Story

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Five Years Later - Almost to the Day!

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For the past five years, one of those highlights in my life has been to connect with a group of creative, soul-searching writers and artists who gather in Franklin, Tennessee for the TRIBEWRITER Conference hosted by founder and creator of the Tribewriter community, Jeff Goins.

I value learning new skills by listening to those who have already done what I want to do as they share what has worked for them or tips of the trade. But more than that, I love having the opportunity to rub shoulders with the men and women who are using their voice, their stories, and their talents to make their difference. 

This is my 5th TRIBE Conference. It will also be the last TRIBE Conference that Jeff Goins will be hosting. I will have attended all of them.  Each year brought with it new challenges and insights both as a writer and as a person.

Each year there are those who say to me, “Don’t quit. Keep showing up.”

  But mostly they say “Own who you are and do it with all your heart.”

 The importance of this year’s TRIBE Conference in relation to my writing journey is significant. You will understand more at the end of this post.

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So what made him cry?

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Ren and I are part of an apprenticeship class studying Nehemiah. An assignment we have each week is to identify one thing that stands out to us from the study of the scripture.  

What I noticed immediately was Nehemiah asks some men who had just arrived from Judah how things were going in Jerusalem for the Jews who had returned there from captivity. The news wasn't good.  The walls of Jerusalem had been torn down and the gates destroyed by fire.  The people are in great trouble and disgrace. It's in shambles. 

Then verse 4 says

4 When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted,
and prayed to the God of heaven.
From <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Nehemiah+1&version=NLT>

 

That thought caused me to ponder.  Why was his grief so strong? what made him cry?

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Will I ever be HER?

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I find myself sitting in the chair in my front room pondering what I see in my future. I want so much to feel confident; healthy, productive, grateful and graceful, beautiful. Helpful. Peaceful, HOPE full.

I want to being a strong, confident woman. I see a woman who has poise and gentleness, yet is bold and persevering.

Yet this week as I've laid on the sofa a lot, I have felt none of those.  I have felt weak, tired, messy. I've wondered if I could ever be that other woman. I've had moments of doubt, confusion and discouragement; times when I only felt desperate. How can I ever be a strong, confident woman when I keep floundering in moments of discouragement and sadness?

 But today I am taking time to ponder what I've heard this week from just listening, from forcing myself not to let my thoughts take me to despair or to deciding to quit - again for the umpteenth time, to feel like I wasn't good enough.

 Here's what I heard. …

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"En" Changes Things!

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…there are times we create this VISION for what we want for our family, or our career or our LIFE!

We perhaps set goals, we make plans, we study those plans and add dates to our calendar.  Then we get to work doing all of those things.  Sometimes it works.  Many times it works for a little while (think New Year's Resolutions). 

Then the urgent things of life step in and demand attention, and our STUCK places insist on becoming more bothersome with each forward step we try to take.  Our VISION soon becomes nothing more than fine words on a pretty page, or dates on a calendar. 

Ho-hum!  Not again!

Then… Ta Da! 

In soars our super-hero EN to the rescue! 

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Thank you Jeff Goins!

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Dear Jeff,

Last September 2017, I left the TRIBEWRITER Conference with three phrases planted solidly in my brain.

DON'T QUIT!

SHOW UP!

DON'T STARVE!

I was both undone - but mostly encouraged as you shared your story of starting not one- but #7or 8 (can't remember exactly how many) different businesses.  How it took not one, but 8 years to find the ONE THING you were committed to doing.

I was undone because …

Revealing Remarkable Truth about Your Life

How often do you step back and ask yourself, "How am I doing at living the life I want to live?"

As I pondered my answer to this question this month, I thought about you.  While we can't plan some of these occasions, we can learn from moments like them in powerful ways.  This month I had some significant events that caused me to ponder my story.  

Want to learn something about yourself- something really remarkable?

1. Go to a …