Hope Works

 

oftentimes the things that we repeatedly think about and the things we repeatedly say 

become who we are and what others remember about us

a photo of my daddy sits by my home monitor 

his soft gaze looks at me as i work in the wee hours of the night and early morning

oh how i wish i could talk to him in person

but the words i hear my daddy say to me in my mind are the words i heard him say so often

words of counsel

words of encouragement

words of love

but so very often the words of hope

my father was a spiritual man who drew strength and wisdom from the words of the scriptures 

that lucky for me he passed on to his family

one of my favorite things i heard my daddy teach about was hope

my father's adopted definition of hope was an "earnest expectation"

taken from one of my most beloved chapters in scripture, Romans 8 verse 19 

and Philippians 1:20

an earnest expectation

in an address at a conference of women Lisa Valentine Clark said

'when we don't know where to begin, we begin with hope.  hope has the power to change our attitude.  hope sometimes comes from our actions and sometimes comes through inner feelings."

we begin with hope

with earnest expectation of a change in how you feel or a change in an outcome

earnest can be defined as 'resulting from or showing sincere and intense conviction'

for me this anticipation of change in nature or change in situation 

must be coupled with a sincere and intense conviction in God's loving nature and his work and his glory

"to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man"  (Moses 1:39)

which can only come through the process of becoming

most importantly, becoming as Christ

oh the joys that come

but oh the pain and the strife

no one is exempt

which means that we are each others' learning material and experts on how to find hope

we have all felt it sometime in our life 

we have felt of its transformative power

its sustaining power

its restful power

because of this universal reality of the state of man

to learn, to grow, to be stretched, to rise, to fall, to find peace, to feel despair, to find rest, to find joy

it is my firm belief that we each must speak up and

"be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you"

(1 Peter 3:15)

we must share our stories of hope

even if we are in the middle of it

even if we have not seen the light yet

we can speak of the light in our hearts

our speaking can spark a hope in the hearts of someone else

it doesn't need to be on a public platform

you just need to have an open and willing heart 

that if the opportunity presents itself in speaking to another in need 

that you will be ready to share your story and give an answer for the reason for your hope

your sharing may just be showing them where they can begin

it has been my honor to learn from so many in my life through the sharing of their stories

through my podcast The LifeBeats Project I have been continually amazed 

at the willingness of my guests and my community members so many to share their journeys for the benefit of others

i continually seek out opportunities to hear from the brave ones willing to share

recently i was able to attend a brilliant and inspirational TED talk like event called

Hope Works

put on by the Mormon Channel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

in which 6 speakers shared their life experiences and insights of how they feel hope and love

particularly through the light of the Savior Jesus Christ

as i listened to 

the honest and real feelings of a struggling mother trying to feel enough

a paralyzed equestrian vaulter trying to understand who she now was after her accident

a mother trying to explain what it feels like to see life in a whole new way after losing her child

a man trying to find purpose in his career and what he could do that would truly matter

a relationship coach learning from one of his patients of the pain of scars and on how healing can begin

and a man's enlightened experience of learning globally from people of other religions and background

i was filled

there was no podium, no screen, no barrier between them and myself

it was if they were speaking just directly to me

i could feel their pain 

but oh could i feel their joy

there is a power in hearing others' stories

those LifeBeats inside of us connect with the LifeBeats within their story

those core desires within us all

to feel loved, to want to serve, to want to reach our potential, to be understood, to want to feel needed, to want to feel that what we are doing and how we are living has meaning

if you are in need of a little hope

i invite you reach out to someone you love, someone you admire, a place of inspiration 

and hear how others have found hope in their lives

i invite you to hear the stories of the inspiring guests of my podcast The LifeBeats Project

you can even listen to one of the speakers from the event Hope Works that i attended over on YouTube

friends make hope an earnest expectation in your lives

draw on the stories and strength from others

root your sincere anticipation of that rest, peace, and joy that will come in our Savior Jesus Christ

for hope lives

hope conquers

and hope works 

when have you felt hope in your life?  how did you find it?

