You Gotta Have Some Fun!

A few months ago I was asked, "Liz what do you do for fun?" and to be honest I didn't have an answer. Well, I did and it went a little something like this, "I read, I go to the gym, I love crafting and playing with my Captain (my 5 year old) and I love spending time alone. I caught myself and realized everything I mentioned were not exactly FUN. They were more like self-help to do's (lol). Besides playing with Captain. She advised me to tap into the things I loved doing as a young girl. And boyyy ohhh boy did I ever. Although I had this many times before, for some reason I got it this time.

I sat down with a paper and notebook and wrote down all the things I do throughout my days and realized everything on my list had to do with others and not really ME. So yes, I took her advice and these are some of the things I enjoyed as a young girl and also some things I added as 'fun goals'

Crafting
Making Earrings
Sewing
Dancing
Creating Vision Boards

and I added a few fun goals.....

Home Decorating
Hosting Girls Night's
Attending Plays
Learn another language

Those are just a few. I wrote a big list.


So I decided in order for me to truly enjoy my life as a mother, a friend, a sister and a world changer, I have to have real authentic fun. My favorite new hobby so far is making button earrings. I never imagined it would bring so much peace and joy into my life. Did I start it as a business idea? No. But heyyy why not sell if I can. The second hobby I have started is 'sewing' and I am loving that too. I purchased an amazing SINGER machine and I am getting to know her. I recently started beginners classes and plan to register for an amazing workshop in Toronto that runs for 8 weeks. My plan for that is to have my own high waste skirt line. I am also crafting and creating fun cool things with the boys.


I even decided to call my line Lizzy's Own. It's a name I already had for a different business idea.


I decided since I was serious about my new hobbies, that I would totally revamp my bedroom. I mean colors and all. So I am creating two rooms in one bedroom; a craft and sewing side and a sleeping side. I am going for all white furniture with splashes of hot pink, green and orange. I am going all out with this. As a young girl I would often dream about a pink room (and never got it). But now I am a big girl and I get to create my own space :-)


As I was browsing online for hobby ideas, I came across this amazing article on http://www.wikihow.com/Find-a-Hobby on "How To Discover New Hobbies"
Please read it.

Here is a small piece of it:

Having a hobby helps to make you a more interesting person and gives you something fascinating to talk about with others. It can also help you to avoid feeling bored and often provides the opportunity to meet new people with similar interests. Learning something new is always good for keeping the mind alert and active, as is maintaining a long-term interest in something that enthralls you. This will also make your more of an interesting person than a person who is addicted to Facebook, watching TV, or doing other time wasting and unhealthy tasks, such as stuffing your gut .


Love Lizzy

Give Me Wisdom....

(This is a picture of my son Keeno standing on a mountain in Portugal. I see the glory of God all above him here)

I got home from church about 2 hours ago (we went out for dinner after service) and as I was about to go downstairs I heard my foster son singing in his room and I thought to myself I know that song. Well sure enough he was singing a song we have been singing in the Kingdom for a few weeks and even sang it today ".....give me wisdom ... To do things like you do.... Lord I look to you... From where my help comes from..give me wisdom to see things like you do..." and let me tell you, my eyes began to fill with tears. Here is a young boy who has never attended church outside of special occasions and had no idea who "God" was, yet he was singing the song with so much passion (he is a singer by the way) and conviction. I began to think deeply about what the words actually meant to me. I mean when I sing that song I am asking God to make me see things like He does. Wow. Really. Am i? Are we really willing to do that? To see things like He does?

There are times, sometimes several times a day, when we are in a situation where we need wisdom to proceed with whatever we are doing. As followers of Christ we should be looking to the Lord for wisdom. He is the One who gives us the wisdom we need not only for a particular situation, but for everyday life.

Today I pray that I have a clear understanding that wether I may like something or not, wether It feels good or not, wether I get "my" way or not, it's not about ME at all. And all that God is doing in my life is to strengthen me, mold me and make me see things the way He sees them. Boy I got a ways to go BUT I'm going. In order for me to be affective in the Kingdom, I have got to see things the way he sees them. Not the way my emotions or flesh feels.

As Kingdom embassadors, our highest aim should be to bring glory to God (1 Corinthians 10:31), and this includes praying according to His will. First, we must ask for wisdom. “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). In asking for wisdom, we must also trust that God is gracious and willing to answer our prayers: “But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt” (James 1:6; see also Mark 11:24). So, praying according to the will of God includes asking for wisdom (to know the will of God) and asking in faith (to trust the will of God).

