The Payoff

This has been a day to celebrate.  One year ago...a new building to grow a private school was a thought, a dream, and a possibility.  My husband and I have had our eye on what is known in our community as " The Lodge", located on the same property as our preschool in Tumwater, WA.  We drove by the building for years and always thought it would be such a great addition to our business.  We never gave up on the idea or the dream.  Then last year, we saw that it was available for sale.  Could it be the opportunity we had been waiting for?  We decided to put earnest money on it, and began due diligence in finding out if it was a possibility.  I credit Dan for all of the hard work in this part of the journey!

Perseverance has been the name of the game in my life and the purchase of this building was no different than any other "big" thing that we have done in our life together.  We have never been afraid of a calculated risk, and because we believe in what we do, this seemed fitting!  As a leader, I learned alot!  First, if you can dream it, if you believe in it, if you want it, then do something about it!  Doing nothing  won't get you anywhere.  The acquisition of this property has allowed us to grow in numbers and expand our programming.  We can now offer more options to the children of our community and give parents another choice.  In today's world, choices are important to meet every need.  From July 15 until the day we opened on September 6th, deadlines were met, and amazingly everything happened "just" in time to meet those deadlines. The key here...it happened!

In addition to the re-model of the building, there were property line issues so we had to lease the property from the bank prior to the actual loan going through.  We thought that the loan would take a month or two at the most.  You can guess due to today's date...that the challenge included the long wait.  There were many things out of our control which had to take place prior to loan to actually take place. There have been rough moments, however Dan and I learned how to run our business with no cash reserves, get help when it was needed and we practiced  patience! As Dan and I went through each step, we kept reminding ourselves that the payoff would come!

Today was the PAYOFF.    The papers were filed, the money was paid, and we are officially the proud owners of another piece of commercial property.  I find it satisfying that through it all,  perseverance,  learning how to be patient, the giving up control made us stronger as a couple, and certainly as a business.

As I have reflected I have come to realize several things.  Success comes to those who wait.  Success come from working hard, believing it will happen, and persevering even when it is tough.  Today we were successful. Today we got the payoff.

We are grateful and we are proud!

Perseverance

per·se·ver·ance

noun \ˌpər-sə-ˈvir-ən(t)s\

Definition of PERSEVERANCE

: continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition : the action or condition or an instance of persevering : steadfastness 

The lesson I have learned the most over my years of leadership has been that of perseverance.  In my office is a small wooden sign that says "Never Never Never give up"!    Note in the definition that perseverance is to do or achieve something despite the difficulties, failure, or opposition.   I have worked through many difficult times with the simple belief  that good is on the other side.  The key is the action of doing something even if it seems futile.  Moving toward the goal is the thing to note.   You cannot persevere if you stop or give up.   One of the most difficult things for me to work through is discouragement.  I blame myself for the failure or I blame myself for the mistake.  I have learned that to move out of discouragement means that I have to shift my focus and move to being encouraged about something else.  At times, I have even looked at the discouragement, and found a way to be encouraged that I won't make that same mistake again.  I then am encouraged which propels me forward again.   A simple shift from  negative thinking to positive thoughts will  change your day and it can ultimately change your destiny.  I have survived as a woman in business for the past twenty five years by making those shifts sometimes in the toughest days, sometimes an hour at a time.

I admit my shifts have come with mistakes, but failing is movement and each time I have failed I have found how to be better and do things better.  Failure is a "good" thing because it means I moved.  Failing is part of that journey and I have stories to share about my failures.  I can look back and remember the small movement forward and that is a good thing.

Success does not come overnight by any stretch.  Success comes from those who believe in getting to the goal at hand, in continuing to make new goals, and seeking to understand how to move forward.  There is no magic formula, there is the belief that it is possible.  There is the knowing that when the going gets tough, the tough get tougher.

I know we all go through times when we are wondering why we should continue? Is what you do worth it? I believe that  IF you are committed to your path and you KNOW  that you are where you should be doing what you think is the right thing for yourself, then persevering will bring you closer to your ultimate success.

