Puzzle of life

I subscribe to the idea that we are not here to float around. Each person has a purpose and life is best experienced, is fully lived, when we are functioning in that purpose.

Now I say "purpose" which seems singular but I think it goes without saying that one's life statement/mission statement may consist of a number of things. For me, I'm all about fostering hope and building communities. Sometimes this is done one person at a time, in other instances, its done via small groups/communities. I want to see each individual I am in contact with to first, know themselves (their identity and purpose), secondly, to live a whole life (with a focus on psychological and spiritual health) and finally, to be in pursuit of their life goals.

Additionally, I believe in connections. We are relational beings and as such, we thrive in healthy relationships and communities. More than relationships though, I believe that what I do (or am meant to do) is directly tied to someone else and so on. Frederick Beuchner best said it:

"The life I touch for good or ill will touch another life, and that in turn another, until who knows where the trembling stops or in what far place my touch will be felt."

 I've said all this because I had a situation this past week which made me realize how real this interconnectedness is.

I've been avoiding counselling for awhile now. For those of you that know my story, I spent 2 years completing a Master degree which equipped me with the skills needed for therapy but somewhere in the past 10 years since I obtained the degree, I kinda just wrote it off. It was helpful; I've got some skills that are helpful in life in general, and I've definitely become a more self-aware person which is great so I was happy. Just recently, this month in particular, I've had a number of requests for therapy. I've also had people refer others to me for therapy. Each time this occurred, I gave the blank stare.

Maybe not directly as that was rude..but in my head it was a "ummm not quite; I'm not interested" response.

As I was mumbling to myself about how its weird that recently I've been getting so many requests (most of which are people willing to pay), I was humbly reminded (by an acquaintance) in a nutshell....that counselling is a part of my calling. That conversation, and ensuing personal conversation (you know the ones you have with yourself) really made me stop and think - I do have a gift and while the past may not have created the ideal scenario/environment to use my talents, that didn't mean that I needed to totally walk away from it.

Here is where the story gets interesting. After a quick conversation with one of the individuals who was seeking counselling, I walked away unnerved as I realize that I may have almost hindered her from health/wholeness/purposeful living because of my own issues. Because I had ignored her/turned her down, she just figured that this meant it wasn't meant to be and was quite content to walk away, not looking back and settling for where she was emotionally/psychologically.

I never want to be THAT person; you know, the one who is so caught up in herself that she forgets that her talents and gifts are important, essential to others.

“Pull a thread here and you’ll find it’s attached to the rest of the world.”

― Nadeem Aslam, The Wasted Vigil

I leave you to think about your place in this web, this puzzle of life. We are all interconnected and if I don't do my part, there is a tangible missing piece from the puzzle of life. Don't downplay or ignore your talents, gifts and passions for you never know who needs it.

Grace peace and love,
Gia

Service

Happy Friday ya'll.

Make each day count...even Fridays. ;) Whether you work for a company or for yourself or do not "work" in the traditional sense- there is always an opportunity to serve. It is our duty to ensure that we are maximizing these opportunities...The smallest step to making a difference in the world.

Challenge for today: Find an opportunity to "serve" someone today. I'll let you be creative about how this looks but keep in mind, that service is an action born out of a pure heart (not obligation).

Share below in the comments section how you were able to leave your mark in someone's life today!

Grace peace and love,
Gia

Shrewd or fool?

This past week as I was MIA from blogging, I was busy getting those to-do's done (see here). One of them was getting the business license for It's Girl Time and planning the first paid event. woohooo! :D Throughout this week, there have been loose discussions about how I plan to make a profit. What kind of returns I'm looking to get..etc etc. And to be honest, I haven't been thinking that big for this business. I have so many other stuff to do, this is really a part-time, fun means for me to get a lil dollar here and there while also doing something that I love...planning, organizing and hosting events for little girls. Of course, being who I am, I couldn't just host parties, I had to add an extra "oomph" and I promise to share more about that in posts to come.

