ln the pursuit of greatness

                            You can't bring about change if you are "acting small".

It's hard sometimes to do what needs to be done...even harder sometimes to do what we WANT to do...you know to go after that *thing* that you dream about. Unfortunately, we usually get in our own way (our self-image, self-talk, how much we value ourself)

I had a beautiful experience the past couple weeks where I took the limits off and just pursued my ideal. The result...I got it. Even now its hard to believe. But I have to keep reminding myself...its not just me, because my default response is how did I (lil ole me) get that??

But its not JUST me. It's me exponentially, because the God in me is so big, so great, and so awesome...what I can do with Him is multiplied.

Remember you are created for purpose. God wants His best for you. You can choose to seek out His best, or settle for good-enough. His best positions you for maximum effectiveness in that which He has called you to do.

And so I walk forth embracing that I am all that God says that I am. I will continue to press forth and aim high, as I dream big pursuing my goal to bring hope to all I come in contact with.

As Marianne Williamson so aptly put it: "Who are you NOT to be....[brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous] "

Grace, peace, and love in the pursuit of greatness,

Gia

Quote of the week: 12.26.13

As we approach the new year....

Quote of the week: 12.19.13

Quote of the week: 12.12.13

Quote of the week: 12.5.13

When considering the topic for this month, hope seemed to be THE best fit. Not because it is currently my favorite topic, or the topic of my dissertation but because as exciting and happy December can be for some, it also can be the worse, most difficult time of year for so many others.

This Thursday and each that follows in the month of December, my quotes will all remind you (in some way or another) that, the sun will come out tomorrow so there is absolutely no need to despair, regardless of how bleak the current situation is, or how sad this time of year makes you feel.

Grace peace and love,

Gia

Praise the GREAT God

"God has a first name—"Yahweh" or "Jehovah"—a Hebrew word that means, "I am." "Lord" should be translated "Jehovah," which means that Jehovah Almighty is His name. Jehovah is a personal name that reveals the very core of God's being, sufficiency, and holiness. God wants to be on a first name basis with us and wants us to come to Him just as we are, in our weakness and incompleteness. When we come before Him, sharing our deepest needs, with honesty and transparency, God then shares His last name, which is based on our current need in life."- Mary Sutherland, Girlfriends in God

Yesterday I had the humbling privilege of speaking in church for our Sunday morning service. Talk about nerve wracking. I've spoken on numerous occasions but in my head, there is something "different" about Sunday morning. Anyway...I talked about finding freedom. My message was entitled "Prison to Freedom, through Praise".



I wanted to share a short snippet of it on praise...and the quote from my GIG devotion this morning fit in so nicely.

Two things happen when we praise:

1. There is a shifting of our gaze (focus) to God: we become like Peter on the water...we can have the mental/emotional/spiritual and even physical strength to move out of the bondages [situations] that have already been unlocked and to move through the gates that have already been opened.
Also, praise helps us to re-align with God and to see a bit how God sees, that is...we get some insight into our situation AFTER we take our eyes off ourselves and look at God.

2. Through praise we establish, reiterate, remind ourselves of who God is, what He has done and what He is doing.

To praise means that we give commendation, accolades, honour to someone or something. We are highlighting a particular characteristic that we admire or like.  The act of praising means that there is a focus off of ourselves and onto the object receiving the praise.

When we praise God, I feel its easy to "get caught up". That is, to begin giving accolades about one characteristic and then easily be reminded that there is something else to give commendation to Him about.

For example, I can't help but to praise God for provision. He is Jehovah Nisse to me. There are so many situations where I know that it was Him who made the way...and in those situations, I can't help but think how He protected me and to be ever grateful that He is omniscient and loves me so much. So I praise Him for being Almighty God (El Shaddai), for being my protector and for being all-knowing (omniscient).  This then reminds me, that He sees everything...and particularly He sees me (El Roi) and my situation and He's working on my behalf. He is my Shepherd (Jehovah Rohi) and being the Good Shepherd, He will always lead me into truth and safety once I trust Him and I can always trust Him because He is faithful and GOOD!!!

Yes, its very easy to change our perspective from doom and gloom and despondency  to one where God becomes bigger and hope can rise and faith can be built!

Whatever your circumstance today, especially if its particularly heavy, sad, discouraging...shift your focus and begin to PRAISE. Recognize what God has already done, what He is doing and what He is about to do!

We were born to praise!

Grace peace and love,
Gia

What's your story

I was having a conversation with friends from church and a number of times, the comment was made "that's not my story" or "that's not gonna be my story".

It made me think. This kind of statement wasn't necessarily in relation to the "big story", which is more of what I've talked about on this blog...you know, your legacy. It was more of the day to day experiences.  For examlple, I will not suffer with high blood pressure just because everyone else in my family does. This means we must take responsibility for our actions.  However, what it really tapped into was the fact that we have authority, through the power of our speech,  to accept or reject what is put before us. 

For those of us who are Christians, the Bible tells us that "life and death is in the power of the tongue". By virtue of our speech, we are creating (or destroying) quite a bit of what we experience in life. How does that look? For most of us, it means we either are so oblivious to this authority that we say nothing at all and just accept what comes our way or we are so caught up in the discourse of the rest of the world that we speak doom and gloom (death) upon our situations.