January is a great time to stop and re-assess.  I always begin this process by looking at my goals from the year before and first celebrating what I have accomplished.  The first thing I do after I celebrate those goals accomplished is to analyze goals that were not accomplished.  I start by putting them on a separate piece of paper and then re-evaluate if they are a worthy goal.  If they are, then I begin my new goals for the year with those.  Having a goal means you are moving to attain that goal.  Again, movement is the key word here.   Once I establish my new goals, I type them out on a piece of paper and put them where I can read them daily.  This helps to insure that I stay on track to achieve them.   

Another tip I have found important in my life is to stay motivated.  As a leader of others, I find that it is up to me to do that.  Part of my leadership responsibilities include keeping many others motivated, so if I am not, how can I help others?   Staying motivated helps me to persevere.   There are times where I have to take some time just for me.  I recently took five days and went to Seattle.  I got a hotel, and I enjoyed the city.  I left all of my work behind and just allowed myself time to rest, to read, and to let go of all the clutter in my mind.    It was good for me and it re-energized me.  Do that for yourself and be the better for it.

I challenge you to persevere.  I challenge you to self motivate.  I challenge you to "do" something which propels you forward.  Remember in your quest for success, never, never, never give up.  Hoping you have a wonderful day full of movement forward in your quest for success!

Being a woman in leadership: Luke 1:37

Being a woman in leadership: Luke 1:37: This morning I was up unusually early. Whenever this happens, I know that God wants me to have extra special time with Him. So...I got up ...

Luke 1:37

This morning I was up unusually early.  Whenever this happens, I know that God wants me to have extra special time with Him.  So...I got up and being Christmas Eve, I decided to re-read the story of Jesus birth.  I have read this story since I could read, and yet today this verse in Luke jumped off of the page.  "For nothing is impossible with God".  The reference of course was Mary's fear at being a virgin with child.  Can you imagine her fears and doubts? 

For many loved ones I know, including myself,  2011 has been a difficult year.  In our family alone we have experienced more than enough.  We have experienced tragic death, cancer, suicide attempts, and unemployment.  We have had to cope with emotions that we never dreamed of.  Today, I thought about the verse in Luke...NOTHING is impossible with God and I gave immediate thanks for the hope that God can bring. 

As humans we can become easily discouraged, feel hopeless, and become disgruntled about life and what it brings.  We forget to be thankful for what we have and we forget any good that may have come our way.  The negative part of life just takes over.  We find ourselves in a funk.  When this happens, it is difficult to pull out.  Negativity has great power over the good in life.  However, taking time to remember just this one verse can change our attitude in the seconds it takes to read it.  We can bring light into darkness, we can be encouraged rather than discouraged.  If nothing is impossible for God, then we can bring our fears, our doubts, and our frustrations to God and HE can handle them for us.  I for one could not handle life without this truth.

How many times have I read the story of Jesus birth?  Why today did these words jump off the page?  Perhaps I need to be reminded that the hope we have in God is ever present.  I am so very grateful.  This morning I am thanking God for the good and the bad.  I am giving over to Him those things that are impossible for me.  I am making a choice to be free so that I can live in joy. 

As a woman in leadership, I am making a choice.  We all have that opportunity.   Has life been hard?  Has work been difficult?  Is life throwing you curve balls?  What choice will you make?

I choose to be grateful.  I choose to live with joy in my life.  I choose to remember in every situation that Nothing is impossible with God.  May your Christmas be blessed, may your families know His love and may your day be full of joy!

Overwhelmed

Today I cried during my massage and could not understand why my body was responding with tears. All day I felt overwhelmed but I kept excusing the feelings and thought I was just tired and I needed to handle it...Why do we as woman take it all on? Especially at Christmas? A time when we should be focused on preparing our heart for the season of celebrating the birth of our savior...Seems each year for the past years, I find myself up to my eyeballs in busy when really I should take everything OFF of the calendar and be thankful for, and humbled by God's gift to humanity.