I don't stress or worry. Why? Because God is in me. He has been since the day I was born. All of what I have overcome, we're lessons that God had me learn. I came into this world to complete an assignment that was laid out for me. I have come to a realization that had it not been for His wisdom and the understanding He blessed me with in order to apply that wisdom to my life, I would not be here today. I would have given up, killed someone or myself, became a drug addict, probably abused my children and would have been hanging out in some dark place or alley LOST! I remember being 7 years old and praying to this "God" my grandmother often told me about, "Jesus I hate him please make him stop hurting me and Suzie and mommy. Jesus I feel like I want to hurt him so bad but please help me not to hurt him because I really do love him I just hate how much he is hurting us. I know he needs help Jesus can you help him please because avo (my grandmother) says that you make all things possible and you fix people." You see, even at that age I knew that He could give me wisdom to see things like He does. I knew that no matter who hurt me I had to love them.

Ok I get it now. I've got to see things like He does. Thank you to my pastor (Somers) for being the vessel God sent to speak TRUTH into my life. Because truth has set me free.

Love Lizzy

Your Breakthrough!

We have got to get clear on what we want to do.

In order for every single one of us to feel alive we have got to feel like we are growing. Not one of us can argue this point. If you asked me what it took to be happy, I would answer with one word; progress. Because progress = happiness. Even if you are not where you want to be, if you are on the road, if you are improving and making progress, you are going to love it. If you stop growing, you start dying inside.

If you want to know what it takes to be happy, you have got to understand clearly the "blueprint" of what our life is suppose to be. The blueprint is our story in our head of how our life is suppose to be. Everyone's blueprint is unique to them. We are ALL special. A mother who stays home caring and molding her children is special and unique. A school teacher who educates students is special and unique. A personal support worker.....a pastor....a janitor...each of them are special and unique.

We live in a world today where we treat teachers and janitors terribly. Have you asked what would this world be without our house wives and stay home mothers? How would the conditions of our schools and office's be without our janitors?

No matter what your story is, there is something you are feeling good about. What do I mean by this? Well even if your fiances are not the way you would like them to be, you probably have a very close relationship with your kids. Even if you have no children and would like some your probably very content with your career and finances. Maybe you don't have that house you have been dreaming about, but you have a real close connection to God. We all have an area of our lives we feel really good about.

What is an area in your life you feel really good about? Now question, why are you happy with that area in your life...right now...today? Stop reading right now and write it down. Please.

The formula for happiness equals to your blueprint. Whenever your happy with an area in your life (mine is the fact that I am a stay home mom working from home and taking care of my health)it is because the conditions of your life equal to your blueprint and your story. It equals to your beliefs about life in that area. It is important for me to nurture, educate, care for and love my children, and so being there for them the moment they get home and taking care of home while they are at school matters to me. Being able to eat healthy and juice twice a day, workout in the early mornings matters to me. My mental blueprint says, "I need to be home caring for my home, family and health overall" and so I feel good in that area. You may feel the same way but in your finances. You could feel the same about the partner in your life. So your blueprint says your relationships matters to you.

To be happy, your blueprint has to be able to meet your expectations. Your life conditions meet your blueprint and that feels good. Right? But when you feel bad, it creates frustration and pain. What is an area in your life that you are NOT happy with?

We tend to focus on areas we feel comfortable and strong in. So instance, maybe you feel super about your relationship with your partner but you are not spending enough time with your kids. We tend to tell ourselves, "I don't have time to workout" well that is a lie. That right there is an area you don't feel good about so you are not focused on it. If you do the math, most people who say they have no time to workout are people who are not comfortable with how they feel and look.

The whole concept of a breakthrough is about looking at where you are right now and where you want to be. When you write it down it helps you to see clearly where you are right now in a particular area in your life and where you want to be.

Write down that area you are not happy with. Then write down why you are not happy. Maybe you are 50 pounds over weight. Maybe you don't like the relationship you are in. Maybe your house is not organized, messy and unclean.

If your current conditions do NOT match your story / your blueprint, the life you imagine for yourself, then you are going to have enormous stress, frustration and pain. Because your life is not the way you want it and imagine it to be. But you can change that. YES YOU CAN!

Maybe you are feeling right now like life is not worth living or you feel worthless. Well that is because you have a blueprint that may say, you need to be a basketball player or a top model, or rich or you were suppose to be married by now...because that is what you feel will make you feel worthwhile. Life will not always match the blueprint. Things will happen and get in the way, but you can change the conditions of your life. Just because you are divorced that does not mean there isn't another soul-mate out there for you. Just because you didn't get that job, doesn't mean there isn't one out there for you. Stop making yourself feel like you are helpless.

Unlock yourself from a mindset of, "I dreamed of being a professional singer and it didn't happen" and start recreating your blueprint. Stop blaming the world and people around you. You are in control of your own happiness. Blame games destroy you.

If life doesn't match your blueprint you have got to change your life. Period. Start working out. Go back to school. Build a closer relationship to God. Start spending quality time with your children. Start eating healthy. Get out of that unhealthy relationship. Stop drinking and smoking. Spend quite time alone.

In order to be happy, if you can't change your life, your going to have to change your blueprint.

SO GO AHEAD AND BREAKTHROUGH!!!!

Love Lizzy