Learn to Receive

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“But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

— Matthew 6:3-4

“In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

— Acts 20:35

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My Dearest MacKynzie,

I am writing this letter to you today because this is something I want to work on in my own life. I always gladly give time, money, complements and support. I give to my kids, husband, friends, church and strangers. But when someone tries to give to me I feel awkward and ashamed. There are two bible verses above. As I was thinking about this lesson and digging deeper into my own struggle to receive without guilt, I picked up my bible and read. I saw verse after verse about giving: 
‘But when you give to the needy’
'It is more blessed to give than to receive’
'Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered’

Receiving is uncomfortable and vulnerable. Of corse I like getting gifts and complements but how can I get better at receiving without feeling awkward and guilty? Sometimes it’s crazy how God works. You know how your attention is on something and all of a sudden you see it everywhere? My husband and I were looking to buy a jeep. The second we got the money I was seeing Jeeps for sale of all shapes, sizes and colors on the corner of every block. How did these all magically appear, I had never noticed them before. While I was thinking about this topic (receiving.. not jeeps lol) I turned on a podcast. One of my favorites is The Business Boutique. Christy Wright was talking about her struggle with receiving. I thought about a book I recently read called ’The Go Giver’. It talks about the five laws of stratospheric success.. guess what the last law is? The Law of Receptivity - The key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving.  I thought about my own giving and how amazing it is to give to someone that receives gratefully. No one likes to give to someone that does not receive with joy. Then I thought about others. I bet many others feel the same way I do. How can they feel the joy and get the benefits of giving without someone there to receive the gift? I realized that it’s a circle. In order to get the full benefits of giving, I must also learn to receive. Receiving isn’t only a blessing to you, it’s a blessing to the giver as well. It is a full circle of blessing... 2 for 1. Think about ‘it is more blessed to give than to receive’. Receiving isn’t about me at all, it is about the giver. 

My loving advice to you. Do not feel guilty completing the circle. Celebrate the gift (complement or time) that has been given to you. By accepting the gift gratefully and without guilt, you are able to glorify the blessing that you’ve also given to them. 

My love to you and my prayer for an amazing life!  Live to inspire <3 to create!

The purpose of sharing this letter is to inspire you. Please ‘like’ if you found this article useful and please ‘share’ if you want to help inspire others. You never know who is watching ;)

Find Your Passion

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“Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts in his exhortation; the one who contributes in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy with cheerfulness. ”

— Romans 12:6-8

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My Dearest MacKynzie,

There is a saying ‘when you enjoy what you do, you will never work a day in your life’. I can tell you from experience that this is such a true statement. If we dig deep, we all have things that we are passionate about… I have about 104 lol. Do you love to help people transform their lives through fitness? Do you have a heart for animals that suffer? Do you want to help improve our country through politics? Are you worried about our planet? Would you like to feed the hungry? Start by finding something that sparks a flame in your heart and work towards developing a career around that passion. I don’t care if you read this when you are 84, It is never too late to start doing something that you are deeply passionate about. As you learn and grow your passion will mold into something else along the way. The amazing thing is that you can develop products and services that can service one passion while fueling another. Bombas Socks is a company I recently saw that is a great example. They create socks... so what, not exactly a reason to wake up in the morning excited about working. The twist is that they’ve made socks a part of their mission. They create a high quality sock and donate socks to the homeless. They are doing something every day that makes a difference in the lives of others. Talk about having a reason to wake up in the morning! There are many major companies that are able to provide a great service while fueling a passion. If you want to help people solve their problems by being a counselor and you provide a great service, you may make enough money to volunteer some hours or donate to a charity that you love. Knowing that everyday when you wake up, you are doing something to make the world better will have a huge impact on your outlook on working. Nothing is exciting or fulfilling about going to a job where you are counting the minutes to 5:00. That is no way to live life. 

My loving advice to you. Don’t be afraid to take some risks to find something you can be passionate about… your purpose in life. Especially while you are young, explore, be spontaneous and try new things. Take time to stop and reevaluate what you are doing and why you are doing it. Shoot for the moon my little lady. It may look impossible now but you will never hit it while staring at your toes. Fear is something that keeps us from living our purpose in life but fear is all in your head. It’s ok to be scared but don’t be frozen by it. 

My love to you and my prayer for an amazing life!  Live to inspire <3 to create!

The purpose of sharing this letter is to inspire you. Please ‘like’ if you found this article useful and please ‘share’ if you want to help inspire others. You never know who is watching ;)

Carry Your Own Weight

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“If Anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat”

— 2 Thessalonians 3:10

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My Dearest MacKynzie-

I was fortunate to have a father that showed me how money works from an early age. He helped me make the connection between working and earning money. He taught me the importance of saving and delayed gratification by letting me learn hands on. I am thankful to my dad because I would probably be struggling like most of the world if it weren’t for him. Working is not only biblical, but essential for harmony. In my opinion, the lack of motivation to work and the absence of pride for acomplishment is one of our biggest downfalls. 

I’m sad to say we live in a time where a lot of people are looking for handouts. I really hope this changes before you are my age. There are many of us busting our booties every day. Then we are required to give a big portion to those that do not work or to things that we do not support. I see many people in my life that expect special treatment because of a situation that they have caused for themselves from bad decisions. Time passes and they do nothing to make their situation better because they are being fed with a silver spoon.  

