Painting in Yellow

PAINTING IN YELLOW

The events that are told in this story are completely true. Sick. But true.

So, one day I am waiting my turn to go tanning and I start fiddling with the zipper on my purse. I’m zipping it back and forth to the tune of “jingle bells”- when I notice there is something in the pocket. I hadn’t used this purse in over a year. Now, most girls know that finding something hidden in the bottomless pockets of your purse can be very exhilarating. (Kind of like finding buried treasure.) We stuff all kinds of things in our purses and every once in awhile; you find something you haven’t seen in a really long time.

So that day, I reached deep inside my purse pocket and pulled out… a taco.

Yes, a taco.

Please don’t ask how it made it’s way into my purse. What was I thinking? “Oh, I have nowhere to put my taco. I know! (unzip). I’ll put it in my purse.” Honestly, I don’t know which is scarier, that I knowingly put a taco in my purse or that I have no memory of how it got there.

Do you want to know the really sick thing about the whole deal? Remember how I said that I hadn’t used the purse in over a year? The taco had been unknowingly nestled in my purse and was completely unscathed, like I had just ordered it an hour ago. No mold, no nasty stench- nothing. Just a greasy taco. In my purse. For over a year. (Can you say preservatives?)

Now, I’m not writing a diatribe about the inherent dangers of fast food (Although I think my story may cause you to wonder if it really is “more bueno” to grab a taco on the run.) What I really want to talk about is all the stuff we have deep inside our hearts that sits unused.

Let me explain.

Ever feel like your life doesn’t make much sense, like the things you want to do in life are kind of random? I know I have.

Recently I have been talking with a lot of young people who feel the same way. Their life just doesn’t fit into a neat package. “I want to be a painter and a missionary.” or “I feel a call to business and ministry.” They look at me in confusion and embarrassment as they share their hearts, their expressions revealing the turmoil within. They think it can’t possibly be right to do both.

Personally, I have always tried to embrace the season that God has me in. I simply do what I feel like He tells me to do. If He tells me to leave my job as a children’s pastor and take a job as a youth secretary halfway across the United States, I do it. My life may seem random to most. (Graphic artist, youth pastor, mission’s director, children’s pastor, youth secretary, drama instructor, painter, schoolteacher, fashion designer, writer, and wife are a few random titles I’ve held.) But now, at age twenty-nine and quickly closing the gap to age thirty, life is starting to make sense to me. What seemed disjointed is finally beginning to come together.

(If you are wondering when I was going to explain about what the taco has to do with all this- keep reading. It’s coming. )

In the midst of daily mundane living, the uniqueness of where God has us can be lost. I’ve thought about it lately like this: imagine a huge blank canvas. You pick up a tube of yellow paint and start painting away. Then you pick up a green tube, a little orange, and some purple and continue on with your masterpiece. No one thinks it’s weird to use different colors to paint. All the colors together make something beautiful in the end. It’s kind of like life. You may be painting in yellow right now and wondering what God is doing, maybe even feeling a little like He’s forgotten about the big dreams He told you about. Maybe you feel like you’ve been stuck in a holding pattern, a big merry-go-round of routine. Maybe you feel like you are doing a little of this and a little of that- and everything is pretty half hazard. Take a step back, Make sure you are still painting on the canvas (doing what God has spoken for this season) and see the big picture. God is doing something amazing with the details of your life. When you commit to obey the voice of God in each new season, you will one day look back and see the master design God has been painting all along.

“For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 (New International Version)

You may feel like you’re all alone out there, living this segmented life of desires that God has placed in your heart. Well, you’re not alone. In fact, I have met a whole bunch of young people just like you. It seems that God is doing something new with this generation.

And it’s needed.

If you’re like me, there is something inside of you that wants to throw off labels and titles. Something that doesn’t want to be placed in a box. This new generation cries out to be recognized as a follower of Christ, void of titles and stigmas, to be assimilated into society. Kind of like Paul, who was a tentmaker, missionary, apostle, and servant. (Acts 18:3, Titus 1:1) This young generation is a group of creative people. They are multi-skilled. They are diverse. They are different- and they are not ashamed. There is a stirring in the hearts of this generation. A cry to be real. To embrace the call of God for their life- however different it may look.

