Think BIG Thursday: You have ALL that you need already!

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I woke up this morning with YOU on my heart and in my mind. And it is with this thought. "You have ALL that you need already!". Now you might want to argue with me, want me to see that you have nothing in the bank, lacking a career, or lonely but hang in there with me through this post and I hope to show you differently!

When I ask you what are your basic needs in life  you will most likely give the generic answers of food, shelter, clothes, money, relationships. But you know that is NOT what I am talking about. Sure those things are needed and I truly do not know anyone who is starving, homeless, or naked. I do know a few who complain about no money yet they have internet, cel phones, cable, money for beer, yet they "are broke". I do not know anyone who does not have some sort of relationship with someone. They may not be thriving in that area, but they have someone... we all have GOD. So... if you are reading this .. you HAVE the basic needs in your life. But lets dig deeper and I want to show you that YOU have more than you ever could have thought of.

So let's talk about something a bit bigger! EVERY human has six needs that need to be taken care of. If they are not ... we "adapt" in a negative way. There are two for survival, two for success, and two for fulfillment!

The first two that you need for survival are variety and certainty.
Variety: The need for stimulus and change.
Certainty: The need for safety, stability, and comfort.

The next two are going to lead you to success no matter what it is your want to succeed in and they are significance and connection and love.
Significance: The need to be special and worthy of attention.
Connection & love: The need for connection with others and ultimately to love and be loved.

The last two will help you find fulfillment in your life no matter what is going on the outside of your little world that you live in and they are growth and contribution.
Growth: The need to develop and expand.
Contribution: The need to give beyond yourself.

Now, let me put this puzzle all together for you. The only way I know to do that is share it from my perspective, but I hope by doing so you can see that you indeed have ALL that you need!

I like a routine and I flourish in my life when that is place. That is a need of certainty that is taken care of. I can tell you though if I do the same things day in and day out I feel a huge void, almost like I am just walking in a fog. I need some variety! When I pair those up it looks like this: I work Monday - Friday, and the weekends are spent with husband and kids. I have stability and variety because their are 5 people in our home ~ all with different needs of our own. Some weekends we mingle with the neighbors every day, some weekends we are focusing solely on our family time. It is never the same, and I learned to appreciate that. We all have a need to be significant even if it is only as a wife and mother. Some of us find significance in our careers, relationships, or hobbies. I teach, write, and bake with that need of needing to be significant to someone. Our life's purpose leads us to ways to find that need to be filled. Connection and love comes easily, and though it isn't always pretty we find a way to get that need filled. I am my BEST when things are well connected between my husband and I (we have balance in all areas including our sex life), just as when things are smooth between our children and I. Everything else can be falling apart, but if if am thriving in those connections I am good.  Those four needs MUST be taken care of to experience the last two which are growth and then finally contribution. Growth is just as important as eating. I say this because we live on a moving planet in a moving universe, proof that we all must be moving! You can choose to move forward with growth or think you want to stay the same but instead you are moving backward. Growth can be spiritual, emotional, financial, educational, physical, etc. We should be challenging ourselves to be better today than we were yesterday! And my favorite is contribution. We all want to contribute to something. It feels so good to give back! Sometimes that means giving your child more of your time, maybe even doing something that will help them to become closer to understanding or reaching a goal. Perhaps it is helping a coworker reach a difficult deadline. Maybe it's taking a meal over to someone who is sick, having a baby, or lost a loved one. Contribution goes outside of yourself. If you are so wrapped up in your own needs, this one need will not be fulfilled let alone even touched. I do contribute as much as I can especially at work, and with my neighbors.

Now I told you have all that you need, and I hope that you can see that you do. If not, then it's on you to figure it out, and meet the needs that you might not have realized were holding you back!

Thinkful Thursday: Discipline

I can't believe it is already Thursday! The weeks are going by so fast, and that only means so is Summer. Sure Summer officially didn't start until this past weekend, but for me we return to school over a month before Autumn "officially" begins. Seems we are always ahead of the seasons.

For today's Thinkful Thursday I was really convicted by the word Discipline. God has brought many scriptures and a few little video pod casts about applying discipline to our lives. One thing we must understand is that discipline starts with a decision.

