On New Years day, Wes sat me down and told me he had bought me tickets to Lara Casey’s “Making Things Happen” tour. If you are a bride who stalks Southern Weddings Magazine blog, you know who Lara Casey is… and how super fabulous she is. So immediately I was…. intimidated, nervous, not wanting to go. Haha. For those of you who really know me, I am introverted… BIG TIME. I get super nervous around people I don’t know. So to have to walk into a room with other professionals and people that I respect all by myself is beyond terrifying. BUT Wes knows that I have reached a point where I need to expand my mind and where I am at. I need more of a push to change and take risks…. so he thought this was the perfect chance. It is a new year, in a city that I have dreamed of… this is my time.

So the week before the conference, the flu hits… again… this is the second time this month and I am feeling terrible. Who wants to walk into a conference yaking up their lungs and embarrassing themselves in front of everyone… NOT ME! I almost made Wes go in my place. But I knew that I need to step up and make my husband proud.

We left for New York & I was just as excited as ever. I love traveling. The first day I was a complete tourist, Statue of Liberty, Empire State building, walking in Soho, the whole deal. It was such a sweet time exploring with my love.

The second day was the conference & I wanted to throw up thinking about it.

This workshop is raw, it is real, it is deep, and it doesn’t hold anything back. I had NO IDEA what I was getting myself into. It was super intense and one of the best experiences of my life. Now let me tell you what I learned. What I took away… and where I am.

I have realized how much fear I have built up in owning a business. This is terrifying. I feel like the majority of my life depends on other people’s opinions of who I am & what I do. If people like us & our work, I eat… and if they don’t… well…. I beat myself up all the time, questioning every move that I make. To make things worse at this point for me, I just had my very first mother of the bride disappointed moment. Yep, I produced something that someone didn’t like… in fact, they hated it. And were passionate about it. I have been beating myself up for a while about this, honestly at times wanting to quit. But I have realized a few things about me and about life. I am not going to please everyone. I am not going to be who each person on earth wants me to be. And that is ok. My goal is to encourage, impart happiness, and lift up those around me, while capturing who they are & their love. My goal is to serve Christ as I serve his people. My goal is to love.

For everyone else this looks different. I know that I won’t be perfect for each person, but I am so happy trying. I have learned that it is ok to fail, & it is ok to disappoint… because I learn from these moments & I grow to be a better person.

Lara quotes Jim Rhon when she says, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” This is so true! Think about the 5 people you spend the most time with, it can be people on social network, or from the past… but it is the 5 people who you have on your mind the most. Are they people who lift you up? Or are they negative and demeaning? What do these people contribute to your life? And even a step further… what do you contribute to theirs? WHOA! I want to surround myself with people personally who I can lift up & adore & vice versa. I want to spend time with people in my industry with integrity & honor. I want to be the average of these people. I want to be better than I am today.

Another great idea I picked up from this is how to set myself up for success. Prepare for the next day. Whatever that means to you, make it happen so you won’t fail- set your clothes out the night before, wake up to happy music, don’t look at emails until you are at your office, leave on time so you don’t put off the things at home that are your foundation, only make a “to do” list that is long enough to fit on a post it note, ect. ect…. these are all small things that set you up to succeed. Create an environment that excites & inspires you. Make things happier for yourself.

Lastly, I learned how proud I am of where Wes & I have come from. It is ok to be proud in a happy kind of way. We are also extremely humbled by the fact that it is 100% God giving us each opportunity that we have. I am not going to live my life in fear of upsetting a mother. I am not going to live my life in fear of disappointing mine. I am not going to live my life in fear that tomorrow it may be over so I have to play it safe today. I am not going to live my life in fear of trying something new because it may fail. I am going to live my life pleasing to God, I am going to work hard to make big things happen for my family, I am going to smile big and dance freely. It is ok if you don’t understand this, you don’t have to. I am no longer living my life in the glass box. Big things are going to happen over here at 222 North Court. This is just the beginning.

So today, I encourage you to encourage someone else. Be a positive mark on the world, you will bring up someone’s average in people they hang out with! Set yourself up for success. Stop beating yourself up. Find your dream. Make it happen. You are the only person capable of it… no one can do it for you & I believe in you. I believe you can be the best you possible.

For me, I will be raw and real. I will continue to speak truth and be transparent.
Stop Wishing, Start Doing

Photo Courtesy of the Making things Happen blog.
Now put on your awesome pants. :)

T