Live your remarkable life

From the outside looking in, my life may not look that remarkable. I drive a rusty minivan. My kids fight while waiting in line for smoothies at the splash park. Somedays I battle anxiety and fatigue. In many ways, my life is no different than anyone else’s.

Nonetheless, the other day, while riding in the tractor with my farmer, he shared with me how thankful he is that we made the decisions we have made, how we shifted from where we were to where we are today. We both acknowledged that we love the life we live and we both thanked God for the remarkable life we've created, with God’s guidance and blessing. What sets our life apart from others, what makes our life remarkable isn’t the beautiful home we were able to renovate these past 2 years. It’s not our businesses that have flourished despite adversity, it’s not even the non profit organization that we were able to establish in our community. It’s the peace and joy that we have in the day to day. But it hasn’t always been peaceful or joyful. That part, the peace and joy, are an outpouring of the Holy Spirit as a result of seeking to make Jesus the centre of our lives.

I’ve lost you already, haven’t I? Why did I have to go there?? Because I can give you the steps to creating a remarkable, abundant life, but if your not giving the glory to the One who created you, you will not feel fulfilled. I know this to be true. Because we did all the things listed above and more, and I still never felt fulfilled or contented.

So yes, I want to show you how to create a remarkable life for yourself. But I want you to understand that this life is not your own. You aren’t living it for you. You get to reap some of the rewards! But this life is temporary. The ultimate goal has eternal value. And when you tap into that, then your life will truly be remarkable.

With all this in mind I want to share with you the pivotal steps for creating and living a remarkable life.

Grab the Workbook

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STEP ONE CAST A VISION: DREAM

11 years ago I never would have imagined we could be where we are, doing what we are doing. I never would have dared to ask God for the life we have. We had a very comfortable lifestyle. But I longed for more.

I didn’t want more stuff. I wanted more time with my husband. I wanted to take my children on adventures. I wanted to have more joy in the day to day.

But I didn’t know how to get from where my life was, to where I wanted it to be. But I learned that the first step is getting really clear on what I wanted. The thing is, we are always moving towards something. We never stay in one place. And we always move toward the thing we are focussed on.

So if you are complaining about your life and worrying about your problems, that is where your focus is. And that is where you will head. You will find yourself in a place you do not like, surrounded by the issues and problems that you have been complaining and worrying about. But if you take the time to dream about what you want to see more of, and focus on those things, that’s the direction you will head. And one day you will find yourself living a remarkable life.

STEP TWO Recognize your Gifts

When we are kids we believe anything is possible. Eventually we discover that we have limitations and realize that not everything is possible. But what many of us miss is that our limitations actually direct us TO the things we were created FOR. I'm not athletic, therefore I will never be a professional athlete. This limitation can feel like failure, if I focus on what I cannot do. But if I shift my focus to what I can do, no matter how insignificant it may seem, that's where we discover our gifts and what we are actually capable of.

I'm just a small town girl with a big mouth who married a farmer. No one would have looked at me growing up and said "that one-she's going to do great things"! But somewhere along the line, I learned that my voice and my story are the greatest gift I have. And I'm learning how to use them, to make this life better for those around me.

For help uncovering your gifts, make sure you download the workbook.

STEP three Build your Dream team

Your "Dream Team" are the people in your life who support your dream and support you in it. It's so important to find these people and to be around them often. When I first started down this new path I remember listening to an audio called “ making the shift” with Darren Hardy. He shares about a certain crab trap that is actually an open box with a little bait in the bottom. One or two crabs will climb in and eat the bait and then other crabs will crawl in as well. Eventually the trap is full. You would think that the crabs would just crawl out, but what actually happens is that when one tries to crawl out, the others will attack it, even to the point of death, to keep it in the trap with them. Sadly, this is often how people behave.

Unfortunately, the people closest to us are rarely on our Dream Team. If they are, you have a rare gift! Celebrate it and thank them often for their love and support. If the people closest to you are not supportive, that's ok! Sometimes seeing is believing. You may need to pave the road for them before they can follow. The key here is to make sure you are surrounding yourself with the people who do support you so you don't end up like the crab who couldn't leave the trap. You need to find the ones who will reach inside and lift you out. These amazing humans are out there! They make up only about 2% of the population, so they are rare, but they are out there. So search until you find them.

STEP Four Start Living the Remarkable Life

OK, that sounds a little too simple, I know, but I've learned to keep it simple. Take small steps in the right direction.

Now that you know what you want to see in your life, take steps towards it everyday. you cannot change your destination over night but you can change your direction. This is profound. Often we feel like we cannot reach where we want to go. It feels too far off. But if we shift our direction, even slightly, it completely alters the path. And if we keep going, we will eventually find ourselves in a whole new place altogether.

The next 10 years are going to go by, no matter what. There's no stopping time. You get to decide what you do with those 10 years. You get to decide what you move towards in those years. I have learned that often when I have struggled, I struggled due to a lack of skills. When I realized this I got excited because I knew that I was capable of learning some new skills. So in order to live that remarkable life that you desire to live, take time each week in these important areas:

Faith

Relationships

Health

Finances