Author: jodiheisz

Creativity is Good for the Soul

~ jodiheisz ~ 3 Comments

“The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul.” 
— Dieter F. Uchtdorf 

Creativity has been a part of my life for as long as I remember. As a child I drew pictures, wrote short stories, recreated my favorite logos and sketched fashion design. I loved being creative. It was an escape into another world allowing me to explore new adventures and visit unchartered territories. 

I still love being creative. It’s safe to say I was destined to be the writer and graphic designer I am today using my creative abilities on a daily basis. 

My lifelong journey of being immersed in creative endeavors has showed me the value of creativity and how essential it is for the soul. When I am not creating, I get depressed. When I create, I feel alive. Creativity allows the space and time to connect to my true self with a sense of intimacy and meaning.

But what is creativity? Creativity is an activity that solves a problem. It’s the process of coming up with new ideas by making connections between concepts and unrelated things. You learn to see patterns across different mediums to read between the lines. Creativity takes your ideas and imagination bringing your dreams and vision to life with form, function and beauty.

The great truth about being creative is that anyone can do it. You don’t need to be an art genius like Picasso, Mozart or Leonardo Da Vinci. I don’t even come close their talents, but I still choose to create every day. You only need to give yourself permission and the time to develop your abilities.

God wants you to be creative because He is the source of all creation. Creativity opens your heart and mind allowing the Holy Spirit to work through you for inspiration and intuition. When God nudges you to create something, trust this. It’s His way of speaking to you making creativity a form of prayer and communion. It’s your opportunity to create something special for His glory and to heal your soul.

God wants you to express yourself in beauty, originality and authenticity. Creating is a method of communication for your soul to speak to yourself and to the world with your own unique voice. It helps you to learn who you are, the depths of your heart and the talents you possess. 

When you take the time to create, it allows you to be with yourself in solitude, peace and joy. It challenges you to try new things and overcome obstacles when things get difficult. When you create, it feels like time ceases to exist because you get lost in the moment being connected to God and your creation. 

Sometimes we stunt our creativity by doubting ourselves, setting unrealistic expectations, believing it’s a waste of time or thinking we don’t deserve to spend time being creative. No matter what the excuses are, let them go. Give your soul a chance the thrive and become alive with the spirit and energy of creativity. 

Some might say, I don’t have time to be creative. But you can always find time if you really want to. Instead spending an hour on Facebook, surfing online or gossiping on the phone, trade it with an hour of writing, drawing, painting, sculpting or taking photographs. Maybe let that load of laundry sit for a bit longer or do the dishes tomorrow morning. You can practice your creative skills by being creative with your time management.

Start with 20 minutes day. Over time, 20 minutes will turn into 30 minutes then 60 minutes. You’ll get into a groove making it easy to add more time. Once you feel the benefits of being creative and start to gain more confidence, adding more time will happen organically. 

God is calling you to create using your unique talents and abilities to bring more beauty and light into the world. Something you create might seem nothing to you but to someone else be a source of healing and joy. Your soul is begging for your creative heart and mind to awaken and become all who you are meant to be, to experience and to give. 

So get up and start creating today!

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

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Worry Less, Pray More.

~ jodiheisz ~ 5 Comments

“Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
– Philippians 4: 6-7

Don’t worry the Bible says. Yea…sure…easy enough right? 

Worrying has been center of my life for as long as I can remember. I worry about my kids. I worry about my finances. I worry about my health. I worry about my career. I worry about my future. 

When I try to stop worrying, I worry I will worry. Then I worry because I worried about worrying. Then I worry I will never stop worrying. Worry, worry, worry…

But the Bible clearly states over and over again to not worry and trust God with faith He will take care of my needs in any circumstance.

In Philippians 4:6-7, God tells us to do three things to help with our worries: Prayer, Petition, and Thanksgiving.

Prayer: Begin your prayer by reminding yourself of who God is. God is sovereign and in complete control.  He has the power to care of your needs and is faithful in this promise. This belief relieves the pressure of feeling you must do everything on your own.

You may not get what you want, but you will get what you need. Remembering this allows you to surrender with more peace and clarity to get through life’s challenges.

