Going for it

I’ll never forget the day I decided to be a pole-vaulter. I was walking down the hall of my high school, a fourteen year old freshman, and I was stopped by the track coach. His exact words were…

“You look strong. You should try pole-vaulting.”

I shrugged my shoulders and said, “Okay.”

I tried it because I was trying to find my place.
I tried it because I figured being a part of the track team would help keep me fit.
I tried it because my gymnastics career had come to an end and I was looking for a new challenge.
I tried it not knowing if I would be good at it.
I tried it not knowing if I would even like it.
I tried it without any real belief or vision for the future.

What started as a total whim, something I thought was just a hobby turned into two high school state championships and a college scholarship to the University of Florida, where I ended my career as an All-American and outdoor school record holder.

It’s funny though because I was thinking about it today and my business started the EXACT same way, for all the same reasons.

I was a mom trying to find her place, her purpose.
I figured at WORST, I would get back into shape after having the babies.
I needed a new challenge.
I started tentatively and unsure.

But just like with my pole-vaulting career, I went for it. I worked hard. I learned and I grew little by little. I leveled up, raised the bar (pun totally intended 😜), and have built a career out of what I thought was just going to be a hobby.

Crazy, right?

Takeaways

While thinking about this cruise, I consistently come away with the same few takeaways from ANY trip I’ve experienced with this company.

1. Always impressed by the effort, recognition, and attention to detail that Beachbody puts into events like these. Ya’ll, we chartered Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas...the ENTIRE ship. 😳 It was a big week for our events staff and they hit it out of the park as always.

2. Always amazed by and so grateful for the intimate connections and depth of friendships Matt and I have made because of this business and because of these trips.

3. Always reminded of why I started and why I won’t stop. I hear story after story after story of emotional, physical, marital, financial, internal, and external transformations. Sometimes it’s easy to forget the ripple effect a few people can make...these trips always seem to come at the right times in the year to re-fire me up. 🔥

Looking ahead to our network-wide Summit in Indianapolis, Leadership conference in Scottsdale, and next year’s rewards trip in Punta Cana. Bring it on! 🙌🏼

Grateful

I was ten years old when my parents started Grace Family Church. For twenty-five years, I have had a front row seat to the vision and mission of this church…to the successes and failures…to the mistakes and the growth.

We are an imperfect church full of imperfect people, but by His grace we had the most beautiful celebration of what He has done over the last twenty-five years.

I am so grateful for this church that has felt like home and family…for this church where my children can come and be taught about Jesus…for this church where some of my most meaningful friendships were born from.

Without a doubt, all glory goes to God, but gosh, I am so proud of my parents, Craig and Debbie Altman. Dad and Mom, thank you for listening to Jesus and living out your faith in a real and authentic way, for doing scary things and making hard choices, for sharing your stories over and over, and for giving so many a place to call home.

Hustle

“Hustle for JOY. Work just as hard for fun moments, vacation moments, and pee-your-pants laughing moments as you do for all the other things.” Rachel Hollis

This was our 4th Annual Valentine’s Weekend Couples Retreat (next year we’re getting shirts 😜). And this quote is exactly WHY we do it. We have eleven kids between us, husbands with full-time jobs, mamas with a side-biz, yet we WORK for this weekend. We set the time aside, we hire the childcare, we make it a priority.

Because our marriages need it. Our weary mama (and daddy) hearts need it. Our souls need it. We need to laugh and cry and talk and hug it out. We need to rest and play and eat chips and guac all day (like seriously, ALL.DAY.LONG.).

So hustle, yes. But make sure you hustle for the sweet stuff too.

Again

I talk a lot about keeping your priorities first and grace and work/life/family balance and self-love and rest hoping to encourage you. But I need you to know I am still in the trenches. 

This month has been full of worry over silly things, battling hard to keep those priorities #1, struggling to find rest and grace in the arms of Jesus, and I'm tired. Tired of striving.

The song, "Here Again", by Elevation Worship, speaks to my weary heart...

"I'm not enough unless you come
Will you meet me here again
'Cause all I want is who you are
Will you meet me here again"

I'm not enough. Unless you come. Will you meet me here AGAIN?

I love the AGAIN. Because how many times have I been here? How many times do I think I have it figured out, only to find myself a few months, weeks, days, even hours later, right back here...striving, trying, pushing?

So my prayer for ME today is (and maybe you need it too) is that I would pause and rest and remain in Him. That my eyes would be fixed on Him alone. That the joy of the Lord would be my strength.

Love you all. 

Still Learning

Them: I don’t know how you do it all.
Me: I don’t.

This is a conversation I have at least a few times a week. And I always tell the truth. I don’t do it all. I don’t think there has been one day since I had twins and started this business that I have done it all. Not one day has gone by that I thought, “Yep, I really NAILED it today.” 😂

And I am totally okay with that. I have learned to adjust (ahem, LOWER) my expectations for what I intend to get done on a daily, weekly, monthly, and even yearly basis.

I have learned that a good weekly brain dump (writing down every single thing that I think I need to do) helps immensely with clearing my head space, but that each item on that list will NOT get done (at least for that week) and will just be transferred to next week’s list, and maybe even the next week’s list after that.

And every morning I say a few of the exact same positive affirmations and prayers. Some are very positive and empowering. But my favorite ones go like this…

“I will not get everything done today, and that’s okay.”
“Lord, show me where to direct my energy. Show me who and what needs my attention today.”
“Let me be available and interruptible.”

I manage a lot, but I don’t do it all. I have days when I feel really satisfied and proud of myself and days when I know I totally blew it (in one area of life or another).

And either way, at the end of everyday, I’ve learned to be okay. I’ve learned to accept that I’m going to fail and fail a lot. I’ve learned that it’s okay to lower your expectations, but still dream big.

Embraced

Friends, this is kind of long, but I couldn’t cut any part of it out. This word from Lysa Terkeurst’s “Embraced” devotional really spoke to me today, so naturally I wanted to share with you. I pray it brings a spark of hope and encouragement.

“David was anointed to become King. But where did he go after being anointed as king? To a refining school? A government academy? Military training? Nope.

He went back to the fields and continued to shepherd his sheep. A king-to-be doing lowly tasks. A future king whose character was refined in the fields of everyday life to prepare him for his calling.

How like us. In the midst of smelly laundry, dirty dishes, snotty noses, misplaced keys, overdue library books, bills, and that birthday gift that still needs to be mailed- there is training. There is character building. There is soul defining. All of which must take place for us to become what God intends.

We aren’t just doing tasks. We are building a legacy. We are shaping God’s Kingdom. We are in the process of not only discovering our calling but that of our family as well.”