The LifeBeats Project Story Search Soiree

in the Spring i hosted a Story Search through my podcast The LifeBeats Project

in conjunction with Diana Putnam Photography's series Rose Colored Lenses

asking my listeners to submit stories of people who inspire them

or to share their own inspirational story

it is part of my mission to be able to share how extraordinary people are with you

i had 20 nominees submit stories

and how could i only share 2 of them with you

reading through each one of their stories was so uplifting and inspiring 

that i decided i would honor them all

welcome to the first Story Search Soiree

at my beautiful new home

keeping it simple was my goal

in order to focus on why we were gathering

people

and their stories

our simply beautiful decorations

felt ball garlands, floral buntings, wooden flatware, and sunburst napkins

were there to add sunshine and feminine fun

provided by the darling party and paper store My Paper Crush

dedicated to having all the pretty things in one place

you have a chance to win a $50 gift card to their darling shop

by simply following the steps shown on my Instagram post of the soiree

giveaway will end Thurs Sept 22 so hurry and enter

our guests were provided with some gifts as little physical reminders of how truly amazing they are

notebooks and pen by My Paper Crush

my favorite heartbeat necklace by Sweet Lemon Boutique

perfect for my brand and a special gift to my interviewed guests

beautifully burned wood leather wrap 'be brave' bracelet by Sweet Saltwater Designs

seven of us gathered together

some arriving after our photos

to share in a delicious meal made by my loving mother who knows how much cooking stresses me out

she used fresh vegetables from our garden as part of her main shrimp pasta dish

strawberry shortcake my favorite for dessert

i am glad we got the women behind the lens out in front

to know Diana is to love her

she has a heart of gold and a magical talent

the darling Ashley Lundgreen of Visage Artistry

when i envisioned this dinner

i imagined it to be for the purpose of coming together in meaning conversations and to share our stories

three of the attendees shared their stories through video

together we watched them and were able to discuss together the underlying stories

each of us shared a piece of our story

and we talked into the dark of the evening

creating connection and learning from one another

it couldn't have gone any more perfectly

here are the videos for you to witness the beauty of each of these stories

the passionate Carissa of Family History Modernized

i am so excited to share with you this coming week on my podcast The LifeBeats Project

about the new social media campaign i will be launching soon

to help give everyone who wants to share their story an opportunity to do so

to share that #lifebeatsforme

the incredible Tami Schlappi, one of our selections to interview on the podcast

hear her full podcast episode here

"Trusting in God and His plan even in times of great loss and when you plan doesn't align with His"

putting my inner voices in time out

there is always some fight within yourself when you are nearing a major breakthrough in your life
your current self just doesn't want to let go of the good thing you’ve got going on right now
good defined as 
comfortable
familiar 
expected
not necessarily good defined as
good for you
change is hard
especially when you keep having that loud and intense inner battle of two voices within yourself 
that you wish you could just rip out of your mind 
tell them to play nice and work it out 
or they are just going to have to just stay there in timeout until they can get along

one voice tells you 
that you are ready to take that next step
you are strong 
you are capable
you’ve got what it takes 
you can rise above
the other voice laughs at you and says
who are you fooling
you can’t change 
look at what you’ve done in the past 
what makes you think that today will be any different
my head is spinning right now just thinking about it
because that has been the battle going inside my mind for months
and i am here today to tell you that as loud as that debbie downer voice has been screaming in my mind 
she has now faded to a whisper
that duct tape must have done the job
no in all fairness i cannot pin point one major event that has triggered this most incredible quieting of the mind and propelled me on to my next level of growth
it has been the compilation of many, many little efforts and the surrendering of myself to faith 
faith in me 
faith in my God
and faith in the circumstances I have been currently blessed with
it has been a loooong fight 
and i have no doubt that that duct taped voice in my head may find her way to a bullhorn once again but next time she’s going to find a new me
one that will have grown in my inner debbie downer silencing skills
change is in the air once again
so watch for some tremendous growth coming on all fronts over here as i climb to that next level of achievement

from a dancing chicken to a positive self-image: the power of daily affirmations for you and your children

ok so how many of you have done daily affirmations
you know, that thing when you say great things about yourself aloud
i mean, don’t we always say nice things about ourselves
well if you fall into the ‘saying nice things to myself out loud is cheesy and weird’ camp 
you have been in good company with me
until now

doing something new in your life that requires you to stretch and grow is hard work
it makes you reach down deep inside and pull out everything you’ve got
it takes all your insecurities and parades them straight in front of your face
you step out of that comfort zone and into that arena for the world to watch you squirm and struggle as you take those initial unsteady steps 