Petition: Worry is a waste of time. If you can change a situation, why worry because you can change it. If you can’t change a situation, why worry because there’s nothing you can do about it anyway. Worry accomplishes one thing….it robs your peace of mind.

Instead of worrying, talk to God about your concerns. When you talk to God about your worries, you get them out in the open and helps to relieve stress and anxiety from your situation. 

God already knows what’s bothering you, but He wants you to go to Him in need and have a conversation about it. This is how you build your relationship with Him. 

Relationships are your lifeline during troubled times for receiving compassion, guidance and support to heal and keep your head up high. That’s what relationships are all about… to love, help and serve each other. God loves you so much and wants to help you every chance He can get.

Thanksgiving: When you are grateful and thank God for the times He has intervened in the past, it’s a reminder He is faithful in His word. Showing gratitude for how much God provides helps to see the good existing in the midst of difficult times. An attitude of gratitude opens your heart to God creating more faith and belief He will carry you through any difficulties you’re facing.

Giving thanks to God allows you step out in faith and trust giving you the ultimate peace of mind. God will guard your hearts and mind from falling into despair and negative thinking with the peace that surpasses all understanding.

My hope for you and myself is we transform our worry time to prayer time with deep gratitude for all God has done, and to walk in faith and trust God will protect our hearts and mind in Christ Jesus forever.

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

The Mother Myth: You Can Do It All

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The Mother Myth of the century…you can do it all. You can have it all. You can be it all.

Bogus! Not true! False promise and a dangerous myth.

As much as we would love to do it all, have it all and be it all as mothers, the reality is we can’t. And we shouldn’t. 

It’s tempting to strive for the jack of all trades mother who cooks a full course meal every night, cleans her house from top to bottom, has a high-powered career, joins every committee at school and church, stay lean and fit year round, never yells at her kids, takes her kids to every sport and activity they want to do, walks her dog every day, does her prayer and meditation time daily without fail and oh yeah, does that side hustle in her “free” time. 

It’s exhausting writing this and gives me anxiety thinking about it. We put way too much pressure on ourselves to do it all, have it all and be it all. 

But this is not possible if we want to be peaceful and happy while making room for what’s most important. If we’re busy running around in circles trying to be the best at everything we do while trying to do everything, we will burnout leaving us with nothing left inside to give. 

I am here to tell you right now it’s ok to let go of doing it all, having it all and being it all. It’s ok to say no to being on the school committee or bake goods for the church bake sale. It’s ok to say no to the promotion because it requires more hours at work taking precious time away from your young kids. It’s ok to leave your house a mess for a few days or miss the load of laundry because your plate was already full.

It’s ok if you feel stressed and lose your shit sometimes. We all lose it but are afraid to admit it because if we do, we’re scared people will think we’re “that crazy mom” and not the “always has her stuff together perfect mom.”

Culture, Instagram, entertainment, celebrities, public figures and some popular bloggers paint this unrealistic picture moms should strive for. And if we don’t, we’re a failure and not living up to society’s expectations of what a 21stcentury mom should be.

The quest to doing it all and everything under the sun and stars leads to depression, anxiety, disappointment, anger and shame. But if we scale down and minimalize our lives by doing a few things that matter most, we’ll have more joy, peace, contentment, grace and love. 

That’s not to say you’ll never be able to some of the things on your list or follow all of your goals and dreams. Just not all of them right now. There are seasons in your life when it’s the right time for certain ventures. And there are other seasons when it’s not the right time.

For the frazzled moms out there feeling weary, overwhelmed, frustrated, tired and stressed beyond belief trying to do it all, have it all and be it all…let go of the striving and trying and just be. 

Just be in the moment and breathe deeply creating space within your mind, body and soul. Feel what’s right for you and what’s best for your family. If it means chopping your schedule a bit, don’t hesitate. Just do it. If you really want to do it all, have it all and be it all, live in this moment right here right now. 

Because you already have everything you need… right now.

The Quiet Power of Humility

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“As I have said, the first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself…Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, and humility.”
– Nelson Mandela

Humility is a beautiful but lost virtue in today’s power seeking, narcissistic world. Harnessing the quiet power of humility is not something people readily seek out or learn.