Do not take this as advice to be greedy. From past letters you already know that kindness, compassion and generosity should be practiced in your life every day. There is an invisible line between enabling and being generous and sometimes it is hard to know where the line is.  Be careful not to get sucked dry emotionally, financially or spiritually by human mosquitos that don’t even think twice about the impact of their actions. None of us are perfect and there will be times where we all fall down. If you don’t fall then you aren’t living your life with enough passion and energy. I believe that we should help each other up when we fall on our butts. Some people are like toddlers trying to learn how to walk, up down up down up down. This is when we have to make sure that we are not enabling them by not letting them learn how to get up themselves and stand on their own two feet. 

It is up to us to create a whole new way of thinking. Could you imagine what this world would be like if everyone that was able worked hard to carry their own weight, plus some? What if everyone learned how to work and save and stand on their own two feet? There would be no more people swimming in debt, small businesses would thrive and there would be plenty to help those that genuinely need help.  I love the passage I quoted and want to share the whole thing. Even if you are not a follower of Jesus, this is powerful stuff.   

“For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. As of you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have noting to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not regard him as an enemy but warn him as a brother. ”

Our culture is so backwards. We reward and encourage laziness with never-ending unemployment benefits, welfare, credit cards and bankruptcy. We look down upon the rich as leeches that have somehow done something wrong.  In my mind, things are quite the opposite. I can name several people in my life that do not work for what they receive, while as a small business owner I am working enough for three people. I get my money by providing a great service to our community and the company generates jobs and boosts our economy. Yet, I am the bad guy and must pay over and over again to leeches. As you can probably tell, I am very passionate about this topic. Things need to change. Another important part to point out in the passage above is to not regard those that are not willing to work as an enemy but warn them as a brother. This does not mean to rise in hatred or anger, but to offer tough love with firm feet. There were times not too long ago when it was looked down upon to be a leech. Kids movies have even been made about this, the ants working hard all summer to store food for winter and the grasshoppers coming to take it. Let’s all be ants and there will be plenty for everyone. 

My loving advice to you. Simple, Work = money. You are entitled to NOTHING that you don’t work for. If you want something, work for it. This includes toys, cars, college, retirement and even health insurance. Spend less than you make and learn how to be a good steward of your money. Do this no matter what everyone else around you is doing. Make sure when the time comes, you find a husband that lives this way too. I am so excited to see you thrive in this part of your life because it is such a great way to live and I know you can do it. Our world needs some great leaders. 

My love to you and my prayer for an amazing life!  Live to inspire <3 to create!

The purpose of sharing this letter is to inspire you. Please ‘like’ if you found this article useful and please ‘share’ if you want to help inspire others. You never know who is watching ;)

No Failures, Only Dead Ends

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“For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again; but the wicked shall fall into mischief.”

— Proverbs 24:16

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My Dearest MacKynzie-

Life is like a maze. You start at the beginning and choose a path. The only way to find out if that path will take you to the end is to take it. If you hit a dead end, retrace your steps and pick another path. So many people never live up to their true potential because they simply don't start walking. Many others reach one or two dead ends and give up. A dead end does not mean that you've failed.. it means that you've gained some experience so keep on going! Most people that achieve their goals, do so by running into many dead ends.

My loving advice to you. You are special person with a great personality and I know that you will be able to live your true potential if you never give up! When you are feeling discouraged, think back on all that you have accomplished and always know that I am so proud.

My love to you and my prayer for an amazing life!  Live to inspire <3 to create!

The purpose of sharing this letter is to inspire you. Please ‘like’ if you found this article useful and please ‘share’ if you want to help inspire others. You never know who is watching ;)

Live Healthy & Love Life

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“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

— Proverbs 17:22

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My Dearest MacKynzie-

I've spent the past 8 years of my life in the fitness industry. I've seen people from all different walks of life with many different outlooks, motivation and determination. I've helped people lose over 100 pounds, some kept it off and some gained it right back. Because of our culture, we've created this obsession with losing weight and looking a certain way. Many people make bad decisions day after day and wonder why they are unhealthy and unhappy. They blame others for their situation and look at healthy people as if they were given some magic skinny potion.

My loving advice to you. The magic skinny potion is a healthy diet and exercise.. surprise! It is a lifestyle and not just something you do when you feel like it. A healthy lifestyle means that you make exercise a part of your daily routine and you figure out a way to enjoy it! This does not mean that you have to give up cupcakes completely, or never eat a piece of pizza. This means that 80% of the time, you make good choices. We all get into ruts. When you do, here are some things that can help you get out:

- Completely cut soda from your diet. This stuff is poison. 

- Limit eating out to one meal per week (this includes fast food). In order to do this, you will have to plan your meals and think ahead. Make it part of your routine. 

- Find some motivating friends. Join that person that jogs around your neighborhood, go to a class at the gym or recruit someone to help hold you accountable.

- Think big (or little). Set a big goal and break it down into small achievable steps. Take one step at a time. 

- Keep a journal. This could be done by using a fitness bracelet or and old fashion journal. Write down your daily goals and progress. In my experience people were 100% likely to fail if they did not keep a journal. 

- Turn off the TV and go for a walk instead. 

You can do it! Reward yourself with your favorite happy face pancakes ;) 

My love to you and my prayer for an amazing life!  Live to inspire <3 to create! 

The purpose of sharing this letter is to inspire you. Please ‘like’ if you found this article useful and please ‘share’ if you want to help inspire others. You never know who is watching ;)