START!

I've been struggling a lot lately.  Struggling with my Paleo diet. Struggling with losing weight. Struggling with my multiple medical conditions. Struggling with my role as a wife, mom and business owner and how they are all supposed to interact together to make me a "whole" person.

Last night, I was invited to preview a talk by Jon Acuff regarding the release of his upcoming book, START. Jon is an author (his latest book was "Quitter"), he writes a great blog, and he is part of the Dave Ramsey team (I wrote about our experience becoming DEBT FREE by following Dave's plan).

Well, Jon is releasing a new book called START. Punch Fear in the Face. Escape Average. Do Work that Matters. Wow. We let things side instead of deciding to do things to make our life awesome.

Here is the intro to the book they have on their webpage:

source

PUNCH FEAR IN THE FACE

Growing up, we dreamed. And our dreams always painted the portrait of the adult us living an awesome life… as an astronaut, a pro wrestler, a movie star, a bee keeper, or insert your dream here. We don’t set out for average. But that’s exactly where we end up after listening to our fears day after day, year after year. Our dreams take a back seat and eventually are left stranded by the side of the road.

That’s why I’ve written Start. Your dream is calling, and it’s closer than you might think. It’s time to go after your purpose. Every awesome life goes through five stages. Learn what they are. Do them. Start.

This is exactly what I needed! I haven't read the book (it releases in 2 weeks!), but I plan to. Well, last night, they streamed a pre-recorded talk that he gave a group of people about the book. It was an hour and 40 minutes long, and included a "live chat" with Jon Acuff.  So, I listened to the first part of his talk. And then felt compelled to submit a question that I've been dealing with a long time. This is what I asked:

Comment From beth  Any tips on balancing being a mom of 3 kids under 6 and running a home based business? I feel like sometimes I do both average...and maybe I should put off starting my dreams until the kids are a little older. But then i wonder if that is just fear... 6:54

and I waited...and got a reply!

Jon Acuff:  Beth - Give yourself huge amounts of grace. I talk to moms all the time and they say, "I'm not working hard enough on my dream. It's average." I ask if they have kids and they say, "yes, 3 kids and two are twin one year olds." I immediately say, "You're doing a huge dream right now, you're raising humans!" Soak up this time and now that you only get one shot at childhood. Dreaming you get multiple shots at

Which is exactly what I needed to hear! And apparently there were others that needed to hear that as well, so I'm not alone!

Comment From Leanne  Beth - I needed to hear that too! I work full-time and have a 14 month old - my husband and I are both in ministry. I feel like I do everything average. 6:57

Comment From Kim  Jon: I so agree with what you said to Beth. I am a mom of 6. I have 6 year old quadruplets & I just recently realized that I am living my dream. I have given myself permission to live that joy. 6:57

So, from now on, I'm going to give myself permission to START. being an awesome person, wife and mom and put my "dreams" and business on the back burner. Because when I think about it, I can bake a cake any day and I can work for awesome clients any day, but my kids will only be young for such a short time. And my husband is in this for the long haul.  I should be a priority because it affects my attitude, my health and my spiritual well-being.  And in reality, that is my dream...not some some business opportunity that will wait until I have more time. I'm not going to be perfect at everything, but I can attempt to be my best.  I don't have to START. everything right now.