That's right. To become more disciplined you have to make a decision every single day until it becomes a habit. Why? Because discipline comes with time, consistency, and purpose. Discipline people are not naturally that way, though it does indeed come easier for some than others ~ but it doesn't have to be that way!

On Monday's blog post, some sweet soul out there left the most inspiring and encouraging comment for me. I am sharing it because it will lead me into sharing about how I would respond to that person face to face, or even email to email if I knew who it was!

Girl, how do you get so much done?! Writing a novel, writing a blog, posting inspiring things on FB, and raising a family and loving on your husband? I'm inspired!! 

Wow right!? What kind words! Of course you guys don't always get to see the full picture, and the days I seem like a sloth ~ though to be honest those are few and far between lately. It hasn't always been this way. I didn't always have a heart for my home, or even my family. In fact, I was very self focused and wanted whatever I could get for me. Sucks to admit but I have to admit it first before I can share the transformation. God used many tools and people in my life to bring me to the person I am today. I have been a part of many different ministries in church but I have always had a heart for the written word, and encouraging women in their day to day lives. Yes, I teach preschool during the school year, but even in that I am always on the lookout on how to minister in the female adult lives around me whether it be through my coworkers, parents, neighbors or friends. Not for me and my glory but so that others can 1) get to know God on such an intimate level and 2) learn to love the life they are living right now!

God is working on my heart (and has been trying for a while now) on a few areas that I really to be more disciplined in. One area is my writing both here on the blog and the novel. It is Summer and while for so many teachers and stay at home mothers that means sleeping in. Well, I get up with my husband to help prepare him for the day. I LOVE doing that. While there has been a couple of mornings I have laid back down and went back to sleep ~ there aren't many and probably won't be too many more. Do you want to know why? I am much more productive and get more done in that extra couple of hours that I might would sleep in. During the week I still go to bed at a pretty decent time, one has to when the alarm goes off at 4:30 so I am not lacking for sleep. For me sleeping in would just be lazy, and me being idle. Instead, that time is often used to listen to/watch biblical encouragement, blog, post on facebook, chat with those who want to chat and get encouraged for the day, and enjoy my coffee.

Another area is learning to live with child like faith, letting go of control and just watching what God does around, in and through me and those around me in the day. There are a couple of areas where I am fighting His lead on being more discipline, and just like you I pray that today is the day! I do not want to share in those areas right now ~ not until I indeed can be that woman of discipline and say "Hey this is what I was doing, and this is what I changed, and look what God has done with that!".

Do you consider yourself a pretty disciplined person?

*Note* Discipline and self focus do not work! It takes discipline to NOT become self focused


Would you like to be further inspired to apply more discipline in your life? Click HERE to hear what Terri shares on a podcast from February of this year. ( That link will take you to a youtube video that is just over 8 minutes long.)

Thinkful Thursday: Your thoughts matter!

I think I have said this before, but You are what You think You are! Your thoughts have so much power ~ and that power is released whether you want it to be or not. You might try to "sell" a different version of who you are ~ but the reality is the world see's you for what you think you are. Often, we say "I don't think that highly of myself" ~ and in reality sometimes we do but we are afraid to, and more so afraid to let others know how we really feel. Guess what!? If they have one iota of perception they already have you figured out!

That's right. So, what is it that you are thinking? Did you know that if you start thinking that you have LOTS of energy, that in time your energy levels will increase?! You subconsciously will begin make the choices that will indeed produce more energy in your  life. For each of us it is different but for me ~ it is going to sleep and waking up at regular times. A routine is energy thriving for me ~ it gives me structure and I know what is next. Complacency is often derived from routine ~ so in the summer I have to be careful to shake it up and allow some spontaneity. Twenty minute hardcore "cross-fit" kind of exercises energy me for a long time ~ that day, and days after especially if I do it regularly. Flirting with my husband really energizes me. Reading and relaxing also lends to my energy levels. Need one more? Music ~ but I am musically motivated! I LOVE ALL kinds of music and indeed listen to a whole range ~ and it does effect my mood, reactions, and such. Eating less food energizes me. Sounds crazy but when I over do it I become very lethargic and lazy and .... it changes my perspective on myself and the world around me. Eating less.... and less often is key for me. I am a light eater.

So, what are you thinking you are today?!