Stepping into your God-given unique design requires courage.

I love The Wonder Woman Challenge website.  It represents me pretty well.  It’s cute, girly, feminine, fun, etc.  Does that mean it’s not relevant?  No, not at all.  It is quite relevant and where it looks like it’s all fun and games, it is far from that.

I keep hearing over and over stories of women who have lost themselves in taking care of their families and responsibilities.  And/or in pleasing everyone but themselves putting everybody else’s needs above their own.  The outcome is always sickness, depression, and unhappiness.  Time and time again I hear a version of this story.

Realize that this does not have to be a way of life for you.  You always, always have choices.

Have you ever considered what you’re designed to be?  Who you are designed to be?  Do you know what makes your heart sing?  What brings you absolute joy in a soulful way?

Stepping into your God-give unique design is a simple decision that will look different for you depending upon where you are on the journey.

1. If you have no idea what your unique design is then your decision is to choose to take the path to discover it.  This requires playful exploration along with personal coaching.  The Wonder Woman Challenge provides both of these elements.

1. If you already know what your God-given unique design is but are not living it out then your decision is to step out in courage and into your design.  This, too, can require coaching and continued self-care strategies to keep you in tune with your needs, desires, and dreams.

Either way, you are one decision away from discovering who are you, which means living a joy-filled life.

If it’s that simple why does it take courage?  Because you are daring to believe that you can be something different than you are right now regardless of your current circumstances.

I can guarantee that you are a beautiful, brilliant, passionate woman waiting to be recognized as such.  It’s all within you.  Take the simple step that’s right in front of you to know, be, and live your God-given unique design.

Which simple decision do you need to make today that will take you to what you were designed to be?  Do you need to begin the discovery journey or are you ready to step into your design and live it?

I would love for you to share where you are on this journey.  Leave a comment below, and as always, please let me know how I might help.

It is amazing what can happen in your life when you pursue and live in your joy.  My self-nurture or self-care journey began during a time in my life when I was depressed, which meant I was certainly out of tune with myself.  When we are not connected with our spirit, with who we are, that disconnect not only leads to depression but can lead to all kinds of illnesses.  You can read more of this story on the About Page.

As my story reads it was the summer of 2006 when it all began to turn around for me.  I began to learn about myself particularly about what brought me joy.  I began to take care of myself by honoring my needs and making myself a priority to me in a healthy, balanced way.  As I began to live in my joy my world opened up.

Even though The Wonder Woman Challenge was conceptualized in 2006 it took two years for it to come into existence.  It did so as I continued to learn about my joy, my dreams, and my desires.  And this all led me on a path to the unexpected as I walked through each door that was presented before me.

What door did I walk through?  What did pursing my God given joy lead me to?

I was asked to be a guest writer for Pastor WD Favour’s Discover Yourself website where he asked me to tell the story.  It truly is an amazing 5-part story that will inspire you.

This Wonder Woman Challenge is not about vanity or selfishness.  It’s about knowing who you are and embracing yourself.  It’s about finding and living in your joy the way God created you in order to let your light shine.

If you want to see just how powerful this 30-day challenge can be and how it can change, yes, even your world then I challenge to read the full story “WD Stories” at Discover Yourself

Next I challenge you to take this 30-day challenge.  If you’ve already have then I challenge you to take it again.

It’s amazing what can happen in your life when you chose to pursue and live in your joy!

Self-care sets the stage for creativity and inspired ideas.  Personally, I have found that the better I take care of myself the more inspired ideas I receive.  Anytime during a walk, a bubble bath, working on an art project, listening to music, gardening, etc., I can receive an idea that can get my blood pumping with excitement.

Do you ever experience that?  How do you react to your inspired ideas?  Are they met with resistance and judgment or with an open heart and courage?

An inspired idea can become an inspired reality when we embrace the idea with courage taking the next step in front of us.  It doesn’t mean that it has to be a long drawn out process as we can move as fast as we’re willing to go.  But sometimes we get stuck in resistance and fear for lots of different reasons that I’ll not cover right now as that can be a post all in itself.  So the best way to conquer fear and/or resistance is to act in courage by taking the next step in front of you.

Maybe you’re thinking that you don’t have any inspired ideas or dreams.  Many women have spent years taking care of every one and everything to the point they are numbed out and their dreams have become buried.  This also means that inspired ideas are rare.  Is that you?  Then I suggest you start playing immediately to create joy in your life!

The more we consistently nurture ourselves the more inspired ideas we receive, and also the more in touch we’ll be with our joys and dreams.  This also means that you will begin to move away from depression if this is something that grips you.

