Have you wondered what you’ll do when the kids go to school?
Have you lost site of your goals and dreams?
How can you discover the unique plan for your life?
What will you do when the kids leave? *gulp*
Background: I recently had the opportunity to hear Christian author and speaker, Kathi Lipp. Her encouraging words inspired me to contact her for an interview. She said Yes!
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What is your goal for the ME Project?
I want women to spend a little time (even 15 minutes,) thinking beyond the fundraisers and what’s for dinner tonight to think about the direction that God wants them to take in their lives. Most women who are in the midst of mothering don’t spend ANY time thinking about what God wants them to be doing beyond being a mom, a wife, and maybe the job they are already working at. But what if God has a different plan for you – something outside of the day to day life you are living now. I ask women to spend just a little bit of time thinking about their futures from God’s perspective.
Where should I begin?
Grab a friend, a journal, and a cup of coffee. The friend is for you stay accountable, the journal is to start brainstorming about your life, and the coffee is to keep you awake.
How do I discern which one is the right path for me?
The good news is that as you seek out God, getting to know His heart, he starts to make those steps evident. If you are still feeling lost, I think it’s important to recognize what brings you joy – is it writing, working with kids, teaching adults, encouragement? What is it that makes you feel God’s pleasure? Those are areas you want to sit in and explore.
How do I go about “laying the track” for a career that could be 10 years away?
Take 20 minutes a day. Read something that inspires you. Buy coffee for someone who is doing what you want to do and ask them what you should be doing right now. Just because you can’t go to school right now, doesn’t mean you can’t order a course catalog. Fill your minutes with education instead of reality TV.
When your children were in school, how did you make time for yourself?
I was a single mom for several years, and I would spend many of my lunch hours in my car writing on a note pad about the things I wanted to do, and then I would chip away at them. I also got my kids involved in my goals – my daughter has worked for me all of her high school years, and my son has done editing for me. It has been a great way for us to support each other, and for them to learn how to support others in their lives.
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My favorite visual picture that Kathi painted for us was a scene from the movie “Under the Tuscan Sun”. She told the story of workers laboring to lay the track for a train. The train hadn’t even been built yet, but they knew it was coming!
Isn’t it that way for us? We know the day will come when we’ll go back to work or we’ll switch careers or our children will go to school. Shouldn’t we be “laying the track” for those times to come? Take a class, read a book, or talk to someone in your dream job!
Your time will come mom! How are you laying your track?
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Thank you so much for connecting with Busy Kids, Kathi! For more information on Kathi Lipp or her books, visit her site here.
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This was really encouraging – thanks for posting! I’m laying track by blogging 3x’s a week and I just went to grammar school all day today to become a stronger writer!
Great job Steph! I love that you are laying a track for your passion – writing! Now you have me worried about my grammar! 🙂
What a wonderful post! I love getting to meet your guest.