Inspired Woman: Finding My Purpose from Christy Wright’s Business Boutique

When it comes to trying to find meaningfulness in the work you do, you might think of the phrase ‘Do what you love’. The problem for me was, I didn’t know what that one thing ‘I love’ is. I am a business owner, a wife, and a mother. I love each of those parts of my identity. I am proud of each of those parts of my identity. But somehow, I still felt like something was missing.

Then, just a few moments ago, while I was talking to my friend Angela, something sparked in me. It was the same feeling I had earlier today I talked to my sister, Annie. And, very similar to the excitement that was in my voice yesterday when I talked to my sister Katy, and also to my dear friend, Laura. During each of those conversations, I came alive doing WHAT I LOVE. I didn’t realize it until this last conversation today, but I love talking to and providing inspiration to others. When I look back at my life work (all 35 years of it), I realized that I come the most alive, am my best me, when I am filling the ‘bucket’ of other people I believe in.

I do think this my God-given talent.

 

Christy Wright’s Business Boutique

I was talking with my friends and family about the conference I attended this past weekend in Nashville. It was a conference for women who start small businesses, Christy Wright’s Business Boutique. This event was life-changing for me. Through this event, the books I have read, and podcasts I have listened to since the event (more about those in a bit), I have come alive. I feel like I am bursting with a secret that I want to tell the disheartened, lost, or scared. That is that everyone has God-given talents that they are to share with the world.

God-given talents, I have always believed in them. I believe this is why some people have a passion and talent for singing, dancing, acting and other creative endeavors. Many others are born with the innate ability to figure out how things work and then create new things that work. Some people are born with a strong desire to fly, and become pilots. Others want to find cures to diseases and make it their life’s work. And then we have pastors, priests, and theologians that read and study scripture and translate it for us so that we can have God’s meaning in our life.

Not every job or passion has the most glamorous title, either. I’ll never forget the woman running the front desk at my hotel this past weekend. She was one of the friendliest, sweetest demeanor-ed persons that I have met in a long time. I like to call these types of people “cute”, though I am not sure how to say that to a grown woman without sounding condescending. However, she was just as cute as can be. Feeling super inspired (I had just read the book You are a Badass, by Jen Sincero, on the plane), and I wanted this woman working at the front desk to know just what I thought of her. I told her how lovely, charming, and sincere I thought she was. The big smile that she was already beaming told me, “It is easy when you are doing what you love”. She knew the secret already.

What I learned is that what you love doesn’t have to be fancy or make sense to everyone else, it just needs to feel right in your heart. So, that is what I am doing. I am going to continue to be a business owner, a wife, and a mother. I am going to work at being a badass at those. But, I am a girl inspired and I now know what I love doing, and that is inspiring others as well.

Who do I think I am, anyway?

Part of me has wanted to start a blog for a while. I wasn’t sure what it would be about. I wasn’t sure if I would be any good at it. I wasn’t sure if I could share deep inner parts of me with people I don’t know. AND, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to take the leap and not worry about what others thought of it (me).

The Business Boutique this weekend helped with all of that. Get over myself. This isn’t about me. This is about you, whoever you are. If my thoughts or writing have inspired you in some way, than this is for you. God has given me talents, thoughts, feelings, and a whole circumstance of situations that others may just very well need to hear that someone else is feeling the same, or has gone through it, or thought it was funny too. That’s why I’m here.

About me –

I am a daughter of two wonderful people that have been in love for over 50 years. Their love story is what makes me believe in love stories. I am one of their twelve children, all natural, no twins, no adoptions, etc. (I’ve heard it all- and yes, we are Catholic). I am a daughter in progress, because I know that I should call them more, visit more, and do more for my parents. They won’t be here forever and I can do better.

I am a wife to a husband that trusts me and believes in me, and that I trust and believe in. I am a wife in progress, because I know that I am not always the kind of loving wife he deserves. I know I have been filling buckets of other people all day long, and sometimes he gets the last little drop left.

I am a mother to four young, beautiful children that have some special needs (Autism, ADHD, Anxiety, and Epilepsy). I am working on being a good mother. I don’t want to get preachy for a minute because I know of a million times I could have made a better choice, listened longer, had more patience, made crafts instead of turned on a show, etc. I am always a work in progress mom.

Lastly, I am an entrepreneur. I started a hair bow business a few years back. It is less about the bows (though I do love the bows, the ribbon, and seeing the little girls so excited to wear them), than it is about doing something that is mine, and being around other creative entrepreneur women.

Now what?

I don’t know. God inspired this post (it flowed from me faster than anything else ever has), and the blog name for that matter. I have been praying and praying that I use my talents for His purpose. I am going to go with this and let you all into my life.

If you need inspiration, then here are my recommendations:

1) You need to read this book!

This started it all for me. I read it in about 3-4 hours on the way to the Business Boutique, and it contains a whole lot of motivation to do something great. Something with purpose. AND it is a #1 New York Times Best Seller. So just read it, and get over yourself.

2) If you have an idea, a business, or something inside of you that you feel like you were meant to do, then go to a Business Boutique Event: https://www.businessboutique.com/events/. You will not be sorry.

3) Listen to Christy Wright’s podcasts: https://www.businessboutique.com/podcast/. These are like mini Business Boutique events, and she has great guests with useful information to those just starting out.

4) Follow people that are inspirational. Read their books. Like their pages. Sign up for their emails. Listen to their podcasts, etc. Dave Ramsey had a great point this weekend at the event. He said, “as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” – proverbs 23:7. Jen Sincero said it a little more bluntly, “Cut off the stream of crap. What do you focus on in your day-to-day- life? If you want to help the world, and yourself, keep your frequency high and do your work from a place of power and joy”.

I hope that you have found this post, me, or my newly-realized passion, inspiring. Sign up for email alerts if you want more.

On that note, if I may be so bold, could you take a moment to fill my bucket? Comment and let me know if this post was helpful in some way to you. Your through-the-keyboard high five it would be so appreciated.