So if you are wondering why you have been painting in yellow in this season, it is for the divine call that God has placed on this generation. You have a new task ahead of you and it is a call that only you can answer yourself. Will you rise up and embrace the call that God has on your life? Will you stand up and be different? Will you pave the way for generations to come? Don’t shrink back from who God has called you to be because you’ve never seen it modeled before. Unzip your potential and discover the treasure that has been locked deep within your heart…no, it’s not a taco. It’s you.

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SUBMERGE

At Submerge we are passionate about training people to achieve the dreams that are inside their hearts. Combined with passionate teaching and practical application, Submerge will give you the tools that you need to cause the dreams in your heart to become a reality. To read more about Submerge CLICK HERE.

Pity the Fool

“Can I come?”

Ah, the dreaded words that every kid who has a younger brother or sister hates to hear.   It’s 1983 and I am five years old and am about to go over to play at my friend Amy Gym’s house.  My little brother Mike wants to tag along.  Life is so not fair.

“No, you can’t come.” I said, aggravated. 

“Fine. Then I am going to go ask Mom.” He said turning on his heels towards the kitchen where my mom sat reading.

“No, Stop!” I pleaded, as frustrated tears welled up in my eyes. He was going to ruin everything if he came. “You can’t come!”

“Yeah, right.” He smirked.

“No really! You can’t because—“

Think fast, I told myself, or this is all over, and the little tag along is going to ruin everything.

“Because…um…because…” I stalled.

My brother snickered as he turned towards the kitchen.

“Because—Mr. T is coming over!” I screeched.

Silence filled the room as he turned around. His eyes widened as he took in the fullness of what I was saying.  His hero, Mr. T, was coming to our house.  Just incase you don’t know who Mr. T is, he was a television hero from the 80’s who would have given Chuck Norris a run for his money any day. 

“You’re kidding.” Mike whispered in awe.

“No.” I stepped towards him and solemnly whispered back. “I’m not.”

My eyes narrowed, as I took a deep breath and began to weave a magnificent lie, “Mom and Dad didn’t want me to tell you, because they didn’t want you to get too excited or anything, but Mr. T is coming over,” I looked down at the floor, as I tried not to smile. “Listen, I don’t want you to miss seeing him.” I glanced up. “But you can come with me to Amy’s house if you want to.” I smiled demurely.

“No thanks!” He smiled and ran to his room.

Yes! Another little brother catastrophe successfully averted.

I went to Amy’s house and played to my hearts content.  Well actually, I wound up coming home a little early because Amy spun me in circles on her tire swing for over an hour and then gave me some really gross candy from Europe. Since I didn’t want to hurt her feelings by spitting the candy out, I swallowed it whole. About five seconds after it went down, it came back up. I guess European candy and a spinning tire swing don’t mix well.

Amy’s mom drove me home.  I walked into my house and my mom was holding my little brother on the couch.  He turned his head toward me as I came through the front door. Uh-oh. Red rimmed eyes- not a good sign.  He buried his head into Mom as he sniffled a heartrending whimper.

“Why? Why would you do this to him?” she asked.

“What?” I asked nonchalantly.  Hey, I figured I was already in trouble, so what’s the use of admitting what I had done wrong until I absolutely had to. (I must add I was completely horrible!)

My mom sighed, “Lying to your brother about Mr. T. coming to the house, That is what.” She shook her head in disappointment, “Your brother cleaned his room.  He lined up all his matchbox cars around the room so that Mr. T could see them.  He’s been working for hours.”  Since my brother’s matchbox car collection ranged in the hundreds, if not thousands, he would have been working for a while.  I felt a twinge of guilt creep through my calloused heart. I actually felt a little bad for the little guy, or more aptly put in the words of the great Mr. T, “I pity the fool.”

So that evening, justice was rightfully served. If puking up Europe candy wasn’t enough punishment for one night, I got a good, sound spanking for lying to my brother.   In my defense, it was his choice to stay, right?  He chose to forgo hours of tag-along-fun with his big sister for a once in a lifetime chance to meet the extraordinary Mr. T.  (Who, of course, never showed up).  The thing with choices is inevitably you have to choose- one thing for another.  So what if you are like my little brother, and choose the wrong thing? What if you make a mistake? These are the fears that plague us.  Many times making choices can feel like grasping blindly  in darkness.  How do you know where to go? What to do?  In those “fork in the road” decision times in life, how do we know which way to turn?