As I have taken some time to reflect this evening, I realized that I had a right to my feelings of "overwhelmed". This day has been difficult and was full of many emotions. Today is the anniversary of my mother's death, a death  that changed my life. I have missed every day since she died 18 short years ago. I finished a large project that which involved the delivery of 65 Christmas baskets, I talked to my 35 year old daughter about genetic testing due to her breast cancer, and listened so I could offer encouragement about her upcoming chemo therapy which starts this Friday. Food was delivered for the staff Christmas party which is this Friday evening at my home and I cleaned up from the "making" of the 65 baskets. I talked to a good friend of mine whose daughter in law is having her baby one month early to prepare her body for the removal of a tumor from her lung, next week...I completed paperwork necessary for a loan on our school, and I answered several emails. In and between all of that, I forgot to eat, and so was my day.

I am ending my day with a quite moment and re-prioritizing my day tomorrow. I am going to take some "down" time, and I am going to eat. I may cry, but think that I will feel differently by making the choice to think about what is important.  I am thankful for these moments of reflection.  God has given me much comfort after having such a day.

Are you overwhelmed? Stop, take time, take a breath, and pray. I am humbled by each new day I am given to re-evaluate and start fresh.  Tonight I have moved from being overwhelmed to being thankful!  Thanks be to God!

Surrender

Being truly thankful...

Lately, I have had a lot on my plate. This summer I experienced the loss of my 25 year old nephew in a climbing accident. In July my husband and I began work on purchasing and remodeling a building for the purpose of opening a private school. To that end, we moved out of the smaller building we owned and with some re-modeling there opened an infant toddler center. We celebrated 25 years in business...then in September I found out my oldest daughter had breast cancer. She was told that the recommendation was double mastectomy. In all of that, I have experienced the joy of my youngest daughter pregnant with her first baby, only to find out she has gestational diabetes. Finally, my heart has hurt for those close to me suffering from the economy, loss of job, loss of what was...and more yet unknown.

All of these things have been too much for me to handle and I have felt a crush on my spirit like nothing I have ever felt before. I have been stressed, overwhelmed, and so sad. The good thing in all of this, is that I have found a new sense of thankfulness. Any one of these by itself would be a lot for a person to handle! Mix that with my "fix it" personality and I have problems. I immediately want to create peace and harmony for all and take away the pain, to fix the problem and to mend the hurt. I discovered that my trying to be in control simply was not working for me. My stress was increasing, my happiness was decreasing, and my ability to live peacefully was lacking. I remembered and heard in my head an old song we used to sing in church. "I surrender all, I surrender all, all to thee my blessed savior, I surrender all". In the versus that follow,the song simply repeats the idea of surrendering to God.

I began daily asking God to take away from me what was not mine to fix. I began practicing removing from my spirit that which was not mine to control. Since I have been doing that, I have seen a difference in my days. My compassion has increased, my spirit is lifted, and my energy is better. By allowing God to be in control I find I can love more. I can see that all things are possible and the goal of peace and harmony are real, knowing God has taken the burden from me.

Its really no revelation, but for me it has helped me increase my faith and live in peace daily. It is believing that someone bigger than me is in control. Today when I woke up and as I always do, began writing in my journal, it became evident to me that I was trying to take care of some things I had no business with. I surrendered it all in that moment and returned to a peaceful place.

I know that there is a plan bigger than me, one better that I could never accomplish on my own, and I am blessed as a result. I can't wait for what is next. I am thankful, I am grateful, and I am experiencing new possibilities. I am thankful for my God, for my faith, and for the knowledge that I can live peacefully in a world surrounded with unrest.

May you and your family be blessed this season and choose in your own lives to surrender all!

Emotional Highs and Lows

Is it supposed to part of life that we face both highs and lows at the same time?  Recently, I have realized a dream in the opening a private school and the celebration of 25 years in business.  Against that realized dream, the news that my daughter has been diagnosed breast cancer.  How am I supposed to juggle that kind of happiness against that kind of sadness? The only way I know how to balance this is to KNOW God is in control of both. I have learned that asking why doesn't work, and resting in the knowledge that a power bigger than myself is in charge.  Today... knowing that truth gives me peace and I can be thankful.