I love having this blog. But I came pretty close to never starting it, and some days I want to come really close to shutting it down. Not because I don’t enjoy it…because I really do. It’s an outlet for me, something that helps inspire creativity and thoughts. But honestly, a blog can feel a little…dangerous. It can feel scary and awkward and even embarrassing. One of the things I had to work through before I set up my blog was the idea that people will think I am just promoting myself or just trying to get attention. “They will think that you think you have something to say…” Isn’t it crazy how easy those little thoughts and lies can douse ideas and dreams that we have inside of us? They can keep up from doing something truly amazing and impacting. With the help of my incredibly amazing husband, I was able to push through the negativity and realize that this thing can be good and right. And so I went for it!

There is another aspect that almost prevented me from starting this blog as well. It’s the reality that most things you see through the online lens into another person’s life makes that life look so perfect and ideal. Whether it’s through social media or blogging, people generally only put out the exciting, creative, and “this is awesome” vibes. And naturally! No one wants to be negative and complaining and talk only about the horrible days and experiences and failures. No one wants to post photos of dirty kitchens or burnt suppers or the sweat-pants-and-morning-hair outfits.

But what can happen in that is that it just makes life look so incredibly perfect. All we see from people we follow online is the parties and shopping bargains and beautiful meals and adorable kids and cute outfits. I’ve noticed that I can easily start feeling so down and uncool when I spend too much time looking at people’s online lives. They look so perfect and fun and awesome! Look at their gorgeous home and tasty food and trendy clothes! Why can’t I be like that? 

I never want to present that vibe on this blog, because although I love my life and it is incredible good, it is not perfect. I have hard days, failures (i.e. when I tried to make this cute little hand painted wall print and ended up writing ‘i like you and i like you’ instead of ‘i like you and i love you’…reason number fifty one on why i am not a good crafter), scary morning hair, uninspired days, and melt-down moments (usually over a failed omelette…no lie, omelettes kick my bum! and yes, i’ve actually had full melt-downs over them).

So just remember…not all that glitters is gold. Just because someone’s life looks sparkly and perfect doesn’t mean that it is. We are all human and we all have battles and mess and bad hair days.

What about you: do you find yourself feeling discouraged when you see other people’s online lives?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

I’ve begun to notice a common theme that, I believe, is present in all of us. It’s something we want and work for, or at least dream of, sometimes without even realizing it. We all want to leave impact. I believe that we all want to impact someone or something with our lives. We want to make someone or something better because of our existence and our input.

What or who we want to impact is different for each of us.

Some people have dreams of impacting entire nations and people groups by serving them and living among them. Some people dream of impacting a company or co-workers by being a good leader or a good worker. Some people dream of impacting young lives by teaching and being an example every day. Some people dream of impacting people they will never meet by writing books, blogs, or songs. Some people dream of impacting children who have no one to love them by bringing them into their home and treating them as their own. Some people dream of impacting government by casting a vote or being involved in politics. Some people dream of impacting the health and wellness of people by serving as nurses or doctors. Some people dream of impacting spiritual and emotional health by serving as pastors and counselors. Some people dream of impacting young girls and ladies who are lost and have no where to turn by working in pregnancy care centers or rehabilitation ministries. Some people dream of impacting their own spouse and family just by loving, caring, cooking, cleaning, and listening to them.

We all want to leave impact.

And that is a good thing. It’s a brilliant thing! It’s really what we are supposed to do. And we all will do it, one way or another. You will leave impact on those around you, but whether that will be a positive or negative kind is entirely up to you. Impacting people isn’t necessarily something we have to try to do. We leave impact by just being.

We can also always be intentional about making extra impact by doing out-of-the-ordinary things for others. For example, pay for the order of the car behind you in the drive-thru, or bake a treat for a neighbor that you don’t know well, or write a note to someone in your life that has impacted you and let them know what you appreciate about them. You can impact a mission or ministry by donating money, time, or supplies. You can impact a child by taking them on a special outing or even by just taking an interest in their lives (I still remember the times that an older person did something special with me when I was younger, just because they wanted to). There are endless ways to leave your mark on a person’s life.

What about you: what or who do you dream of impacting? How will you do that?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!