Been talking to a lot of high school seniors lately, and wow, do they have it rough.  Graduating high school is one of the craziest things you can ever do.  One day, you wake up really early, you put on a funny little dress thingie, a weird hat, shake someone’s hand and they give you a piece of paper.  You smile, someone takes your picture and as soon as you walk off the stage it’s like a firing squad of questions, “So, what’s next, where are you going to college? What do you want to do with your life?”  Yesterday, you were a normal teenager, and then suddenly, in one foul swoop everything changes. Even your parents- who just days earlier wouldn’t let you stay out alone past 10:30 on a weeknight are asking you when you are moving out.  You’re still the same person, nothing has really changed, except now the stakes are higher and people are actually asking you real life questions about your future.  And for many, the future can be a scary place, full of uncertainties.  It’s crazy, but then, growing up always is.

But let’s go back a few years, back before high school, back before choices were a big deal, all the way back to when the biggest choice you had to make was whether you wanted the orange Popsicle or the red one. When you were a kid, you weren’t trying to figure everything out, you had different priorities then, and the main objective was about having fun.  Ah, the good old days when you could run for hours without losing your breath and you thought you could be anything. You, President? Of course! (Vote for me and all your wildest dreams will come true.) There is something that resonates in the heart of a child- a child truly believes that they are special.  They believe in the core of them that they are different; they are an explorer, an inventor, and a dreamer.  Life is an adventure and every day is an opportunity to embrace it. But you’ve grown up now, “matured” so to speak.  You’ve taken your head out of the clouds and wised up to the way things are supposed to be. 

But wait…is that the way things are supposed to be? Boring, mundane, routine? Should we feebly lay aside our God given talents and passions for a life that we dread? What if you had it right when you were a kid?  What if life is supposed to be fun? Who says we should simply settle for status quo? What if instead of living nominally we so boldly pursue our dreams and dare to live them out? Your life was not meant to be boring, in fact God intended for it to be quite the opposite.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”

John 3:16

“Everlasting life”, hmm, that doesn’t sound boring- does it? Perhaps we have made this life something that it is not.  Boring. Dull. Life-less. Wake up, Read two chapters in the Bible, pray for 30 minutes, clock in, do your time at work, come home, watch T.V., pay taxes, don’t take any risks in life, stay in your little Christian circles and bide your time here on Earth and wait for the glory days in the sweet by and by. But wait a minute; Christ died so that we may have everlasting life.  The question is, when does everlasting life begin? In heaven, once you kick the bucket?  Or does it start right here, right now, the very moment you ask Jesus into your life?

By not living the everlasting life here on earth that He paid the price for, we scorn the work He completed on the cross. We are so quick to show contempt at those whom we think are not living for God.  But what does it mean to “live for God”?

Does it mean pursuing the dreams He’s given you?

Does it mean enjoying this life He has blessed you with? 

Does it mean loving those around you and reaching out to those in need?

Does it mean shunning the nominal in your life?

The following is an excerpt of the Commencement address by Steve Jobs, (CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios) delivered on June 12, 2005 at Stanford University.

 “When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”

For many, time has passed by quickly and the years have sped by like days…it may seem too late to pursue the dreams in your heart.  I have good news for you it’s not.

I think about what Jesus said, “I have come that they might have life and life to the fullest.” He was talking about my life in that statement.  He was talking about you too. In coming to earth He was searching to exchange average living for something phenomenal. He wanted your wildest dreams to come true.  In fact, He is the one who gave those dreams to you, (Ps 37:4) not to frustrate you, but to bless you!   I’m not sure where it started, but somewhere, someone started projecting this negative image of God.  Like He’s out to get us and force us to live a life that we will hate. I’ve been told many a time, “Never say that you DON’T want to do that because then God will MAKE you do it!” It just doesn’t add up. God does not want to use your life as a divine object lesson. There is this pseudo philosophy that when faced with those fork in the road decisions, the spiritual thing to do is choose the road that looks hard or you aren’t excited about.  But that doesn’t even make sense! Why would God send His son to give us the best life possible, and place all these dreams inside our hearts, choose this moment in all of history for us to be born, and then punish us by making us live a life that we hate?  That does not sound like Gods nature at all, it sounds like the devil. I’m not saying that life is a rosy walk in the park, and I am not saying that doing what God has called you to do is always going to be easy, but I am telling you that the reward of following your dreams far outweighs the sacrifice.