the subjection of ourselves to the scrutiny of our own doubts and the world’s peering eyes
makes it rather difficult to want to stay on that course
of ‘the new’
the dream
the quest
the change
and especially long enough to reach that other side
the side of accomplishment, success, fulfillment, triumph
for by the time you have crossed over into those things
most of the work has already been done

so how can we stay the course
for we all know why we must
why we want to
why we continue to place ourselves in positions to grow, change, dream
but that ‘why’ is different for every one of us
what makes us get up and try again after a fall is different for you and me

as i have been on this journey of being a new business owner and building my success story
a legacy for my family and those of you who link arms with me in the process
my ‘why’ has grown 
but what has gotten in the way of achievement has been myself
my own doubts
my own fears
in myself
those self-sabotaging thoughts and barbed wire i placed around my dreams as i wrote about here 

so how have i overcome them and turned them off
oh they are still there
they creep in whenever i give them a crack of opening into my mind
and even the little ones that leak in are loud and echoing
you’re not good enough
you’re inexperienced
you’ll never be as successful as them
what makes you think you can do this

i think you know them all too well

during my trip to Baltimore for Nerium i experienced something different that i had never experienced before
something that pierced me to the very heart and brought me to tears
it was the power of affirmations
in a room full of 5,000 people a man named Mark Michaud stood on stage and asked for our participation in an experiment
he first asked us stand up and act like we had won a million dollars
yell, scream, jump up and down
however we would act and really mean it
i have to say that i felt very apprehensive standing up
you know that feeling you had at camp or at your music performance when you had to flap your arms like a chicken or do some painful choreography of acting like a dead tree
yeah it was kind of like that at first
but as i looked around and saw others exploding with excitement
hugging each other, screaming, waving their arms in the air
the energy was palpable and contagious
i felt the temperature rise inside of me as i began to join them in the jubilation of winning a million dollars
Mark then instructed us to then take that excitement and with that feeling of positive energy and true belief
repeat loudly after him
wait...what?
we’re going to do that thing where i say nice things about myself?
out loud?

but i just went with it
with all the energy and belief i could muster

and then it began

i am a leader
i am a winner
i am changing the world
i control my destiny
i am strong
i am courageous
i overcome challenges positively
i help people daily
i am a warrior
i am unstoppable
i love my life
i am grateful
i am worthy
i can do anything
i am a champion
this is my time
this is my time
this is my time

as i yelled out these words i was transformed
i felt of their truthfulness in my soul
i am strong
i am worthy
these two particularly struck me to the core as i repeated these for the world to hear
it changed me

why is it so hard for us to think so positively about ourselves
if we are not going to believe these things about us
who will we believe
we must realize the impact our underlying thoughts play out in all of our actions
we need to fix our thinking

on that plane ride home as i sat there in the rays of the sun
i thought about the impression saying those simple things about myself made
and i thought about my children
how do i want them to think about themselves
how do i want them to think about who they are now, who they can become, what they can dream and achieve
i decided that these daily affirmations needed to be a part of our routine
and so it began

each morning on the way to school we take turns thinking of something wonderful that we just won or received
a trip to Disneyland
an endless supply of Legos
a house on top of the mountain
a million dollars
a trip to Paris

Felicity now chimes in
‘what did you win Mom’

and then we channel that enthusiasm into our daily affirmations
or good words
{we are trying to come up with a more kid-friendly term...suggestions welcome}
sometimes one person is in charge
sometimes we take turns

i am awesome
i am obedient
i am a worker
i am a winner
i am strong
i am a champion
i am a child of God
i like Legos
{somehow they are always involved}

i confess there have been many mornings i have not wanted to do this
some mornings we are running late
the fight over the front seat becomes intolerable
so and so breathed on me
and the tone of our excitement and decibel level may vary
but we have done it every day
i want my children to feel of the power of a positive self-image
i want my children to know from a young age that they are worthy of achievement
whatever form that may come in
they are worthy
we all are

i have read that how you speak to your children will become the voice in their head
but i would say that how you speak to yourself about yourself truly is that voice
what does it say to you
what will you believe

i challenge you to try some daily affirmations
you may feel like a dancing chicken on a stage at first but i promise it will change you

how has a positive self-image helped you achieve your goals and dreams?
how have you instilled that in your own children?

