Have you been afraid of what God is calling you to? Does it feel just too big for you?
It probably is. And you probably won’t get it right. And you’ll see failure along the way, and experience moments where you want to quit. How’s that for hope for you today?
Listen, if the call you sense in your innermost being seems just too huge for little you, can I introduce you to a few people?
-Moses
-Jonah
-Elisha
-David
-Peter
Just to name a few…
All were called
All of them were called. All of them were too small.
They each doubted at some point that they could fulfill their calling. All eventually clung to the Lord and followed His direction in some way.
They each left incredible legacy, and showed us that legacy is possible despite human frailty, when we lean into the Lord, trust His voice, and choose to step forward with courage.
We won’t get it right
We won’t get it all right – we will fail sometimes. We’ll doubt ourselves, and we will doubt God.
We’ll say the wrong thing, and avoid the right conversation.
We’ll hide. We’ll get angry.
We’ll even lament our lot In life maybe.
But if God is welling something up under the surface, if He is calling us to something bigger than ourselves, we need to answer. And He’ll help us walk it out.
Let’s not put it off anymore.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9 NIV)
Do you have a guide to help you find your true north? Or are you batting at the chaos of life without an intentional plan to build your joyful legacy? I’d love to help you write your purposeful story.
Have you ever studied the skies? Wondered how the North Star always points north? Have you ever longed for stability like that and a clearly charted course when the world all around you feels like a swirling chaos?
I have. For a really long time, if I’m honest.
And I’ve found out that my true north is ultimately my joyful direction.
Your true north is your joyful direction
I’ve been on a journey, kind of like an astronomer actually. I initially was looking way up and seeing thousands of stars in the darkest of nights. I couldn’t perceive any sort of rhyme or reason, pattern or perspective other than that I felt V-E-R-Y small and the universe seemed I-M-M-E-N-S-E-L-Y large.
But for many years, it felt to me like life was swirling around me. It seemed as though I couldn’t really make sense of what was coming at me, and I didn’t have the ability to focus on what mattered most and how I could be the most effective human I could.
I didn’t know much about myself and I got myself involved in a thousand things, hoping that eventually something would stick and be important.
I was navigating the stars without any concept of direction, constellations, or galaxies.
I didn’t have a telescope to help me find my true north. So my life was hectic, exhausting, joyless, and discouraging.
Sound familiar?
Joy Let Loose: My True North
I’ve written quite a bit about discovering deeper purpose, and I’ve told you a lot about how Joy Let Loose came to be.
My personal mission statement is:
I exist to let joy loose in the people around me by helping them find holistic wellness and uncover their life purpose so they can leave a joyful legacy.
That mission statement took a long journey for me to craft, through seasons of self-discovery and prayer, tears and determination. I didn’t have a roadmap for it, but the Lord was a gentle guide.
I didn’t have a roadmap, so I’ve constructed one to help others through their own process with greater ease.
Your Purposeful Story
I’ve realized that I can be a more intentional participant in the authorship of my story on earth when I uncover what God created me for. It’s only when I’m truly open to who I was made to be that I can take purposeful steps to lean into His intentions for me. And when I live that way I find greater joy and I see more fruit grow.
Will anyone decide it’s worth their time to spend 90 minutes with me to walk through my signature roadmap so they can also uncover their purpose and craft their own mission statement?
I honestly don’t know how this will go.
I just know it’s the next step that I’m supposed to take. And I believe it could be powerful for others to take courage to join me.
My true north / Your true north
What about you? I
If you’ve been a faithful reader of this blog, has God been stirring anything in you?
Has He whispered into your heart that you were made for more?
If you have trusted my words on these pages, would you trust my words even more directly into your journey?
It’s my invitation to you, dear reader, to take courage and take another step with me deeper into your legacy. I know that legacy I want to leave – it’s reflected in my personal mission statement.
And part of that fleshes itself out in helping people like you take your next steps toward building yours.
Because building a legacy produces the fruit of joy both now and long after we are gone.
Would you check out my life coaching this week so we can begin to uncover your personal mission statement and start writing your purposeful story?
