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I have no doubt there are things in your past that were hard or maybe even awful. Guess what? You’re not alone. Everybody has something in their past that they wish was different. In the words of Dani Johnson, “It’s time to step up, rise up and do something great with your life.” And it starts today. No more excuses. Your past may have shaped you, but it sure as heck does not define you. Please don’t let even one more day go by thinking that you can’t change, while rolling around in self-pity and wallowing in the past. It starts right here, right now. This is the moment that you move forward. This is the moment that you begin to change because you choose it. This is the moment that truth conquers fear. Now is the moment that you begin to grow into the person who God Almighty created you to be.
He created you in His image and he says you are good.
Check out the book of Genesis. God says you are loved, accepted and smart. He says you are capable of growth. He’s designed you uniquely and he calls you to be a good spouse, a good parent, a good friend, a good leader, a good influence. The cool thing is, he doesn’t leave us hanging. In fact, he’s provided an entire book full of wisdom, designed to help us grow.
It’s in you and it’s time to step up to the plate. It’s time to dig in and grow in wisdom. You owe it to yourself, to your family and to the Heavenly Father. You weren’t created just to survive and die. You were created to live and love well. You were created to thrive.
But it doesn’t automatically just happen. Change is a verb. It takes work. It requires action. It means you will have to practice self-discipline to prune some areas of your life. It’s going to require you to assess the people that you let influence who you are and making some changes there. It’s going to require digging into the truth, the greatest success book ever written, the Bible and asking God to reveal his wisdom to you.
I’m about to share three simple things that can help you change your life, starting now. As much as I want growth and change for you, it will be up to you to take what you learn here and apply in your life. Only you have the power to make that choice.
1. Let’s talk about what you are feeding your mind and heart with. What you are consuming is either nourishing or poisoning you.
The things that you‘re consuming with your eyes and your ears? They are the things that are leaking into your heart and changing your life for either the positive or the negative. The things you are watching and reading and hearing? They are literally transforming your mind and heart. They are turning into the words that come out of your mouth and those things are what your life will become. The truth here is that your thoughts are simply a culmination of what you are filling your brain with.
What does your ideal life look like? Whatever that is for you, stop consuming anything that is not in line with that.
Do you want a happy marriage? Then stop engaging with your friend who gossips about her husband.
Do you want to raise honorable, productive, gratitude-filled children? Then stop trolling Facebook for hours on end, and look your child in the eyes and ask them about their dreams and aspirations and the things that are on their heart.
Do you want a joy filled life? Then stop listening to music that promotes everything except your ideal life.
Do you want to grow in your faith? Then stop reading fantasy books and trashy novels, and start reading your Bible.
Do you want to be financially free? Then peel your eyes off of the box in the living room that is doing nothing but selling you stuff that you don’t need, or even want.
Do you want to create family memories that you and your kids will look back on fondly? Then stop making excuses, stop waiting for the perfect moment, save up the money and go take that family trip. Or turn off all distractions, pop some popcorn and spend a night playing board games together.
It’s not my goal to judge your life and choices. I simply love you enough to tell you the hard truth that life is short and if you want to be the very best version of yourself, you’re going to have to work for it and it absolutely starts with what you are consuming.
I can see a difference in my own life daily, by the books I am or am not reading and the podcasts that I am or am not listening to. At the end of the day, it sometimes shocks me the place that I may or may not be at emotionally, mentally and spiritually and it’s always related directly to what I’ve consumed that day.
The bottom line here is… what you feed will flourish and what you neglect will die. I created a list of my top 10 book recommendations and you can download it for free at KatieHedrick.com/GreatReads to get started with some material that will feed your heart and mind in a good way!
2. It’s time to assess your “5 Tribe.” Who are the people you hang out with? Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future.
My daughter has the sweetest, most awesome kids in her class.
She’s great friends with many of them, but when it comes down to her very best friends, her “tribe,” there is a LOT of strong will and independence in that group of girls. I’m talking fierce girl power, in the very best way.
This group of girls will change the world, if they decide to work together and let their best qualities collectively shine. It will begin in their school, especially when they get to high school and it will spread throughout the community and beyond. These girls could be the ones who put an end to the terms “mean girls” and “bullying.” Because when they lead by example, others will see their lights shining, and they will follow. I’m so proud of them and I pray the path they take together is one of kindness, standing up for what’s right, and using their influence to promote positivity. I BELIEVE that they will!
I wish that everyone had this kind of 5 Tribe, but the truth is, we don’t always choose our friends wisely. The people we hang out with will either inspire us to grow or they’ll keep us stuck where we are. Or even worse, they’ll bring out the worst in us.
