best I could be.
Well, final presentations were this week. For the last two weeks, I just kept saying, ” Just ONE MORE PUSH Kathy! Give it all you’ve got just a little bit longer. You are almost there!”
So I did!
One more session of working through my customer analysis.
One more late night considering my marketing plan.
One more dig into the key trends of the coaching industry.
One more afternoon printing, and hole punching and organizing pages for the presentation.
One more practice run in giving my presentation.
ONE. MORE. PUSH!
And it’s done! This baby has been born. The dream of Green Hope Coaching now has more strategic planning and structure to it than I ever imagined. It is beautiful! Win or lose in the competition- my business and I have won!
Was it hard! Oh yes!
Would I do it again! I am pretty sure I will- different place- different topic- but I will challenge my self to the hard stuff again.
Why? Because I KNOW what I want to be about now more than ever. Not just my business, but ME- Kathy Burrus.
I want to influence people- to intentionally design HOPE in life, love and loss!
How about it? Ready to look at your life- and aim for your dream?
All it takes is ONE. MORE. PUSH! to get started!
(P.S. We won’t know the results of the competition for a few days yet. But…I’m not waiting around. I’ve got work to do!)
But as I listened to Carrie this morning AHA! I AM MAKING PROGRESS!