give me a push off the launchpad

hello friends
sending you all some crisp air and brightly painted leaves from this part of the world that experiences a true fall
friends its no secret that i rely on you
you my Sweet Dreams family
i recently reread the post that changed my life forever
the very first post in which i allowed myself to be vulnerable and share what Mike and I were truly experiencing
his long awaited diagnosis
this openness brought to my life one of the greatest blessings i could never have imagined
you
all of you
through your comments both on and off of this blog
i know that you care
i know that you are thinking about us
carrying our life and the weight of it upon your own shoulders
wrestling with the whys and hows
praying for us
some of you on a daily basis
you will never be able to comprehend how tangible all of that feels to me
i feel of your positive energy
i feel of your confidence in me
i feel of your prayers on our family's behalf

today i must ask for you help once again
its time for something else tangible

as you know, this past month we packed up our family in one week 
and moved up here to the mountains of Utah to be closer to what we pray is more suited healthcare for my husband Mike who has recently experienced a drastic decline with his Multiple Sclerosis
we are venturing on a new journey with me working to become the main provider for our family of six
something that must happen
and will
for i have been miraculously blessed to partner myself up with a ground breaking anti-aging company in the relationship marketing industry 
Nerium International
a company recently featured on the View and the Emmy's
i am launching my business here in Utah and would love your help in reaching out to as many people as possible
our phenomenal products and money making opportunity may not be for you,
but i would ask you to keep me in mind as you are talking with your friends and family who may be wanting to look ten years younger or make some real extra money
to celebrate the launch of my business here i am hosting two parties at my home in Draper
if you are here in Utah
i would love to see you and catch up!!

the parties will be 
TODAY Thursday the 3rd at 7:00 pm
NEXT Wednesday the 9th at 7:00 pm

see the FB invites for more details

https://www.facebook.com/events/221637984662400/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming

https://www.facebook.com/events/412272448874090/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming

for EVERYONE

please CLICK LIKE on my new business Facebook page to help spread the word

and to keep up to date with the latest products and accolades from our company

lets test the power of the press of a button

once i reach 100 likes i will be doing a giveaway of our flagship product

Nerium AD Age-Defying Night Cream

what gave us the freedom to pick up and move my business here to Utah?

the blessings of relationship marketing 

to be able to do my business from wherever i am

so you don't live in Utah and you want to find out more about how you can get the hottest anti-aging products on the market

click here

or learn how you can start making money and building dreams for your family

no more somedays

only todays

click here

or visit our website at www.mikeandbriana.nerium.com 

then email me at mikeandbriana6 at gmail dot com if you would like to try a 30 day sample with a 30 day money back guarantee
or receive more information on how you can get start your own business with Nerium

after only three months of use

my skin had dramatically improved

but don't take my word for it 

watch this short video showing others' incredible results using Nerium AD

thank you dear friends
i can't wait to see your name flashing across my screen as my newest Facebook supporter
or wanting to let me help you look better and live better through Nerium

who is that girl?

***

there have been a lot of private battles over the past couple of weeks
yes even for me
one who is very open in sharing
but you all must know that beneath all that i share
lies a whole other level of grief, loneliness, refinement, and sacred joy
some of which only my family knows
some of which only the dearest of friends know
and still the deepest of which no one but the Lord knows

there has been a battle that has been raging on for some time
which has been heightened by this move
by Mike's continual decline in health
by my continual reflection of who i am
what defines me

as i move forward in this new life
i seem to move further away from the girl that i know
that girl i grew accustomed to seeing when i gazed in that mirror

who is that girl?

this morning my heart is full for friendship
the kind that looks at you and sees you
not for the things that you would define yourself as
but looks at you and sees you as the sum of those minute transformations you have experienced and are currently experiencing
who sees all that reigns down upon you to shape you
those things that are just plain brutal and hurt
who sees all those seemingly small triumphs in your character
as well as those grand achievements and blessings of joy
who knows you for the person you are
the person you battle to not be
and the one you battle to be

today i relinquish the rest of my battle story to my dear friend leslie
whose friendship is that very kind
whose words share my heart with you
to be brave
and not shrink at the battlefront of tearing down what i would define myself as
but to be bold in unearthing beneath that all
the reflection of myself that would most reflect Him

please travel with me over to her blog
my happily ever after
to her post 'who is that in the mirror?'

i'd love to hear from you:
have you ever experienced such drastic transformation that at one point you didn't recognize yourself?
how did you feel and what did you do to accept that unearthed you?

