Daily Blogs

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Becoming friends with failure

My relationship with gravity is a bit tricky….

Cracks in the sidewalks? They are my enemy. I’m pretty sure they snicker every time I trip. Dancing in front of people? Not gonna happen. I will not be on Dancing with the Stars anytime soon.

I always look around if I fall or spill my drink or knock the entire contents of my purse onto the floor.

It’s embarrassing. No one else is that clumsy, right? No one else falls or makes mistakes or….

How ridiculous does this sound? Of course other people make mistakes! Of course they trip and fall on their behinds.

Me dancing like no one's watching (even though everyone was watching).

Me dancing like no one’s watching (even though everyone was watching).

So why spend so much time running away from failure?

For me, it’s because I don’t want to look like an idiot. I’m not the biggest fan of taking risks and it’s a lot easier to blend in. I want to stay safe and comfortable.

Safety and comfort are bad friends. They tell a lot of lies.

Yes, yes. That’s way too hard for you. Just stay back here and watch so-and-so. They are a lot better at it than you anyway.

Failing at something doesn’t make you a failure.

Scientists don’t cry because their experiment didn’t work out the first time. They just say, “Uh. That didn’t work out. Okay. Let’s try it again, but tweak this and that.”

Athletes don’t freak out when they miss a goal. Sure, they may be disappointed, but they just work harder to make the next shot.

We all fail. We all make mistakes. You’re not alone, okay?

Don’t let the fear of failure stop you from trying new and exciting things.

Here’s what many people won’t tell you:

Success has a little brother. His name is Failure. They actually have a great relationship. And you can’t be friends with one without being friends with the other.

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Kid superhero to the rescue!

I need to apologize in advance…yesterday I floated an idea for us to discuss and I discovered today that it’s not quite time to bring it up.

Without going into all the details, I found myself swimming–drowning, I mean–in thought.

That’s part of this journey, right? Learning how and when to give your thoughts words.

Guess who came to my rescue this morning? My little brother. He pulled me out of my “brain’s going too fast” mode.

His method? Playtime.

Caleb is my hero today.

Funny how kids always know when we need to be rescued from ourselves.

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Internal Dialogue Syndrome

Today’s post won’t be long. I simply want to plant a seed about a topic I plan to discuss over the next few days.

How many times have you walked away from a conversation thinking:

I should’ve said this or that! Why did I just stand there and let him or her talk to me that way? Here’s what I should’ve done…

Well, I have this internal dialogue at least three times a week.

What’s stopping me and you from speaking up?

That’s all I’m going to say for now. Take some time to think about it, okay?

If you’re feeling brave, I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below.

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Why I Choose Hope

If you’ve been alive for more than 5 minutes, you’ve been disappointed.  That’s just reality.

I’ve always considered myself an optimist. Well, that was until a few years ago. Everything was going wrong (or at least I thought so) and I wasn’t at a good place emotionally.

It was the first time I was struck by how many times I practice calculated disappointment.

Let me define what I mean: Whenever I’m thinking something through, I automatically add in a measure of disappointment–sometimes more, sometimes less.

Like I said earlier, disappointment is a normal part of life. I don’t want to have a plastic, everything’s perfect life. Nobody–and I mean nobody–likes those kind of people.
But as Christians, we are called and encouraged to hope. The God kind of hope never disappoints. That’s a guarantee.

This guarantee is also why I am allowing my mindset to be changed.

When hard times come, when people fail, that’s a bummer. But guess what? Those times go away. A stinky attitude and a bad worldview doesn’t.

Here’s my advice: Don’t let past circumstances dictate your standard of living or your standard of thinking. Life is already messy enough. 
Find a way to hope for the best. I promise you won’t be sorry.

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More Birthday Fun!

This post is up…but a bit late. Like, technically not today late…sorry about that. I was still partying like it was my birthday.

Here’s a few pictures of my shenanigans:

 It’s a birthday box head bird! Ah!!!
 Birthday muffins to celebrate the big 25.
 Meet Mr. Carrot. He was a gift from Savanna and Selah. Caleb gave me the spiffy green cumberbun.
 Dad and Mama Ce got me a Batman shirt and a pack of cool Batman socks. I’m in love…

It’s late, friends. Let’s talk again tomorrow.

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25 Random Facts About Me

Daily blogging begins today! 

  
I thought it would be fun to start our journey by sharing 25 random facts about myself. 

  1. I normally read 3-5 books at a time. 
  2. For me, YouTube always beats television. 
  3. I love corny and punny jokes. 
  4. I love to tell corny and punny jokes even more. 
  5. I am a pathological note taker. 
  6. I am an avid doodler. 
  7. The Weepies are my favorite band. 
  8. I am not as extroverted as people think. 
  9. When I am in full-on sign language mode, I often forget I can hear. 
  10. I love karaoke. 
  11. Twitter confuses me; I can’t quite grasp the concept. 
  12. I am highly allergic to Christianese. 
  13. Pulling off surprises is not my strong suit. 
  14. A beautifully written sentence almost always makes me cry. 
  15. Celebrity worship of any kind disgusts me. 
  16. Encouraging others is my favorite thing to do. 
  17. How the Grinch Stole Christmas is my favorite book/movie to read/watch at Christmas time. 
  18. I love listening to podcasts. 
  19. I do not like dressing up. 
  20. Bacon. (Enough said.)
  21. Driving and eating never works well for me. 
  22. I am a pyromaniac. 
  23. I enjoy sending cards and letters via snail mail. 
  24. I have a song for everything. 
  25. One hobby I want to pick back up is geocaching. 
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Note to Self: Don’t Ride the Gossip Train

don't forgetI remember a game frequently played in my elementary school. The class would sit in a circle and a student was given a certain phrase by the teacher such as “Susie Q ate beef stew.” That student then had to whisper the phrase into the next student’s ear and so on. By the time it went around the room, “Mark W. liked dogs.” 