Let’s pick up the telescope together and find your true north.
Joy Let Loose is an affiliate with Day Designer because they have really beautiful planners that I love. I am also an affiliate with Shipt and Amazon because they are super useful for simplifying life!If you click on any of my links and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission – thank you!
How to Simplify in 2021
I’ve been thinking a lot about how to simplify in 2021.
Are you a word-of-the-year kind of person? I am. I’ve actually shared about it several times on this blog, words like JOY, HAPPY,IMAGINE & PERSIST. Narrowing in on one or two words for the year has turned out to be a great way for me to focus and grow.
2020 became a year none of us expected, didn’t it? We all faced a lot of surprising and disappointing things. In our family that included the loss of our main source of income, my mom being sick and ultimately passing away from cancer, and my father-in-law rapidly declining with dementia. We still have many unknowns in front of us, like many others do. Our heads have been spinning a bit with the emotions, details, and decisions we need to make to move forward.
That was likely a big influence in my choice of words for 2021 – SIMPLIFY.
How to simplify in 2021
I’m writing this blog post for me. And you. I’ve decided on the word “simplify” for the year ahead, and now I need to walk it out. But I don’t want simplifying to be complicated because that would totally be counterproductive! I don’t have all the answers yet, but I have some things I’ve decided to do as I’ve been thinking about how to simplify in 2021. Here are a few. I’ll most likely be back in another post with some more.
Plan ahead
When I was in college, I got pretty good at juggling a schedule that included a ton of deadlines. Because my college experience included a ton of rehearsals, performances, and practice time, I really had to be on top of all the academic stuff. I used a system where I gave myself early deadlines so that I’d always be ahead of schedule. It worked.
Then life happened, with marriage, jobs, kids and volunteer stuff. And somehow I forgot how to use a planner. Maybe this is just me, but somehow I had a disconnect between school life and real life. I’m way in deep now to adulting, and I’m on the struggle bus trying to keep track of all the things now in my head. So I’m becoming a planner girl again. I found Day Designer, and love what they have, especially because some of their planners are undated so I can start partway into the year. I’ll keep you posted on how the transition back to a planned-out life goes.
Do you depend on a planner??
Simplified shopping
The only things I enjoy shopping for are clothes and gifts. Beyond that, I’m not a huge fan. So I’ve been working at simplifying how to shop for the necessities in life. I’ve combined a ton of my normal items into my monthly subscription box from Young Living, and I’ve started to LOVE using Shipt to get my groceries delivered. There is something sooooo freeing about creating an order in the evening, and having it on the doorstep first thing in the morning. (I really love practical packages on my doorstep, friends!) I save time and money by using a subscription box and a grocery delivery service…simple!
Time to pare down
It’s time for me to start to pare down on some things. The truth is, we will likely be selling our house in the next few months, either to move elsewhere or simply downsize – who knows? (the super long transition, right?) And downsizing in square footage means downsizing in stuff too. One of our sons will soon get his own place, so I’m setting aside things for him to take with him. After that, I’m going to create sections of “stuff” to sell, donate, or discard. These things include:
Furniture
Clothes and shoes
Home decor items
Books, books, books
I could use some suggestions in this arena. Do you have a tried and true method for paring down in “stuff”? Please tell me in the comments.
Focus on Purpose and Legacy
This is a big one for me right now, partly because we are facing so much unknown as far as where we will end up, but also partly because of the journey I was on with my mother in 2020. Legacy and purpose have become so much more important to me
I have narrowed down several things that I love:
I love helping people pursue health and wellness
Writing my story and sharing joy is my jam
I want people to know that freedom and joy are reality
It matters to me that people feel valuable and at home
I love helping people turn around and multiply
So, as I think about how to simplify in 2021 while we stare into the unknown, I know this: I will continue to invest in people’s joy and wellness by sharing Young Living, I will write strategic things to help people move toward lasting joy, and I will take steps toward my dream of hosting people at a Joy Let Loose lakehouse.
What about you?
Are you in a “simplify” mode? I’d love to hear how you plan to go about it! Share in the comments!
