You can choose courage, or you can choose comfort, but you cannot choose both. ~ Brene Brown
The first blog I created was in college. Blogging was still a relatively new thing and I’m not sure if more than two people ever read my posts. I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do it.
My second blog lasted for all of about two posts. I was getting ready to launch a photography business. I built a website and blog with the intent of sharing my photography and hit publish. Shortly after that an opportunity fell into my lap and I ended up buying a coffee shop and starting my journey as a restaurateur. Needless to say, blogging moved to the bottom of my priority list.
I’m not sure if you could call my third attempt an actual blog. I bought a domain and built a website, but I could never quite pinpoint what I wanted to write about. And we were in the middle of a season of frequent deployments, moves and keeping up with a toddler while pregnant. And so I never actually posted anything.
So for the last couple of years, I’ve sat on this desire to start a blog. What in the world did I have to say? And would anyone care to read it?
2018 looked very different from my expectations. For the first time, I became a stay-at-home mom. I unexpectedly became pregnant. We moved. (Well, we knew we would move; I just didn’t anticipate that it would take me quite so long to begin building new relationships.)
But through the transitions of the last year and a half, I’ve realized that I’ve grown and learned a lot. And through reading and journaling, I’ve slowly begun to find my voice again. And as I find my voice, the more I feel prompted to share my story and my journey with others.
The irony is, of course, that the timing for this blog isn’t great. Since launching this site a couple of months ago, a lot of life has happened. I haven’t been as consistent as I wanted to be about posting.
And there have been days when I’ve been tempted to say, “Maybe this isn’t meant to be.”
That would be the easy thing. But it would not be the best thing. Why? Because dreams matter. I believe that the dreams that get placed on our hearts are there for a reason and a purpose. We must hold on to those dreams and move towards them, even when the progress feels miniscule.
There will always be an excuse not to start. And there will always be a reason to give up once we’ve started. But if we never start, we never open the door to possibility. And if we give up when life gets in the way, we will never experience the victory on the other side.
Especially as a mom with three young children, a part-time job, volunteer commitments and a husband with a busy military career, it’s easy to put my dreams on the back burner. It takes courage and commitment to chase a dream, especially with limited time and resources.
The courageous choice is the choice to not give up. The courageous choice is the choice to keep inching your way forward, when you’d rather sit back and relax. The courageous choice is the one that foregoes comfort in favor of growth.
When our why is bigger than the obstacles, we choose the courageous path.
Last fall I read Jessica Honegger’s book Imperfect Courage and it profoundly impacted me. She put into words many of the thoughts that had been swirling around in my head.
She writes, “There is a whole world out there begging for us to use the opportunity we have been given, to create opportunity for others, so that we – all of us – can flourish. So while comfort may beckon us, choosing courage will always be the route to impact.”
In this season, choosing courage means sharing my journey with you, even when it’s not consistent, or convenient, or comfortable. My head is full of excuses of why I shouldn’t do this – I don’t have the time, someone else could say it better, no one will care what I have to say, etc.
Plus, I’d be lying if I said this dream of mine doesn’t scare me a little. I’m pretty much an open book if I can sit with you over a cup of coffee. But putting my voice out in a public forum feels completely different. I know not everyone will agree with me or like what I have to say.
But if I want to be a part of building a flourishing world, it means bringing what I have to the table. Because I believe that we need more communities of women that encourage and cheer each other on, especially on the tough days. I believe that together we flourish.
The other day I read that when we choose to not be vulnerable, we rob both ourselves and others of a gift. I want to offer the gift of vulnerability to other women. I want to encourage you on your journey and my sincere hope and prayer is that we grow together and spur each other on.
I’m not sharing my journey because I have this mom-life balance thing figured out. I daily struggle to live a life of freedom, flourishing and influence. I struggle to balance the needs of military spouse life, my family, serving others and taking care of myself. I struggle to be a good friend. But my hope is that by sharing my struggles, I move the needle towards flourishing.
The beauty of building a flourishing world – a world of purpose, connection, empowerment and joy – is that none of us need have all the answers. This is a journey of progress, not perfection after all.
But when I choose the path of vulnerability and authenticity, when I choose to embrace courage and compassion, I contribute to building a world where we as women support and encourage one another, where we live generous lives, and where we find connection, purpose, and our path to impact. And that’s a world I want to help create.
Do you have a dream you are struggling to pursue? Share your thoughts below.