Who are the people in your circle? Do they live the type of life you want? Are their marriages solid? Their children, honorable? Their life, happy? Do they have passion, excitement, joy for life? Are they grateful and kind? No one is perfect and we all have tough days, but people that will be a positive influence in your life… they know that tough days are only temporary. They know that joy comes in the morning. They know they can try again, and they’ll encourage you to do the same.
If you’re serious about changing your life and becoming the best version of yourself, do this right now. Write down the 5 people who you spend the most time with. Then assess if the life they live matches up with the life you want. Have an honest conversation with yourself about the voices who are influencing you.
In 2011, I got some great advice from one of my mentors, Dani Johnson. She said, “find someone who has what you want and do what they do.” Humble yourself and ask them questions. Learn and grow. Spend more time with that person and circle yourself with the people who are living the type of life you want.
3. Dig into the Bible, the absolute true and living Word of God.
Crack open the cover of the Bible and within a few pages, you will find the craziest stuff… creation, the fall of man, murder, war, healings, miracles, hope, joy, hardships, peace, love and freedom. The belief that the Bible is boring is the biggest misconception of our time! There is no other book in existence that holds more wild, but true stories. On top of that, the Bible is filled with rich, deep wisdom.
God gave us a blueprint for how to live a happy and fulfilling life. From marriage and parenting to business and leadership, it’s all in there. I wrote an entire blog post about how I read through my Bible. You can check that out at KatieHedrick.com/Bible. I also created a free printable that lists out all the Books of the Bible, to help you navigate the different books easier. You can download my Books of the Bible Printable list at KatieHedrick.com/BibleBooksList
I love to read through the Bible cover to cover. It’s the way that makes the most sense for me, but there are all sorts of reading plans out there. Another great way to soak up small bits of Biblical wisdom each day is to go to the book of Proverbs and read the chapter that correlates with the date on the calendar. For example, if it were the 1st of the month, you would read Proverbs chapter 1 and so on. I also offer a weekly email that drops one chapter out of the Proverbs straight to your inbox each Wednesday. You can check that out at KatieHedrick.com/WisdomWednesdays.
If you couldn’t tell, I strongly believe that the Bible is the #1 resource to help you grow forward and create positive change in your life.
There you have it. Cheers to growing and changing the course of your history to something that is good and full and abundant. John 10:10 tells us that Jesus came so we could have life and have it abundantly. I believe it brings honor to the Good Father when we stretch ourselves and intentionally push outside of our comfort zone to grow and change. With God, we are capable of accomplishing all things.
All throughout the Bible God has called ordinary people to rise up and do extraordinary things. They’ve all started right where they are and they chose to grow forward from there. You can absolutely do the same thing!
I don’t know where you’re at today. I don’t know what you are watching or hearing or reading on a daily basis, but I know that we can all choose to do better by consuming things that are good and true and holy and pure. I don’t know who you are hanging out with, but I know that are people out there who are honorable and kind and willing to help you grow. I don’t know whether you believe in the Bible, have one collecting dust on your shelf or are digging into a worn and loved Bible daily, but I do know it stands ready to equip you with deep, rich wisdom that will point you in the direction of your ideal life.
The lie in your mind that you can’t change or grow, tell it to go back to hell where it came from. It’s time to step up, rise up and do something great with your life, starting today. Starting now.
Back in my High School days, my brother used to have this t-shirt that said “Jesus Freak.” I always admired his bold proclamations of faith, yet I didn’t feel like I could be that loud about it. I worried that other people might think I was weird. Later in life, I met lady who just talked about Jesus all the time, like in her every day conversation. I’d never really heard anyone do that, outside of church. At first, I thought that lady was pretty weird, but after I’d spent just a little time around her, I thought to myself “I want to be that bold for Jesus.” We are called to be a peculiar people and living that, just like change, can feel scary at first. I worked on growing by seeking wisdom. I worked to change that part of my life. I intentionally asked God to help me become bold as a lion about my faith. Then I realized…
There’s only ONE way to get better at the things that make us uncomfortable. Do the thing that makes us uncomfortable.
So that’s exactly what I did. I started living my faith out loud and these days I really do speak about it bold as a lion. I’m the weird, peculiar, Jesus freak and I love every second if it!
God has convicted my heart that sharing truth and setting people free is more important than what people think about me.
Stop looking back. You’re not going that direction! Start looking forward. The best days? They are not behind you. They are yet to come! They are yet to be created and full of life and celebrated! Your change starts today. Nike said it best “just do it.”
You are capable of doing hard things. Everything is figureout-able and I believe in you!
Take action on your growth journey by downloading my Free eBook “7 Habits of Happiness.” It’s the original Free resource that God planted in my heart for you!
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