April 26, 2017

Should I Spend Money on That?

How many of you find yourself struggling with “SHOULD I SPEND MONEY ON THAT?

What have you been taught about money?  Have you been taught the following?:

Money is the root of all evil
Money is not that important, its just money
Money doesn’t grow on trees, it is a limited resource
You need to save for a rainy day
It is selfish to want a lot of money

These are just a few of the top money and abundance blocks out there. I have personally struggled with my thoughts and beliefs about money.  It is never something that I really focused on.  However, as I created intentional focus on my thoughts and beliefs about money, I have seen some shifts in my life.

Money is a representation of the value that you provide to others.  It is an exchange for goods or services rendered.  It’s all about defining the VALUE that is created by the exchange.

How often do you make decisions based on a lack or scarcity mentality as opposed to an abundance and and prosperity mentality?  Many times we don’t invest in ourselves, because we are afraid to spend the money.  Which is the exact opposite of what we really want.  We allow ourselves to punish or sabotage ourselves unknowingly by not being true to ourselves and our desires.

KayakI remember last summer I was reintroduced to my love of kayaking.  One day I decided to take two of my boys for a surprise and went to the Naperville Riverwalk so that we could rent a kayak and go on the water,   When I got there, I looked at the price of the paddleboat vs. the price of the kayak.  While I REALLY wanted to rent the kayak, it was like $25 MORE than the paddleboat.  So I stood there, and questioned myself.  WHAT SHOULD I DO?  WHAT SHOULD I SPEND MY MONEY ON?

I almost rented the paddleboat and then something in me said NO.  You came here to kayak, so spend the extra money and get the kayak.  That is the REAL EXPERIENCE you want to have.   There is value behind the experience of having your boys experience a kayak vs. the paddleboat.  Don’t sell yourself short.   I did choose to rent the kayaks and we had an AMAZING experience.  I felt so good about my decision and the experience we had.  If I wouldn’t have spent the money, I would have felt bad that I didn’t listen to myself and would have wondered what we might have missed out on, however in the past I have deprived myself or chosen NOT to do something and ended staying in my comfort zone.  This felt SO MUCH BETTER and because I was true to myself and in alignment with what I wanted, I started to see shifts with my kids.  That was reason enough to say yes to my own desires.

How many of us, stop in our tracks and don’t spend money on what we REALLY want, thinking another option might save us money.  Each situation and person is unique on what they define as valuable, however, what I learned about myself was that when I saw VALUE in something, I would invest the money on it, however, if I saw it as wasteful or not worth it, then I wouldn’t spend the money.

I encourage you to think about WHERE YOU SPEND OR INVEST YOUR MONEY.  Do you invest in things for yourself?  If NOT, I would encourage you to reflect on why you are not valuing yourself enough to invest money in yourself.   Things shift for us when we are willing and open to shift our thinking. What could happen IF YOU INVESTED IN YOURSELF TODAY?

January 16, 2017

The Last Time

You never know the last time that your child might do something cute.  Especially if you have multiple kids.  The first time a child walks, talks, or has a milestone, we tend to take a lot of time and energy ogling over the experience.  The more kids you have, sometimes the less we remember to capture those moments, but you never know the last time you will witness their childlike glee in things that they enjoy.

I have 4 boys ranging from the ages of 17 to 7.  This year my son started to question me about the real Santa Claus.  I saw a post on facebook on how a family shared the news with their children about Santa Claus and it sounded like an awesome tradition and way to share the news with them in a fun way. I tried to explain to him one day that Santa wasn’t real and after our experience it didn’t work. He said, are we going to see the real santa now.

The evening of x-mas was absolutely amazing.  I saw the excitement on his face as we gathered the carrots for the reindeer and put out the milk and cookies for Santa.  It all had to be perfectly placed. I could see his eyes beaming from ear to ear. Then the following morning I got to see him run down the stairs and look at the tree.  He was so excited. His expression was priceless as I basked in the glow of witnessing and remembering this experience forever

Then the worst of all things happened.  Andy’s present decided to not arrive in the mail.  So I had to scramble and find a new gift for him  When he opened his gift he did not seem excited.  He also made a comment about seeing some of the wrapping paper in my office for one of the gifts. He was very quiet that day.

A couple weeks later he whispered to me.  My shoes weren’t from Santa you know., they were from you and Danny.  I don’t think there really is a Santa. My heart broke.   I tried to have the conversation with him so that he wouldn’t find out and be disappointed like he was. However, there is a part of me that is glad that I was able to witness his childlike joy and curiosity one last time.  If he knew Santa wasn’t real then I would not have this last experience of his childlike wonder.

You never know the last time you might experience a special moment with someone, so treasure every moment to its fullest.

last time

December 21, 2016

Enjoy the Real Moments

As you continue to rush around in an attempt to finish up your holiday preparations, remember to take some time to enjoy the REAL MOMENTS that life provides. It can be hard during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season to take time to experience everything, instead of trying so hard to get everything to be perfect. I want my family, my kids, my friends all to be happy and fulfilled. So I create these expectations in my own head that in many cases are unrealistic and then am sad when things don’t turn out as planned. Can you relate?

As I was reflecting this week I relished in a few REAL MOMENTS from years passed. Though brief, these moments reminded me of the true meaning of the holiday season. Enjoyment in life is not about the decorations, shopping, or presents, but being open and present for those REAL MOMENTS that arise. These moments happen every single day. I have been able to see and experience God in the spirit of each one of my family members in these REAL MOMENTS.

Here’s an example from a few years ago… I took one hour off work to watch my youngest son swim. I brought a pad of paper to do some work while I was watching. It’s such a busy time of year, so I thought I would multi-task and use my time wisely. But then I saw his cute little wet face pop out of the water. I watched him see me and wave to me. In that moment my heart wanted to be with just him. So I put down any planning thoughts and decided to just sit there, watch, and observe him swim. I am usually a DOER and not a WATCHER, so this was an out of the ordinary experience for me. He was so joyous in his movements in the water. Even though I was observing him through a window, I could almost feel his positive energy wanting me to just be present with him. It was incredible.

Think about your own lives. What REAL MOMENTS have you experienced with your loved ones? It can sometimes feel easier to enjoy REAL MOMENTS with your children, especially the younger ones who still have this sweet innocence, but sometimes its harder to pay attention to the REAL MOMENTS with our spouses or partners. Take that time, look harder. When you don’t have expectations and aren’t looking to create a moment, GOD creates the REAL MOMENT to experience.

I encourage you to sit back, relax and ENJOY the REAL MOMENTS this holiday season. From what I have experienced, sometimes its the things that we don’t plan, where we allow ourselves to be still and see the spirit of GOD in one another that enable us to experience REAL MOMENTS.

“For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future full of hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

May you all have a blessed and Happy Holiday and a Wonderful New Year!