***purchase print by storytellingart here

the other side of the weekend: being fed at every turn

mike and i took a leap of faith and sent me to dallas for the Nerium national convention this past weekend
loaded up with 45 bracelets that i planned to sell there to pay for my trip

i packed up my only business clothes that i had
threw in some high heels that i rarely wear but love any reason to
soon after mike came home from the store with his ‘dad’s alone with the kids’ food pyramid
{i could seriously hear my children’s arteries clogging}
i kissed my kiddos and hubby goodbye

i worried about leaving all the kids with mike
knowing his limitations
but i also knew of his incredible parenting skills and prayed all would be well
for weeks he has had the kids on a summer schedule
packed with morning preparation, scripture memorization, flashcard review, reading, snacktime, and physical fitness
no joke, this dad is a father of champions
with me taking the reins of providing for the family more
he has taken the lead on achieving some incredible things i have attempted to do with the kids for years
why is it that kids just seem to respond better to dad than mom
{read his side of our weekend here. packed with awesomeness and gross-outs}

i am not afraid to travel by myself but i still get nervous about logistical stuff like missing my flight and finding the right shuttle to the right terminal
the difference is that i only have myself to worry about instead of 5 other people
in san diego i parked my car in a park n ride place and hopped onto the shuttle
in a panic i looked for my phone only to discover i had left in my car
ugh.  i had to ask the shuttle driver to turn around
thankfully he was kind about it saying that this has happened before, mainly with women
i jumped out and found my phone on the driver’s seat
quickly returned to the shuttle
jumped in
only to realized that i didn’t lock my car
aww
i jumped back out and literally ran back to my car in my heels
locked it and headed back
an eventful start to my trip
thankfully i’m really good at laughing at myself

i love airports 
they give me a rush knowing i’m heading somewhere
i love to travel and married someone with the same love
if we could have it our way, we’d travel the world with our kids
and of course sometimes without them
i studied humanities in college
and am fascinated by the way others view the world and the beauty they create to capture their perspective and philosophies 

i love airplanes
i began flying by myself when i was about ten
my grandpa was a pilot
which enabled me to fly fairly inexpensively to go visit him and my grandma in park city, utah
my second home growing up
i love the thrill of taking off
that rush of sound and velocity
and being up above the clouds is so peaceful and causes for great reflection as you look down on the world below
just in case i was close to heaven i looked for daddy;)

during my two and a half hour flight i decided to take that time and blog
by hand writing on paper
something i haven’t done in a long time
the words seemed to flow naturally with the movement of my hand

from the moment i stepped on that shuttle after i arrived i was greeted by incredibly friendly people
all headed the same place for the same reason
to make their lives and the lives of others better
you can see it on their faces, you could hear it in their words, you could feel it in their embrace and greeting
the culture of this company is so unique and i tell you it changes you

the first night i stayed up til two chatting with some of the leaders in the company
people i knew the faces well having seen them on videos and on stage
it was rather intimidating at first, but their conversations put me at ease
and then guess what, something marvelous happened i slept in til 10
what??!!
i was in disbelief 
i could stop right there and the trip would have been worth it

as i was waiting for the conference to begin along with the other 10,000 people that were there
i was greeted by a text from mike sending me a card Tate wrote to Eyan from Eyan’s ‘girlfriend’

Eyan was not thrilled
i think its hilarious
you can see Eyan's scribble attempt to change this to be from Tate's girlfriend

throughout the three day conference i received a variety of texts from mike like this:
‘i’m so glad that you are there’
‘we’re out of wipes!!!!!’
‘you’re the best.’
‘i cannot tell you how proud i am of you... you are being incredible in going out trying to help us become financially independent and build something incredible.’
‘did you lay out clothes for felicity...she may or may not be in the same dress she was in when you left’
‘you’re the best. and i’m so glad you have been there. everything went real smooth here. but i’m ready to have you home!!!’