Christ died, not only so we can go to heaven, not only so we could be whole, but also so that we can experience the best life possible here on earth.  He valued your life so much that he was willing to die for it.  Unfortunately that statement has become so cliché that we don’t even understand it’s full impact. 

So what does He want for us in this life? I believe He wants us to embrace our natural talents and God given desires.  I believe he wants you to ask yourself, “What do I love? What makes me come alive?  What excites me? What makes me so pumped that I can’t sleep at night?” I have heard many young people who are faced with tough decisions about the future pour their heart out about how they are searching for Gods will but don’t seem to have any peace.  Well- what about excitement? Joy? Anticipation???

John Eldridge said this:  “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs.  Ask yourself what makes you come alive and do that because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

Friends, it’s time to come alive. 

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SUBMERGE

At Submerge we are passionate about training people to achieve the dreams that are inside their hearts. Combined with passionate teaching and practical application, Submerge will give you the tools that you need to cause the dreams in your heart to become a reality. To read more about Submerge CLICK HERE.

A Really Mean Trick

“Want to know a secret about the house?” She leaned in and said to me. My eyes grew wide as I nodded.

It was sixth grade and my family and I were moving into our dream house. Two stories, next to a farm, our own acre of forest to explore, and a pool. We were living large and excited like crazy to move in.

A few days before the previous owners moved out we drove over so Mom and Dad could talk “house stuff” to the sellers. My brothers and I came along for the ride hoping to get a chance to play in the backyard with the two girls who lived there. We had no idea that what they were about to tell us would radically change our free time for the next year.

“This house has a secret passage.” One of the sisters said.

My brother and I looked at each other, our eyes wide with amazement.

“Where?” we whispered back in awe.

“We can’t show you.”

“Why not?” we said defensively.

“We just can’t. We found it and you have to find it too.”

It was then that my parents called us and told us to hurry up and get in the car. UGH!! Perfect timing.

“Just tell us quick.” we pleaded.

“Nope.” And with that she made the key-locking-the-mouth-and-swallowing-the-key- symbol. You know how that is when you are kid- the final word has been spoken and silence locks down like Alcatraz Prison.

“GUYS—Lets go!” My Dad boomed. Just a few more seconds of stalling and we would be risking an appointment with the “spanking spoon”.

We jumped up and ran to the station wagon, determined the next time we saw them we would force them to tell us where the secret hiding place was.

Only, we never saw them again.

My brother and I spent almost every day for the next year looking for the secret passage. We looked under the stair case, in closets, we tapped on the walls listening for hollow spots, we searched every square inch of our house several times over. It was our obsession. We would talk about it incessantly, we would wake up early and search before we went to school and we whispered about it at night when we were supposed to be sleeping. We searched DAY and NIGHT for over a year but we never found it. Honestly, even now, at age 31 I occasionally find myself pressing on the knots in the floorboards when I come to Mom and Dads house for a visit.

So, if you want to know a really mean trick to play on someone—move out of your house and tell the new buyers kids that there is a secret passageway somewhere in the house and then never speak to them again.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

I know a lot of people struggle to figure out what God wants them to do with their life. Many think He is like the girls we bought the house from, telling us something so incredible, yet too good to be true.

They are afraid. They think that He is hiding something. They think there must be a “catch”.

“If I follow Gods plan for my life He’s going to make me move to a mud hut in Africa, be poor and marry someone ugly…someone butt ugly.”

They think that God wants to trick them into following Him so he can torture them with His plan for their life. Like their life is one gigantic object lesson that He is going to use to teach them something. 

Plans to Prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope…

What do you hope for in life? To fall in love, to be a success? Maybe you hope you can make a difference or that at the end of your life you meant something significant to others. These are the things that we hope for, that we long for, that we were created for.

Yes, you were created with a purpose, you were created for relationship.

“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you…”

Created to know God.

You see, His plan for your life is not illusive- it was not meant to be hidden or veiled. He wants you to know this plan- even more than you do.

In fact, way more than you do.

