On perseverance...

I have an addendum to my year in review. In the last couple of weeks I have been inspired by not one, but two amazing examples of perseverance.

The first comes in the form of an orphan girl from Africa - someone who was despised, rejected and unwanted. At the age of three, this little girl found a magazine with a picture of a ballerina on it and somehow that picture gave her hope that life could be good. Against all odds this girl was adopted and grew up in America with a supportive family who helped her achieve her dream of becoming a ballet dancer.

To learn more about Michaela DePrince's story, I encourage you to watch a documentary entitled First Position which follows the stories of four young dancers vying for coveted scholarships in the ballet world. You can also read Michaela's new book Taking Flight which was co-written with her adoptive mom Elaine DePrince. (Click on the video clip below to view a trailer for the book.)

The second example of perseverance comes from the life of a 13-year-old girl named Bethany Hamilton who also beat incredible odds after a shark attack left her with one arm. Itching to get back to the water after her attack, she didn't let anything stop her from her dream of becoming a pro surfer. (Bethany's story is chronicled in the movie Soul Surfer.)

Now over ten years later, not only has Bethany achieved her dream, she has inspired young and old worldwide to follow their passions and not give up on their dreams. I had heard of Bethany's story, but not until I saw her and her new husband compete on The Amazing Race did I really begin to learn more about her story. Bethany has allowed God to use her story to bless and encourage countless others. She is a true inspiration!

If you are needing encouragement to keep going in your journey or if you simply would like to be inspired, I highly recommend the stories of both of these young women!

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Here are a couple of quotes from Michaela...

"If you have a passion for something, go for it! Never let anybody tell you that you can't do something." -- Michaela DePrince

"Never be afraid to be a poppy in a field of daffodils because that is the only way you can make it." -- Michaela DePrince

And I also have to share Bethany's favourite Bible verse. Considering Bethany's life, the promise of this verse is absolutely amazing!

"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." - Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

The Year in Review

My word for 2014 has been perseverance, and what a fitting word it has been. It has been a year of continually pressing through to the next step — with my jobs, with searching for a new home and my move, and definitely with starting my own business. It hasn’t been easy but, as the saying goes, nothing worth having is.

This time last year, I had applied on 30+ jobs looking for additional part-time work as I knew my hours would be cut at Wascana for most of this year. Perhaps I was overqualified for the jobs I was applying on, but more than likely God was holding off and preparing the way for a great part-time job for me — the one I got at Hansard.

Even that wasn't easy though. As much as I wanted the job, there was the waiting for applications to be reviewed, then the call for an interview, an interview in three parts (actual interview, grammar/punctuation/spelling test, and a transcription test), the week-long wait for all the other applicants to be interviewed, the call that I was accepted for eight days of training, then the eight days of training during what seemed like the absolute coldest and wind-chilliest days of the year (I really thought they were trying to break us and see what we were made of!), the eight-hour days of learning the Hansard style for all things punctuation, and finally the wait to see if we were chosen to be new Hansardines... What a process! But what a rewarding position it has been.

In late March I began the process of searching for a new place to call home. And again, what an interesting journey it was. It's truly amazing to see some of the offerings available and the price tags attached to them. I had five basic criteria:

1) quiet!
2) top floor
3) balcony
4) off-street parking
5) away from a busy street

God met three of the five criteria when I viewed a 2nd floor apartment at my current building. It was almost all I wanted it to be, but the timing wasn't right. We were up to our ears in work hours at Hansard and I just didn't see when I'd have time to pack, clean and move. So I let the chance go and half-hoped, half-assumed God would hold the apartment for me (it had been available since January!) or provide something even better. When I followed up with the landlord the next month, an apartment was still available, but it wasn't the same one. It was better! I got a top-floor apartment and it was at the back of the building — all five criteria were met!

And up next was leaving my job at Wascana and starting my own business... Again, perseverance was needed. Mostly that was due to the fact that I had originally planned to leave my job at Wascana at the end of the previous year (2013).  When we found out that the renovation work would be going ahead and I wouldn't be doing much in the way of bookings (75 to 95% of my job), I decided to continue a bit longer.

After the cruise this summer, I came back to work planning to give my notice within a few weeks, but SURPRISE! My boss gave her notice first! She left near the end of August and with September being a busy month, I persevered on. I felt that the absolute longest I was supposed to stay working at Wascana was Thanksgiving (mid-October) and it turns out I did stay right up until that time. It was hard to leave, but I needed to leave. It's hard (if not almost impossible) to chase your dreams part-time.

So, onto starting a business! I went into this a bit naively thinking that all I had to do was hang a shingle and my customers would form a line. Awesome, but unrealistic. Thankfully, I became a member of Women Entrepreneurs and learned quite a bit from a 8-week business planning course. It's taken longer than I thought it would to get going, but I am starting off on the right foot and am thankful for that.

These verses are very fitting: “And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.”—Romans 5:3-4 (NKJV) Bring on the character and hope!

I wonder what the next year will hold for me...

Making the leap!

So far 2014 has been a year of change, so what's one more?

As of Thanksgiving I am done working at Wascana Centre Authority. It has been a good and challenging three years. I have grown immensely through this job and done things I know I couldn't have handled even five years ago, which is quite amazing when you think about it. I have been stretched to capacity; I have had some great opportunities, and now it's time to make the leap and jump into the unknown.

Mark Twain once said, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor, and catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” With this in mind, I am beginning my own business - Prairie Girl Websites & More - creating and maintaining information-based websites and administering social media platforms for small to medium-sized businesses and organizations.

Although I have done this type of work occasionally for years, this will be quite a leap of faith to do it full-time and to run my own business. I know I can do it, but it will certainly be a challenge. God is in this change and I'm certain He will use it to continue to grow and stretch and teach me. It's just like Him to take me completely out of my element and then show me His faithfulness!

2014: The Year of Perseverance!

With the changing of calendars comes a change in focus for me in this new year - from joy in 2013 to perseverance in 2014.

Perseverance can be described as 'steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.' Synonyms of perseverance include persistence, tenacity, determination, staying power, steadfastness, purposefulness; patience, endurance, application, diligence, dedication, commitment, doggedness, tirelessness, stamina.

There are several verses in the Bible that mention perseverance, but the one that stands out to me the most is Romans 5:3-5:

"And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."~ New King James Version (NKJV)

I'm mostly focusing on the fact that perseverance produces character and character produces hope, but here are a couple of other versions to compare with. I find it interesting that joy is a necessary ingredient on the path to perseverance. I think I may just need it!

"There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!" ~ The Message (MSG)

"Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation. Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us." ~ Amplified Bible (AMP)

It will be interesting to see what lessons I'll learn and how this year of perseverance will affect me and my future. Stay tuned...