Making Dreams a Reality through Hard Work
Do you give over to others control of your life? Do you let them influence what you do, what dreams you go over? 🤔
What is stopping you today? Don’t allow the opinions others have of you stop you from achieving your goals. You are capable of doing anything you put your effort towards! Don’t stop!❤
I would like to talk about these ladies a little. I know this picture is a year and a half old, but this is the last one I have of all of us together. However, that doesn’t really matter because after 32 years of friendship, we are still there for each other no matter the distance that divides us.
I met these ladies when I was 12 years old. We had just moved to Sugar Land from Tulsa. I was the new girl at school and then at church, but these girls embraced me and have never let go. We went to junior high and high school together, and then college took us in different directions. College graduation had us spread out all over the state of Texas, yet we stayed together. Marriage and kids kept us together in the celebrations, yet apart in the daily family activites that continues to pull at our attention.
Yet in a time of need, we are still there for each other! We pray for each other and our families. We can still pick up the phone and continue our conversation like we had just spoken yesterday instead of months ago. I am thankful for this group of ladies. I’m thankful that the years keep adding on to our friendship. I pray that our kids find friends like these…friends for a lifetime! ❤
We make decisions every day. Every choice has a consequence. Every choice either moves you towards your goal or away from your goal.
Some choices are safe, and some are daring. Some choices even move you out of your comfort zone.
I hope you make choices today that move you in the right direction towards your goals and dreams!
I once asked a very successful woman to share her secret with me. She smiled and said to me…
“I started succeeding when I started leaving small fights for small fighters.
I stopped fighting those who gossiped about me…
I stopped fighting with my family…
I stopped fighting for attention…
I stopped fighting to meet peoples expectation of me…
I stopped fighting for my rights with inconsiderate people..
I stopped fighting to please everyone…
I stopped fighting to prove they were wrong about me….
I left such fights for those who have nothing else to fight…
And I started fighting for my vision, my dreams, my ideas and my destiny.
The day I gave up on small fights is the day I started becoming successful & so much more content.”
Some fights are not worth your time….. Choose what you fight for wisely.
-Unknown
I remember this day in 2001, like it was yesterday. I had driven to Austin for a state compliance meeting at TCEQ, and I had no idea what was going on at all. One man had a text pager, and we received updates from his office throughout the morning. Even as the planes were grounded, our meetings continued. We didn’t see any pictures until lunchtime, and even then we didn’t understand the magnitude of the event.
I drove the Assistant Public Works Director for the City of Houston back to town that day. He was constantly on the phone with his team and the police department as helicopters were then patrolling over the lakes, our water supply, and the major facilities, along with the ship channel. We learned that downtown Houston had been evacuated hours earlier as a precaution, and it was eerie to drive him to the public works building downtown to pick up a vehicle for him to drive home since his was stuck at the airport. The city was quiet when it should have been at the height of rush hour.
And then I went home and remained glued to the TV with the rest of America. We cried, we were in shock, and then we were determined to remember and take action. Flags went up at every home and every building. We learned about the stories of heroes, some were just every day people who made decisions of sacrifice to save others.
We talk about making hard decisions and sacrifices all the time, but the heroes on 9/11 lived it. I want that courage, that determination, that clear calling to do the hard things. I may just be fighting for my family, but they are worth it. Along the way, I hope I help your family too.
I wear this hat proudly. My boys love when I wear this hat. They love when Richard and I both make it to their games, whether it’s football or soccer. They know we’re there to support them in whatever they choose to participate in. I think they even like it when I scream like a crazy fanatic (see what I did there?) while cheering their team to victory. Yes, they know my voice; no, I don’t yell at the refs, they are human too.🏈
While I am by no means a tiger mom, nor am I a helicopter mom, I do try to be there for everything. I’m not good at hugging sweaty boys, but I’ll give high fives and fist bumps all day long. I do not coddle these young men I’m raising, but instead encourage them to not let their teams down and to give their all on the field of play. Play whatever position the coach puts you in without complaint and do not ask for a sub just because you are hot. Suck it up buttercup is a common phrase at our house. We do not talk about the faults of other players because we have no control over them, your responsibility is to make sure you are playing your best, listen to the coach and be coachable. ⚽️
It’s hard to parent a teenager, an athlete, a child. Each stage of a child’s life brings another challenge. How hard do you push your child to be their best? I’m learning that you have to push and then pull back often. They have to learn the life lessons on their own sometimes. They must go after their own goals and put in the work themselves. 💪
And I will be the cheering them on all the way!🎉🎉
Think of all the good things in life…you know, your likes… Think of the shows you like to watch on TV. The money you like to spend. The sweets you like to bake.🤔
Now, what if you exchanged those for something great? What if you gave up something you liked in order to have something you love? It may take time. It may take effort. It may take work, but don’t you think in the end it would be totally worth it? What can you sacrifice now to have something great? ❤
In those moments when I look around the room and see the evidence of what teenagers can leave behind- nerf darts, socks on the stairs, trash that was in front of them all morning but still didn’t make it outside to the cans, throw blankets bundled on the couch, laundry left in the dryer, and cereal box left on the table….I remember to be thankful. 🤗
I’m thankful that they each do their own laundry, and I don’t have to touch stinky athletic clothes. I’m thankful that in the hustle of the morning routine, they get their own breakfast and make their own lunch, and the mess left behind is evidence of the personal responsibility they are learning. 💪
The nerf darts are examples that they still like to play, and even though they are teenagers now, they do not always sequester themselves in their rooms all the time. The blankets on the couch is there as a reminder of the family movie night from last night, and I’m thankful they still like spending time with the family. 😍
Yes, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the clutter and mess, but it’s evidence of so much more – love and lessons! And isn’t that what family is all about?! 😉
Why is it that when something gets hard, our first instinct is to quit? 🤔
New exercise routine gets hard, quit.
New diet gets hard, quit.
New project gets hard, quit.
Relationship gets hard, quit.
Job gets hard, quit.
However, we can look our kid in the eye, and tell him to keep going! That’s what practice is for! You only need to build up your endurance! You can do it!
I guess it’s time to start listening to our own words! Yes, I can do it…keep going!😍 I am determined to continue after my dreams!
Yesterday morning I had the privilege to deliver 16 dozen homemade cookies for the staff at the junior high school! 🍪
The entire time my boys have been in school, I have been a working mom away from the home. I’ve always sent my bribe gifts and extra supplies when asked, but never have I been able to participate in something to this scale. I would not have been able to give enough time at night to bake and pack that many cookies! Extra time in my schedule just didn’t exist. 🤷♀️
Now, when asked to participate in things during the day, I have the flexibility to do so! My #sidehustle allows me to work the time I allow and provides the extra money to participate! ❤
Determined Hustle 