i am the luckiest woman in the world to have a husband who feeds into me like that
always building me up, always demonstrating confidence in me, always doing his best to be an incredible father
how can i be anything but successful when i have a constant influx of optimism and love coming my way 

those three and a half days were packed with continually feeding from those around me
my husband
my team
strangers
my leaders

heaven smiled upon me in placing me in a team of people who care about me and my family
jimmy is one of the leaders of our team and his continual inspiration played a large part in being able to hurdle over those initial months of self-doubt
he had encouraged me to make those 45 bracelets to sell
reassuring me that they would sell and he would help me to do it
one of the mornings we set up shop outside of the vast convention ballroom

i was overcome with gratitude as jimmy and his parents directed crowds of ladies over to my bracelets
calling out ‘have you heard about the Nerium bracelets...this is the girl’
to some people he happily shared my story
a mom with an ailing husband and four young children
working hard doing whatever she can to provide for her family
strangers came and hugged me, cheered me on, and bought my bracelets
one by one
tears of gratitude streamed down my face
this feeling of support and love from this culture continued
when jimmy handed me three one hundred dollar bills
i couldn’t believe what i was holding
i don’t know what he said, but he had shared my story with one of the ladies in corporate
she gave him the money to give to me from the company
i raced over to her and threw my arms around her
thanking her through tears for this generous gift
she told me it was from the company
to help pay for my trip and to go home to take care of my husband
she said, ‘this is what we do, we take care of our family.  and if you ever need anything else, please let me know.’
i couldn’t believe what i had just experienced
truly an affirmation of the company’s mission to make people better
and to create a culture of loving, caring, sharing

beside witnessing two major announcements for the company
that of the new daycream which supercharges the night cream for 24 hour anti-aging Nerium power
and the doubling of our commission structure with a builder bonus program
i learned so much about how to make small changes in my life to be better
better equipped to take care of my family and be a better version of me

favorite takeaways from the conference:

the more perspectives you see at the same time, the more success you can have
how are you looking at the world around you?
the words we use create a reality

we must seek to construct and change our view of reality through a more positive lens
we are used to looking at this photo and asking if we see it half empty or half full

we need to construct a new reality and what our brain focuses on
that those questions of half-empty or half-full don’t apply
a better question to ask is where is the pitcher
shawn achor ‘before happiness: the 5 hidden keys to achieving success, spreading happiness, and sustaining positive change’

your adversity is your advantage
your past has developed muscles not wounds
its not what you know, its what you do with what you know that matters
am i doing what i know?
you are the compound effect of the choices you’ve made up to this moment
success is not a result of heroic deeds or quantum leaps
success is a result of small, seemingly insignificant moment to moment choices
you will suffer one of two pains..the pains of discipline or the pain of regret...james rohn
the pain of discipline weighs ounces, the pain of regret weighs tons
darren hardy ‘the compound effect’

know who you are, where you’re going, and how you’re going to get there
people want to make a difference
turn people from a receiver to a transmitter and you can start changing people’s lives
people join this company for the product and the comp plan
they stay to make people better
i’m in the making people better business
we are looking for people who fearlessly believe in the mission
willing to give up something to make it happen
willing to do the thing that you said you committed to long after the mood has left
willing to build your dreams
willing of being accused of being driven
to succeed you must be willing to show up consistently over a long period of time, with desire and faith, willing to pay the price and do it with integrity
jeff olson ‘the slight edge’ ceo and founder of nerium

its not stepping on God’s toes to dream big
imagination is given by God
you can imagine, it separates us form the rest of God’s creatures
learn to manage choice and the gift of imagination
we are commanded to multiply stuff
{see the parable of the talents}
multiplying what i’ve got is what i’m expected to do
it is natural human instinct to ask ‘when can i rest?’
you can rest with the abundance of achievement
we must give ourselves permission to fail
however we have to learn to lose without being defeated
david byrd, ‘the next level achievement system’

as you can see i was indeed richly fed
ready to come home and be a better mother, wife, friend, teammate, and person
truly this experience has been a blessing from a loving Heavenly Father
who continues to tell me that i can do this
i can be successful at providing for my family
and he will continue to put tools and people in my path to accomplish that

what experiences and words have inspired you to be a better you?