What would you do if you had no hurdles, no restrictions of any kind to prevent you from accomplishing your biggest dream? Can you even allow yourself to dream that big? Can you even admit what that dream may be? What does it looks like? What is stopping you? What hurdles do you really have and what hurdles are self-imposed?

While you are thinking about that, I will share mine. Yesterday, my business cards came in. Yes, I have business cards and I don’t work for any company. I have a dream of working for myself and now I have something to give people when I talk about what it is that I want to do. My ultimate dream is to speak to women’s groups at conferences and retreats, write a book and do some freelance work in between speaking engagements.

When I graduated with my master’s degree in December 2006, I had no true desire to sit in a traditional therapist’s office and see clients. I did hope to have LPC behind my name, but I don’t know that I will see that happen any time soon, or if I will even continue to pursue that. While I will never be a Beth Moore or Jen Hatmaker, I do hope to have a positive, Kingdom impact on women I come into contact with.

My fears:
1) Failure. Yes, I am terrified of failing before I even start. I have started to take steps forward so many times and then allowed fear to stop me.
2) Time. Will I lose precious time with my husband and kids? Will I be able to balance writing and maintain a strong relationship with my family? The answer is yes, I can do what I love and still have strong family bonds. It’s been an excuse to not move forward.
3) Will I have a positive impact on those I meet?
4) Will I be transparent enough to let women in and allow them to see what’s below the surface, while leading them to be transparent with each other, in order to move forward with their lives?

My Goals:
1) To encourage women to be open and authentic. Spending our entire lives behind a mask is not living. Most women have two separate personalities. There is the one that people around them see and the other is who they are when they are alone. The two personalities should be one and there is freedom when not trying to keep them separate.
2) To encourage women to build strong relationships with one another and build a strong inner circle. Women spend too much time in competition with others, rather than looking to encourage and build each other up. We need close female relationships and to do this, the competition must stop.
3) To encourage women to be healthy in all areas of their lives. Health is more than just a number on a scale. Physical health is only part of over all health. Growing in other areas of life such as spiritual, relationships with others and knowledge are also important.
4) To encourage women to reach for their goals. Too many women spend more time doubting themselves and comparing themselves to other women, never taking the first step in accomplishing their dreams. It is possible to be a wife and mother and have dreams. One role doesn’t mean that we have sacrifice another.
5) Above all, encourage women to develop closer relationships with Christ. In Him there is freedom, peace and rest. Women spend so much time trying to keep up with others, keep impossible schedules and feeling like they have to be perfect that they don’t take the time to truly rest in Christ and find their identity and peace in Him.

I have had several people in my life tell me that I need to write a book. I thought it would be a semi-easy process, but yeah, let’s just say it’s going to be a long and slow process. At this point I have an introduction and nothing else. If I could attach electrodes to my head while I was running to a machine that could actually read my mind the whole book would probably be written at this point. I love the things that come to me while on the trail, I just hate that when I sit to write the thoughts don’t quite come together like they do on the trail. Maybe, I need to take my laptop to the little pavilion by the pond and see if the thoughts will flow while sitting there. I have tried to give myself a deadline of 18 months to 2 years to complete it.

No, I don’t have a clue as to how any of this is going to work, but I can only hope and pray to the Lord that He already has everything worked out. I am daring to believe that my dreams can come true. I am daring to believe that the Lord can use me to reach other women. I encourage you to do the same!