Small Creatures, Big Lessons.

Today on my walk, I intentionally went a little slower and looked up. The whole way once I got to a certain part of my route, because I had noticed something the day before and today I was determined to count them. 27... 27 spiders (that I could see) have made their own high rise apartments in the power lines that run between all the people homes. I normally hate spiders, but today (because they were 20ft above my head) they taught me a life lesson. You see, they're spiders. They have one purpose in life... Eat insects, and eat them often.

So they simply do what God designed them to do. They build a remarkable home for themselves in the form of a geometrically woven piece of silky, sticky thread that is somehow magically produced by their own bodies, and that home doubles as a live trap to catch their food. I guarantee you they aren't worrying about where that thread will come from or if there will be enough of it to go around, or if they can climb high enough to get by the light source which attracts all the delicious treats. I promise you they aren't fretting over having enough food to eat or where it's going to come from... They just trust the process of their life.

I want to be like the spider. I want to do what God designed me to do. I don't want to worry about where things I need are going to come from or if there will be enough to go around. I don't want to fear climbing high enough to get to the source of that which nourishes me. I desire so much just to trust the process of my life. And to just live.

So today, learn a lesson with me from the spiders... The littlest beings of Creation are the best teachers. ❤️

Until the next #doseoftruth,

Shannon Busick

Conquering the Enemy Within... Break the Chains

"Conquering the Enemy Within" - Reflections of a Recently Attended Conference... with Dr. Felicia Shaw

A week ago today, I attended a conference by this title. By the end of it, I felt I had been given a revelation about the "enemy within". It's applicable to anyone - regardless of what you believe - because there is always a battle of good and evil going on in and around us. We are often our own worst enemy, and the way that we speak to ourselves, we would not tolerate from anyone else... so why do we allow it from our own thoughts? It's time to take a stand.

We live each day within the invisible boundary lines of, this thing we have come to know as, our comfort zone. Its shape is unique to each and every one of us. The true irony of the comfort zone is that we really don't experience any authentic comfort here - and it's not even all that safe. The enemies within each us live here, and their negative chatter is loud! But yet, it has the most persuasive and peculiar way of making us stay. Especially when we try to leave... their voices are deafening! And we plug our ears with our fingers and yell out, "Fine! Fine! I will stay here! You're right, you win - who am I to think I can venture outside of what I know?" And so it is.

Well, I was challenged last week, to once and for all, define my comfort zones and figure out the plan of action to break free from the bondage I experience here... to conquer the enemy of negativity that dwells here and to take back the power that was ALWAYS mine. But I realize now, that for each comfort zone I break--there will be another that lies in wait... to kill, steal and destroy all that I believe in. The challenge is - to keep fighting and to NEVER give up and settle for the furniture and accessories of mediocrity that decorate the space of our comfort zones. Regardless of how long it takes! Every day is a challenge of our own individual complacency... Will we fight?

If we will, we will win. We are created to be more than conquerors. Amen?

One of my favorite "life quotes"... by Marianne Williamson

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

The Little Black Box

I always enjoy sharing with you, the life lessons that I am continually being taught, and more often learning the hard way. (Just my stubborn hard-headedness my mom used to say I had. God rest her soul... I am so sorry Mom, LOL I totally understand now where you were coming from!) These are what I have coined #adoseoftruth ... and sometimes I just get blown away by concepts that are so simple in nature, but have a super profound impact on every aspect of our life...

For example: Each and every minute of the day is filled with Stimulus > Response scenarios... You know, the whole "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction..." thing?

Something stimulates us and *POOF* we respond to it... Good, bad or anywhere in between. What I have recently been working on realizing though, is that we do indeed have a choice that we are presented with in between the stimulus and our response, and THAT is where the power really resides... Kind of in a secret hiding place of sorts... for sake of conversation, we will call it The Black Box.