Nope. Now that's not gonna be MY story.

I shall speak Life. Hope. Restoration to every area of my life. I shall be different and unapologetically so.  I shall fulfill the small and large dreams in a timely fashion, if necessary, breaking glass ceilings of time, gender, race or age. I shall not settle for what typically happens, when I know what God has offered to me if I just ask and accept it.

Most salient at this point, I will not be like everyone else who has gone before me who took 2 years (plus or minus a couple months) to complete a dissertation. THAT's not gonna be my story. I'm not superwoman, nor will I submit anything subpar but I will complete this project and be ready for graduation for 2014. The journey un-officially began in Fall 2012, but technically the time clock probably won't begin until February 2013. At this point, my goal is June 2014 for graduation. I understand that there are some curve balls in life (which I am currently experiencing) so I'm willing to accept Fall 2014 graduation but I will be done with everything and just sitting and "waiting" by summer 2014.


There are other areas that I realized that I've been silent on. You know, I bought into this idea that since it is how it worked for others (or the masses), that it was how it should work for me. Nah. I'm taking stock in a new way and assessing those things that I've just thought to let be...

I'm boldly declaring, that's NOT gonna be MY story.

Grace peace and love,
Gia

when things don't go as planned

This week has been challenging. Between the normal busyness, physically and mentally, I have also been a bit beat.  I had to accept that one of my goals just was not going to be realized...well at least not in the time frame that I had planned and it was quite the disappointment.

What do we do when life doesn't go as planned:

1. Acknowledge. It makes no sense to pretend disappointment doesn't exist. Or that the unachieved goal or thwarted plan has not impacted you. It happened, it hurt....now what?

2. Grieve. It sounds dramatic, especially since we normally associate grieving with death, but it is an accepted process that when individuals are faced with significant disappointments, it is natural to grieve.  This is not the pity party..."oh life isn't working out for me. Nothing ever happens good." blah blah blah...this is a time (that goes hand in hand with #1), where you can acknowledge that your goal was not attained and the fact that that sucks.  For me this week, I grieved and battled feelings of failure, disappointment and sadness.

3. Reflect. What are the lessons learned? Nothing happens by chance. It is usually a product of our activity or lack thereof. What could have been done differently? This is, once again, not the call to wallow in what should have been but I am a firm believer in that our past holds the key to our future. We must acknowledge, understand and accept what has happened in order to truly move forward as a more informed person. Remember: Reflect not reside.

4. Regroup. Here we are moving forward. My friend, Path Coach Kaylus, would say seek clarity on your next steps by identifying questions that need illuminating.  Some of my questions:
Do I want to try the same goal again in light of current circumstance?
Is it worth it?
Do I still want "it"?
Is this the right timing?
Is there another way to go about this?

4. Redefine. In this step, I identify the new goal. The "new goal" could be the same goal with different parameters. Different timelines. Different sources of help to achieve.  To truly redefine, I will incorporate the lessons I learned and the answers to my regrouping questions so that I can carve out a plan for moving forward that is practical, relevant and attainable.

Talking this through to you, has helped me. I was stuck somewhere between step 3 and 4.

Oh! I should note, if you are at this stuck point because of failed or unrealized goals/dreams and cannot move through these steps alone, definitely seek coaching.

Grace peace and love,

What are you hoping for?

Yesterday, I spent a good chunk of time (at least 3.5 hrs) working on my dissertation proposal. YaY me! That is huge ya'll...seriously. Anyway, my dissertation (final research project for a doctoral degree) is on hope. I'm proposing a new way to think about hope..more than just a feeling or a soft-feel-good-word.

Being engrossed in all that literature about hope, made me think of my own hopes...[Not to bore you] In my proposal, hope is a process (not a state). It is something that changes. It involves our feelings, our thoughts, our actions and even influences from external sources (other people).  I suggest that to truly hope, you have identified a goal (object, event or thing) that you are hoping for. It is for the future (immediate, mid or distant). You not only identify the goal, but you have identified ways to get the goal. You can't "hope" for something to happen without a plan...that's just mushy feelings. You also can't hope for something, with a plan and not do something to make it happen...or get the help of others to make it happen, that's just lazy (unless of course you've already done your part and now you are waiting). With that in mind, it is possible to be hopeful and still have feelings of doubt. I'll admit that my levels of hope toward the goal of finishing this doctorate has waned every now and again. ;)

To hope requires our conscious thought and actions but it usually starts with a dream. You've got to identify something to be hopeful toward.

What about you..what are you hoping for?

If you find that you do not have any hope, close your eyes and dream. You can *think* about the dream later...but just be free. What are your passions? What do you love doing? What do you feel is missing?

As the letter says above...I believe there is ALWAYS hope. My greatest hope is in God. His word says that those who hope in Him will never be ashamed. The hope I have in Him, is that He is who He says He is. That He will do everything that He says He will do. That I am everything He has said I am. From that hope, I'm free to have another hundred (or more) hopes. :D

Grace peace and love,
Gia