I don’t know if there is something that is holding you back from fulfilling what you dream about and hope for in life. I DO know that if you let go of fear and seek after God you will discover a plan for your life that is so wonderful, so amazing you wouldn’t believe it if someone told you about it. (Habakkuk 1:5)

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

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SUBMERGE

At Submerge we are passionate about training people to achieve the dreams that are inside their hearts. Combined with passionate teaching and practical application, Submerge will give you the tools that you need to cause the dreams in your heart to become a reality. To read more about Submerge CLICK HERE.

Neutral

NEUTRAL

So, let me tell you about my first time behind the wheel.

I was fourteen and my Mom was taking forever to leave church so I decided instead of milling around the lobby for the next hour I was going to wait in the car. Only instead of getting in the passengers side I climbed in the drivers seat.

Now you know how things are when you are bored. I waited in the car for a while and then I started looking around. I fiddled with the change in the front cup holder, dusted off the dashboard and then something caught my eye: the gear shift.

I glanced in the rear view mirror.

No one was coming.

I slowly pushed in the button and the car slid into neutral. Then everything happened at once: Neutral, hill, momentum and tree.

Neutral.

It's a place where movement can begin.

There was another time in my life when I discovered the power of "neutral". I was in Bible school and just weeks away from graduation. The only problem was I had NO IDEA what to do next and I was terrified that I would make the wrong move and end up ruining my life.

My director pulled me aside and asked me if I had any plans for next year. I kind of just shrugged my shoulders and looked at the floor. What do you say when you have no idea what to do? "Yes. I plan to change the world. How? Ummm, I have no idea." The problem was I wanted to do something big for God but I was so scared I would screw it up I couldn't even make a move. I think the answer I finally gave him was something like, "No…not really."

Then he asked me this, "What would you like to do?" This question kind of took me off guard because it seemed so simple and everything I was going through in trying to decide what to do seemed so hard. I thought he would say something way more spiritual like, "Have you fasted and prayed?" or "You need to follow the 41 steps to hearing the voice of God." But no, so simple… “what would you like to?”

I told him, " I'd like to go live overseas."

"Who do you know that lives overseas?"

I told him the names of some family friends that lived in Prague.

His advice? Put it in neutral. "God can't steer a parked car." He told me, "if you put your life in neutral God can direct where you are going."

So that's what I did, I put it in neutral. I shook fear off and got my foot off the brakes. I called Prague. I talked to my friends that lived there. I priced out airline tickets. I started fundraising. Each small step built confidence in my heart that this was what I was supposed to do. It was just four months later that I stepped off the jet way and got my first official passport stamp in Europe.

Isaiah 30: 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

I love this scripture. When I am trying to make a tough decision in life, this is the scripture that I cling to.

It's like "neutral" in a nutshell. Take the brakes off. Shift into gear. Slowly allow your life to move in the direction you feel like God is leading you, and let Him steer you. As you make forward motion- God can show you where to go. It's when you have your life in park and your foot on the brakes that He can't even budge you.

You may be faced with tough decisions in life right now. What should I do with my life? Which college should I go to? Should I move across the country and take that job?

Put your life in neutral. Don't slam on the brakes or recklessly speed off by going full throttle on the gas.

Begin to make small steps.

Listen to his still small voice.

"THIS is the way, walk in it."

Trust that He will lead you.

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SUBMERGE

At Submerge we are passionate about training people to achieve the dreams that are inside their hearts. Combined with passionate teaching and practical application, Submerge will give you the tools that you need to cause the dreams in your heart to become a reality. To read more about Submerge CLICK HERE.

Amazing Christa

I slowly tiptoed to my room, opened my drawer and pulled out my great-grand mother’s handkerchief. The show would start in just a minute.

On my way back to the living room I made sure that all the adults were busy. Yup, everyone was visiting in the kitchen, now I just hoped that they stayed that way. My plan was unfolding perfectly, I was about to do something amazing.

On the T.V. in the living room was the candle, flickering in the evening light. I cleared my throat. It was time to begin.

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” I said to the empty living room as I imagined standing on stage before hundreds of people. “Tonight the Amazing Christa Wimer will attempt to hold this handkerchief over this burning flame for one second.” I paused for dramatic effect. “Folks, can she do it? We shall see.” Then I waved my tiny five-year-old fingers over the handkerchief and said, “Now, I will say the magic words, ‘a-la-peanut butter sandwiches’.”