So back to the matter at hand - these conversations about profit and business etc. You should know that I am not a profit-driven business woman. It is what it is. I much prefer to give something away, to someone who needs, values or desires the product or service than to sell...especially to sell at a very hiked up price. If I can make $10 off of something I'm just as content as if I can make $50.  I consider it a strength and a weakness. [I know some people would suggest that I not be in "business" at all but I think there is a place for hearts like mine with a strong partner(s)/wise counsel ;)] With this in mind, as I planned the first event and provided the parents with a quote, I was strongly admonished that I didn't make sufficient profit off this event and if I really wanted to make money, I'm going to need to add a percentage or amount to each external vendor I use. Fine. I accepted that as wise counsel; I'm no dummy, I know I can't trade off items at cost and expect to make a profit, however the "problem" came about at the amount I was encouraged to add. I got a product for free, I passed it along to the customer for 1/4 of the cost, thinking I paid nothing for it so anything I charge is a "profit". What I charged ensures that all additional out-of-pocket expenses are now covered while still giving us a dollar to claim as profit. I felt I had heeded the previous advice given and was being a smart businesswoman. Apparently not; instead, I was advised that I should have charged full cost or very near to it. That bothered me...in fact it still bothers me. I try to be open to the advice of others and not be a know-it-all because I'm not. There are too many topics or situations that are completely novel to me. However, I've got a very healthy conscience that is guided/shaped by my personal convictions and it led me to begin to question where should the line between profit and killing the customer be drawn? What is fair and wise business ethics and what does the proverbially used car salesman look like in this line of business?

Oh, the joys of running a new business.

Last week sometime, in my personal devotion I read Psalm 37.

"It is better to be godly and have little than to be evil and rich. For the strength of the wicked will be shattered, but the Lord takes care of the godly. Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent, and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever. They will not be disgraced in hard times; even in famine they will have more than enough." Psalm 37: 16-19 NLT

You may be wondering what this have to do with my pricing dilemma? Well the reason I was instructed to "tax" the customers was to make a profit. The reason behind making a profit is to make money/get rich etc. However, the clash of beliefs come in that I don't believe the only way to become rich/live comfortably/make money is to make a profit. I believe that God is my financial source and He has a number of ways to ensure that I have all I need and even my wants (see here). Yes, making a profit is one way, but if this is to the harm of my "neighbors" (customers) then I believe it becomes wrong. On top of all this, as David so eloquently said in verse 25:

"Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread." Psalm 37: 25 NLT

It's only been 31 years I've been on this earth, 6 of which I have no recollection of, but I can truly attest to this verse above. Regardless of how bleak the situation looked: when daddy was not there and mommy was struggling alone with 3 kids; when blended family was created and two minimum wage parents had 6 dependents (all under the age of 14); when I was in the US at school...all 3 stories end the same way, I was never without. Someway, somehow "enough" came my way to ensure that whatever need was present - was met [legally].

So now stepping off of my soapbox and tying this all together. :) I think I had to have this conversation very early in the business life...Was all this necessary for this particular situation? Maybe not, but I think this was a lesson for me in defining what type of business person I will be, very early in this process. I needed this scenario and conversation to get my head in the right place, that is recognizing that my financial status is not limited to a profit from the customers of It's Girl Time. That I don't have to "kill" people to live, or even be successful. That I can be fair and still not "lose". God's always got my back. He is Jireh! With that said, [trying not to be holier-than-thou], I know that there is nothing wrong with earning a profit; I plan to. In fact, in order for the business to survive, we need to! There is also nothing wrong with marking up prices. However, for this business, mark ups will be added as deemed fair and not an opportunity to "get rich". When unique situations arise, as this one did, where we can provide a break to a person, we will determine what we need to break even, what we need to make a profit and will assess the final cost based on these factors. Basically, my motivation in pricing, will be fair and as much as possible, a win-win for us and for the customers.

Totally no judgment here. I'm not saying you have to run your business the same way. In fact, what would you do? Or for those of you who have already had situations like this- what have you done? Leave your responses below in the comments section. I look forward to hearing your thoughts, opinions, perspectives on this subject.