Speaking of depression.  I’m acting on an inspired idea and taking the next step in front of me to achieve it.  I’m compiling stories of how women have overcome depression.  The stories will more than likely be put together in an e-book although that’s not totally determined yet.  This is a “women helping women” project for the purpose of giving hope and encouragement for so many who struggle with depression.

If you have a story or know someone who has a story please email me at wonderwoman@shileennixon.com for information on how to participate.

We have discussed that:

1.    Self-care sets the stage for inspired ideas and fulfilled dreams.
2.    When the ideas come you must embrace those ideas. Take courage and act on them quickly before they die out.
3.    Embracing these two concepts will help to move you away from depression and towards your joy.

Are you practicing self-care?  Are you receiving inspired ideas?  Are you courageously acting on them?  When was the last time you allowed yourself to dream?

Please leave a comment with your thoughts.

Jillian from “Biggest Loser” said something like,  “He needs to figure out that the self-image he created for himself just isn’t true.”  She was referring to a very young, obese contestant who was voted off the ranch Tuesday night.  No doubt at all she was right about the young man.

Her statement, though, grabbed me and I began to consider my own self-image.  

Have you ever gotten a message that who you are is not ok?  I sure have.  And for whatever the reason so many of us will take that message in and devour it until it becomes part of our identity. It can even sneak up on us … little things as well as really big important things.  We begin to create a self-image that just isn’t true.

I have found that my message lately has been “it’s ok to be you.”  It’s not just “ok”, it’s fabulous to be you.  You are the only person in this entire universe who can be you, who can influence the way you do, who can bless the way you do.  You can have the same job or “calling” in life as the next person but no one can do it like you because there is no one else like YOU. 

You are unique.  I am unique.  Embrace your differences.  Embrace all of those things that make you, you.  I suggest even embracing your shortcomings rather than fighting them.  It’s ok to have weaknesses.  It’s what you do with them that count. 

Learn to celebrate your strengths and manage your weaknesses.

The other day I noticed that I was berating myself because my fitness activity is not where it “should” be.  Should be according to whom??

I took a step back and had an honest moment with myself. What I discovered was that winter is not my best time of year.  I’m not competing (yet!).  I am in a healthier state that I’ve been in years.  I decided to embrace the situation.  It’s ok!  I’m ok!  So instead of setting fitness goals that will go against my natural rhythm, I decided to set goals that will flow for me. 

My goal for the remainder of the winter is to eat healthy and move my body every day.  I am happy to maintain.  Come spring I’ll set a lofty fitness goal and go for it with all I have.

What a relief!  I could have remained stuck in that berating mode but instead I took steps that nurtured a positive self-image and self-esteem such as:

     1.   Notice your thoughts, feelings, and actions.  What are they telling you?

     2.   Step back and have an honest and open moment with yourself.

     3.   Discover what you need.

     4.   Embrace yourself in a way that will create a positive flow of energy.

     5.   Set your goals accordingly and go with it!

I ask you …

     Is the self-image you have created for yourself true?

     Are you berating yourself over something that’s creating and/or supporting a negative self-image?

     What changes can you make to turn that around?

As stated in my last post, “Telling Secrets”, this year is the year for courage. I declared it not only there, but I’ve been sharing it with friends, family, and whoever will listen. The interesting thing about it is that right out of the 2009 gate there have been opportunities to practice courage. To me they are pretty big things. It certainly makes me wonder what the heck is ahead of me as I am certain that my experience so far is just practice.

It takes courage to speak our truth. Speaking our truth allows what is deep inside of us to come out – our hopes, dreams, desires, beliefs, who we are. Many of us let life’s not so fun circumstances run amuck, which swallows up our truth eventually leaving us lost and depressed. Oh my, how I know that all too well. There comes a point in time, though, when enough is enough.

Enough IS enough! That’s what I am hearing, in so many words, from my clients. Who they are deep inside is screaming to get out. I’ve been there and I know what that feels like.

What holds us back? What holds you back? Boil it all down and the answer is fear. There’s a lot of good advice out there about facing your fears. I just heard a little phrase yesterday – “feeling the fear and doing it anyway”. Not bad … but the bottom line is this. “As a man thinketh in his heart so is he.” or “What we think about comes about.”

Understanding what we’re afraid of can be helpful, but by all means, stop focusing on it! You’ll just keep getting more of the same. Thanks, but no thanks!!

Today, right now let your focus be on courage, whatever the situation, and speak your truth! Don’t let those thoughts of fear keep you from speaking and living your truth. That fear may have been true for you once upon a time, but it no longer is your truth today.

Focus on courage! Focus on your truth! Speak it! Believe it and watch your spirit soar!!

“Be strong and courageous …” Joshua 1:6