I mean really, how often do we just react to something without first asking ourselves... "What is an appropriate response to this situation? What response will yield the most favorable results for everyone involved?" Quite frankly, we don't. We just forge ahead, emotions usually leading the way, ending up with an often less-than-stellar result, and then...The Blame Game is cracked open and we roll out the Dice of You Do This, You Don't Do That. Yeah, that's always fun.

Holy cow!! How different could our lives be if we could just harness the incredible power of that black box between the Stimulus and our Response... And just take a moment to ground ourselves there before we forge ahead!?

I sincerely pray today, that we all will be able to take notice of that special space and our choices that we have there. We can literally change our lives and the lives of those we love, and the ripple effect will continue beyond what we could ever imagine. Keep your eyes open! Opportunities knock constantly.

Until the next dose,
Shannon

Ownership...

The evening last night was thick with the anticipation of many of us, waiting for first day of the next year to finally arrive. And it's here... it's 2015. Now what? What makes today different than any other? What makes this day different than any other January 1st that has ever arrived before? For me, I have one word that keeps speaking to me... Ownership.

By definition, ownership is the act, right or state of possessing something. Well, what if that "something" happens to be that which you do not want? Or even that which you do not want to admit is yours? I spoke in my last entry about life being a presentation of a series of chances and choices. And our life's path gets marked out by the decisions we make concerning those. The beautiful thing I like to focus on, is that at ANY given moment, we can take action and embark on a new path. We don't have to settle for the way things have always been, and we don't have to believe the lie that we are incapable of change, just because, "that's just who I am."

My personal January 1st will be filled with a few normal things. Externally, we will take down the tree and decorations and put them away for a new holiday season that is 12 months away. I will work on some laundry, do some piled up and smelly dishes, probably have a minor scuffle with my kids about their rooms being cleaned, try to make sense of my home-office and do some much needed filing... and I will make a trip to the gym. Seems like a pretty run of the mill, ordinary, mundane day. Nothing to profound and incredible going on here!

Ah, but internally... that's a whole other story unfolding. You see, today... I woke up and got on the scale, to find myself 10 lbs. heavier than I was on my wedding day, just 7 Saturdays ago. I have gained and lost these same 10 lbs. now since 2012. And admittedly, I have not been comfortable in my own skin since about 2009. So I have a choice to make... am I going to let yet another year go by in which I allow myself to believe the lie that, "that's just who I am." OR, am I actually going to stop giving myself good lip service and do something about it? The daunting thing about it, is that first, I have to go about losing those same 10 lbs. again that I have lost so many times before... and this time... go beyond it and get back on the path to a healthy lifestyle. It will only be accomplished through the act of showing up every day and claiming ownership of the things that I say that I want.

I wanted to have an entry about this, because I know that I am not alone. I know that someone else out there today, wants to change. Emotionally, physically, mentally, spiritually, relationally, financially... WE ALL DESIRE SOME FORM OF BETTERMENT. Often times, in all these areas at once. But sometimes, we just have to pick one and start somewhere! I know when I get overwhelmed, I shut down and do nothing... and Lord knows, THAT'S not helping ANYONE! :)

So today, I take Ownership of this: I have struggled with stress eating, I have struggled with an addiction to all things sweet in the world, I have struggled with self-confidence because of some imaginary standard I have allowed culture to put in my head about what I should look like... but I am not going to lie to you and say that it wouldn't be nice to look "like that." I have struggled with being consistent and being a woman of my word. BUT, this doesn't have to be where it ends. And sometimes being public with things means you step out and gain people who will hold you accountable to what you say you want to accomplish... That's a risk I am willing to take.

OWNERSHIP: January 1, 2015 > I am 5'2" > I am 194 lbs. of a kindhearted, spiritual, positive, compassionate, loving, strong and beautiful woman... who is a new wife and a heck of a mom. This number on the scale isn't indicative, in ANY way, of the value I bring to people's lives and the encouragement I can give to someone. It is an indication of the amount of gravity pull I have on the earth. I just want to make it lower so my dang back doesn't hurt all the time anymore!

Cheers to your own new year! What are you going to take ownership of?
Until the next dose,
Shannon