If you’re thinking, “That’s a lot like gossip!” You would be correct. It is gossip plain and simple.

And gossip is not an acceptable means to discern a person’s character. I’ve been working extra hard to not let the things I hear about someone affect my opinion of them before I even meet them.  

Have you ever shared a cup of coffee with a friend you thought you knew only to discover your perception of them was completely wrong?

 gossip problemMany friendships are left uncultivated because of a faulty perception and I’m tired of missing opportunities!

Furthermore, let’s extend some grace to each other.

I’m not always perfect. And I bet if you were being honest, you aren’t either. 

It’s easy to throw someone else under the bus and forget that last month, last week, yesterday…you needed a good dose of grace too.

Don’t be afraid to ditch gossip and extend grace. It could make all the difference. 

The bottom line is that perception is not often reality.       

 

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Help Wanted!

My birthday is a week from today.

Do you know what that means?

Daily blogs are about to begin!!!

I know that my consistency has been, well, pretty bad in my test drive, which leads to my next point:

 

As you can see, my blogging muscle isn't quite ripped yet.

As you can see, my blogging muscle isn’t quite ripped yet.

Three things I hope to gain by doing this little experiment.

1. Discipline. (Did you see that coming?)

2. Better writing skills. (I have a long way to go.)

3. Idea development. (It’s time to flesh out the ideas that fly around my head.)

With these things in mind, I need some help!

audra needs helpWhat are some topics that you, my faithful reader, want me to write about?

Even with all of my ideas, 365 days of posting is a lot to undertake with no help.

And, I want to open up my blog to guest bloggers as well. Bring in some fresh blood to generate good conversation amongst ourselves. Maybe you might write a post? (I’d really, really like that btw.)

Please share your thoughts. I realize that a lot of my reasoning for writing everyday is for my character development, but a blog without readership is quite boring….

That’s all I have for today.

I am very excited about the next year. This is the most challenging thing I have ever committed to doing. Honestly, I have no predictions for where this will lead. I just know that it’s something that I need to do.

Thank you for going on this journey with me.

Comment below with your suggestions!

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Vote for your dreams!

It’s June.

Do you know what that means?

2015 New Year celebration with the date outlined by colourful fiery sparklers on a dark New Year's Eve night

We are halfway through 2015.

I’m a big believer in evaluating progress, so I have been thinking through my goals. In some areas, I’m doing pretty good (blogging and sign language). In other areas, I need more work (running and Bible reading).

Today, a quote from Napoleon Dynamite popped into my head:

“If you vote for me, all of your wildest dreams will come true.” –Pedro Sanchez

Isn’t it hard to work toward your dreams?

There are so many things begging for our attention: Internet, TV, and all the flavors of social media.

dream voteI can make up a million excuses. In fact, in thinking about my year so far, I have made over a million excuses, forfeiting valuable time because I am scared or apathetic or both.

Our most valuable asset in this life is time.

How many times have you heard this statement?

“If you want to know what’s most important to you, look at how you spend your time.”

I have brushed this statement off as a dusty, old motivational speaker cliché, but it’s so true! My biggest problem is how I consistently waste time on meaningless things.

Our dreams, much like Pedro Sanchez, need our votes to survive. Our dreams are campaigning daily for our attention.

new-years-resolutionThere are so many things I want to do. I know that it will take a lot of hard work on my part.

My wimpy, inconsistent self is pitching a fit because it’s getting the workout of its life. It would rather watch movies and sleep in every morning.

For this reason, my goal for the remainder of this year is to be mindful of my time.

How we spend our time truly is the best measuring stick when it comes to evaluating progress.

 

 

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Navigating Construction Zones

  Construction zones are everywhere. I drive through two to three each day. The world around me is exploding with new buildings and improved roads. When I think about redeveloping an impoverished area or new businesses starting up, I get excited. 

My favorite kind of progress , though, is when people change for the better. 

The terrain of pain, shame, and hopelessness transforming into a landscape of beauty and joy right before my eyes. 

And we are all progressing in one direction or the other. No one lives in a neutral state. 

We all have construction zones. 

Like I said earlier, construction isn’t bad, but it can be tricky to navigate at times. Traffic jams will happen when heavy machinery is in use. 

Keeping people at a distance until construction is over is not a good idea. 

Getting frustrated at the construction zone surrounding a friend’s life is pointless. 

What’s the answer then?

  • Keep your eyes on the everyday progress.
  •  See the improvements and additions as victories. 
  • View difficulty as the temporary setback that it really is. 

Our lives will always have some kind of construction zones in them. 

Demolition projects, remodeling, additions, or touch ups. The level of construction depends on the person. 

Learn to navigate the changes gracefully. This is one skill we all need to master–for the sake of others and for the sake of our own sanity.