I walked dramatically over to the candle, my heart pounding. This one act will prove whether or not I was a true magician, whether or not I would embark on my career as the “Amazing Christa” or simply have to carry on as a regular kindergartner. I took the handkerchief and held it over the flame.

“One!” I shouted as I pulled it swiftly away.

Astonishingly, it worked!

“Ladies and Gentlemen, she did it!” I said triumphantly taking a bow.

I was a true magician. Burning flames were no match for my astounding magical powers. I was elated and in my delight I decided that the trick I had just completed was too easy, I must accomplish something more daring, something that would skyrocket my career as the “Amazing Christa.”

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” I announced. “The Amazing Christa Wimer will attempt something even more amazing than the last magic trick that she just performed. She will attempt to hold this handkerchief over this burning flame for ten seconds.”

I said the magic words as I waved my hand over the handkerchief. This was truly going to be amazing.

I took the handkerchief and held it directly over the flame.

“One…two…three.” I said each number loudly and dramatically.

“Four…fi—ve AHHHH!!!” In one split second the handkerchief had ignited. I threw it over my head into the air. It floated to the floor, landed on the carpet and became a giant flaming torch in the middle of the living room. Alas, as my brown shag carpet burned to a crisp, my grandiose dreams of becoming the world’s youngest magician came to a crashing halt. The next few moments are a blur. Someone hoisted me up and carried me safely out of the living room. Others threw water on the carpet and stomped out the flames with their hands and boots. That night the “Amazing Christa” gave her first and final magical performance.

Let’s fast-forward a few years. Sixth grade. What a crazy year in the life of the “Amazing Christa”. On the first day of school I came confident, sure of myself, happy, and excited. By the end of that year, I emerged as a different person. I guess nine months of being made fun of can wear on a person. I can still hear the girls at the lunch table…

“Christa, do you want to know who the nerd of the class is?”

“You.” they told me.

That’s a hard thing to hear as a kid and not believe. Honestly, I truly loved who I was and I would look in the mirror and think, “What is it about me that is not to like?” Maybe if I weren’t so quirky, so opinionated…so different. Maybe if I could change my hair, buy more expensive clothes; get these stupid braces off, then things would change. But they didn’t. The harder I tried to be accepted, the more alienated I became.

I changed my methods, instead of trying to stand out; I simply tried to blend in. Quirkiness was substituted with conformity, opinions exchanged with shyness, braces replaced by a face that never smiled. I certainly wasn’t the most popular, but at least I was no longer a target.

“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Matt 5:16

I guess as the die hard missionary that I am, I have always looked at this scripture as an example of how we need to witness to others…you know, shine the light of Jesus and be nice to people. Lately though, I’ve been looking at this scripture in a new light, in the way that it directly pertains to how we view ourselves.

When we started out on this journey of life, we all thought that we were amazing. (Sure, most of you probably weren’t trying to prove it by lighting the living room carpet on fire.) But we all knew that something about us was special. I guess sometimes along the journey we can become disillusioned. It’s easy to think that “being you” just isn’t good enough.

The other day we took the Go Interns to meet with a really amazing guy, Tom Newman, and he said something that really rocked my world, “The greatest place in life that you can ever hope to arrive at is to be yourself. Never stray from that place. If you do, the only hope you have of ever being better is to eventually come back to being yourself.”

I love that.

The greatest place you can ever hope to arrive at is being who you were created to be. There is so much freedom in that. It’s easy to be you. You just wake up and embrace the day and shine, as only you can.

It was in my early twenties that I decided to stop apologizing for the way that I am. I am different. Unique. Silly. That’s me. Call me weird if you want to, I’ll just smile and say, “thank you”. I’m not embarrassed by what makes me distinctive, in fact, I am most proud of it. What you will discover, when you embrace who you are, is centeredness unlike anything you have ever experienced before. Confidence. Others see it too. There is nothing that speaks louder than a person unafraid to be themself.

The world is waiting for you to shine.

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SUBMERGE

At Submerge we are passionate about training people to achieve the dreams that are inside their hearts. Combined with passionate teaching and practical application, Submerge will give you the tools that you need to cause the dreams in your heart to become a reality. To read more about Submerge CLICK HERE.