Grace peace and love,
Gia

Dreaming in color

I've never considered myself a true dreamer/visionary until just recently. Even now, the idea of a dreamer still seems bigger than me, but the events of the past couple months provide evidence that maybe I have underestimated myself.


A little of this "dreaming" began about 10 years ago, with my dream of The Mercy House Bahamas (MH)...but if I am honest, I think this season of dreaming really took life on April 8th, 2012. My Pastor challenged us with his sermon, "Dream, ask and live!". Here are a couple of memorable quotes from that sermon that I recorded:


"When we dream, we are just parternering with God..."
"Heavens storehouse is waiting to be emptied. Every promise that God made is waiting in the storehouse."
"God's vision for us, is total freedom!"

There was much more to that sermon that resonated with me...particularly about the second step, of asking God (after you have dreamed), but it is too much to put here. What was interesting was that I initially felt the aspect of the sermon on dreaming (or not dreaming) was not relevant to me. You know, I had dreams and I was actively pursuing them (PhD, Mercy House)...I wasn't just sitting there all forlorn or defeated. But, once again, with my heart and mouth, I said "Amen" and came into agreement with the declaration that we would be a community of dreamers...that we would open our eyes and ears to hear and see what God is showing us. This inevitably awoken something in me. 

I'm blessed to be surrounded by a number of very wise and ambitious women, visionaries in their own way. One day, I remember mumbling (complaining) to one of these women about WHEN....the conversation went as such:

Me: “when is my dream, Mercy House going to really take form and become a reality? When...ugh! how much longer do I wait- I've been carrying this vision for 10 years now! I have no money to do anything…I am ready to just get this started! I hate feeling stuck”  

Her response to me: “Slow down grasshopper.”

And I did. I (re)surrendered MH to God and recognized that His timing is perfect…and that was that.

Never  being one to sit still, earlier this year, I began focusing on some more immediate projects that I could develop, build and execute and somewhere in that process, I asked God to dream again. I asked for new visions and ideas. While the initial request was actually before the above referenced instance of grumbling, I'm not sure when the actual fulfillment of the request began to happen, but all I know is that I have been on a roll. Like seriously on a roll. 


This is how it goes: I ask God, I go sleep...or go about my business and bang! there is another one, some new idea, or reformulation or fine-tuning of an existing idea.  Sometimes I do not even consciously "ask". It's like I'm looking at life through new eyes (the answer to another prayer)...and so I see opportunities now in areas that I never even considered going into.

This makes me quite excited because I never thought that MH was going to be my end-all...sure it is going to be a major accomplishment, it will impact many and hopefully revolutionize the way we approach youth care in the Bahamas but I just knew, that was not IT.

With my most recent “dream”, I’ve come to realize this one was given as a direct answer to a MH related prayer. I have been asking for income and/or finances that can go directly to the building and establishment of Mercy House. Learning my lesson, and now praying with a new found sense of expectancy, my eyes are open and searching for that someone or some people who are going to be donators, (I need about $½ million), to get it started. Not withstanding this faith, it is still ‘my baby’, and I want to financially sow into my own business, and if possible, I would like to significantly sow into it, you know, like not just $1,000 although being a full time student that is a SIGNIFICANT offering for me ;-). In any event, I can’t share the newest idea just yet…it is still too hot off the press but look out for more about this new adventure in blog updates to come! I can say, it is fun, it is fresh, and it is still connected with my purpose (facilitating healthy development of young ladies).

So now, I open the invitation, please join me and let your imagination soar…DREAM! Think of dreaming like brainstorming, you are not censoring the ideas, giving yourself reality checks, looking at limitations…just imagine what could be.  One of the seemingly favorite questions of my friend (referenced earlier-click hyperlink to learn more about her and what she can offer as a Path Coach), is "what would you do if you had no limits?"...dreaming answers this question. The very cool thing about dreaming is that it usually creates solutions for some of the gaps and problems in the community within which you are embedded! Dreaming is the first step toward leaving your mark in this world! I can’t wait to hear of some of those big dreams!

Grace, peace and love,

Gia