Tag: growth mindset

Sacrificing Season

You get to define what success looks and feels like for you – which means you also must decide what will get you from here to there.

Those considered great among us can confirm that their success required (and requires) sacrifice – even when they make it look easy. 

So what are you willing to sacrifice in the short term to see that vision or goal become your permanent reality? How will you be a better steward of your purpose or dream?

As I continue to “bake” a new book – and prepare a few surprises for readers friends along the way – it is requiring some sacrifice.

Less TV time and limited hangout time, just for a season. Earlier morning risings. Deeper dwelling in my “writing cave.”

Additional quiet time to reflect, brainstorm and be. (For writers, this is part of the process.)So if you have a writer in your life, grant us some grace if you see us staring off in space or at a blank wall. We’re creating!


And for everyone else moving in your flow, don’t apologize for needing to shut things down for a while. Your results will someday offer clarity on your behalf. Stay the course, and win in your own way.

6 Reasons to Keep Going

I’m sharing this “public service announcement” to persevere for whoever needs it (and just know, that sometimes it’s me). 

If it’s not you today, pass it on!

  1. Keep breathing – your deep-in-the-valley season is just a pitstop.
  2. Keep dancing – the swirling storm will find it harder to touch you.
  3. Keep believing – beauty can indeed be birthed from ashes.
  4. Keep trusting yourself – you’re a prize worth cherishing, at home, at work and everywhere in between. 
  5. Keep paying attention – to your heart, to your gut, to what people show you rather than what they say, and to what you know to be true. Trusting yourself will never lead you wrong. 
  6. Keep laughing – it’s medicine for your soul, and everything doesn’t have to be so serious. 

Most importantly? Just keep on keeping on. 

I promise you, your best days are ahead, no matter your age, stage or circumstances. 

Your job is to persist in excellence, love with an open heart, set appropriate boundaries, welcome peace and treasure your joys. 

I’m living proof (and there are so many tangible examples around) that it’s all doable. Join me on this Life Untapped journey in your own way and in your own time. Just promise me, and yourself, that you’ll keep going.  

Photo by Brett Jordan on Pexels.com

Try On the New

New seasons of life, new opportunities, new doors to walk through are often what we pray for; yet when they arrive, we sometimes quake in our boots. (See my raised hand.)

But as my late mother told me in our final conversation before her passing, “Sometimes you have to lose to gain.” 

Growth = movement, and progress requires letting go of what’s in your hand now to take hold of the blessings that await.

When you feel at peace that you’re moving in the right ways and at the appointed time, go ahead and trust yourself – summon your courage and leap. 

As one of my favorite quotes suggests, your next-level joy is on the other side of your fear of the unknown – and your purpose-driven path may be there, too:

“What if I fall? Oh, but my darling, what if you fly?”

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Decide To Thrive

Every day that we’re granted is a new opportunity

to listen, learn, grow and love –

More to and for ourselves,

so that we can better hear, see and understand others.

No people pleasing or forcing your way is necessary. 

Just be; accept, and even embrace what is, so you can thrive in the garden in which you’re planted.

Photo by Magda Ehlers on Pexels.com

You’re Worth It

The best kind of challenge to undertake is one with yourself, for yourself.
It’s worth it to you to circumvent roadblocks, push past fear or doubt, seek knowledge to help you grow, and love yourself as you are, so that you’re prepared to step into all you’re becoming.
Envision that version of you and welcome it.

Bitter or Better?

We’re all works in progress, serving as “general contractors” of our very existence.

Managing your “life project” may be daunting or complicated or lead you down some unexpected paths;

But don’t dismiss opportunities to change and grow, love and serve, appreciate others’ gifts, and be good to yourself along the way.

Only you can decide whether your experiences will make you bitter or better.

Choose the latter and you’ll make the world around you better, too.  

Words, Indeed

I had such a thoughtful conversation with my 19-year-old son recently – about really seeing and hearing each other as human beings, worthy of uniquely full lives and flourishing dreams, and deserving of respect.

He is my introverted, yet self-confident “thinker” who uses words sparingly. So, whenever he launches into conversation with me, I listen – to hear what’s on his heart and mind, and to learn more about what he values and how he’s navigating life. It’s amazing to witness the man he is becoming and to learn from him as he grows.

When we, the teachers, are also open to being students, we stretch beyond our comfort zones, lean into unconsidered truths, and perhaps come out on the other side wiser for the journey.

Which do you prefer – flattering words that charm you or insight that informs and refines you?

Which do you believe will make for a better you, and as a result, a better world?

Perhaps this next generation has answers for us to consider. We’re never too old to evolve and appreciate the process.

–Stacy Hawkins Adams

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