With our culture placing tremendous value on worldly things such as fame, awards and accolades, notoriety, and outward appearances, humility gets lost in the sea drowned by the noise of egoistical desires. 

It’s not the favorite virtue to seek because humility requires us to be honest with our faults and to own up to our mistakes. But in the end, having humility is the path to joy and fulfillment by looking deeply within and taking the rights steps to improve.

People with humility take responsibility for their lives, are open to other’s suggestions, ideas and perceptions and have a self-controlled view of their skills, talents and abilities. They are happier because they live simply and know what really matters in their lives.

Being humble means knowing there’s a greater power working beyond ourselves and our own understanding. To accomplish our dreams and our heart’s desire, we need to surrender to God’s power knowing we can’t do this on our own. 

We need help, guidance, grace and strength to carry us through. We have to trust He will guide us through our journey, and He is in control. We are along for the ride and if we choose the right car to get in, we will arrive at the right destination in God’s time.

Here are some other ways humility is an important virtue to learn and harness. 

Humility is a Quiet Strong: 
Sometimes humility is perceived as a weakness. But in reality, it’s the opposite. To be humble is to be strong. 

A quiet strong. 

This type of quiet strength doesn’t need a loud speaker, a boisterous voice or the need to shout on a mountaintop. Humility is a strength that’s gentle, kind, nonjudgmental and the willingness to be of service to others.

Being humble relies on truth no matter how painful it is or how difficult it is to face our shortcomings and mistakes. It’s easier to push our suffering aside and ignore the faults we harbor. 

It takes great strength and wisdom to see our truth as it is unfiltered and raw. When we see our truth head on, we bow down to it with great honor and reverence encouraging us to change and become a better person. 

Humility Shows We are Human:
Being humble allows us to accept failures and mistakes with a deep understanding we are all human and one way or another we’ll make mistakes.

People with humility are able to handle failures because they don’t tie their accomplishments to their self-worth. Mistakes and accomplishments don’t define us. They are not who we are but only what we’ve done.

We are spiritual beings having a physical experience, so our self-worth is much more than the labels we own, the materials we possess, our corporate status or how many likes we get on Facebook. Humility knows we are deep souls and our lives meant to live with a higher calling and purpose.

Humility Opens the Door to Learning: 
No matter how much we know, there’s always more to learn. No matter how much an expert we are in something, there’s always someone who knows more than we do. 

To learn, we need an empty cup to fill more knowledge and wisdom. If we are overflowing with our egoistical views of ourselves, there’s no room to add anything of value and meaning. We stunt our personal growth and spiritual development.

But with humility, we open the door wide to expand our consciousness to gain a deeper understanding of life while simultaneously knowing we can never stop learning.  

Humility Teaches Compassion and Patience:
Being humble with an open heart unlocks the door to compassion. With humility we cultivate empathy, patience and tolerance towards one another.

Once we accept we are in a constant state of learning and growing, we see others with grace and mercy. We are no better than them and they are no better than us We are all learning and growing together.

It’s easy to comfortable around someone who is humble because we are free to be who we are. We don’t fear being judged or criticized because the humble ones don’t feel or act better than us. They understand when we make mistakes and are willing to hold our hand when we get back up.

Humility relieves the pressure of always needing to be on top. It’s exhausting to portray perfection and trying to perform at our best in every waking moment. 

But with our humble humanity we know perfection is not possible. Once we embrace and surrender to this truth, we can find peace. In this place of honest humility and integrity, we become servants of the world on a mission to spread love and help our fellow humans to bring out the best within each other. 

Photo by Sasha Freemind on Unsplash

Transformation is a Tough Job

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I believe people can change. I know this to be true because of my own personal transformation. 

In the past, no one believed I could change. Many doubted my drive and passion to push myself to higher levels of consciousness. But no matter what anyone said or thought, I was determined to become the best version of myself and live aligned with God’s truth.

In my process of deep change, I learned transformation is tough and it’s the hardest thing you’ll ever do. It’s painful, slow, exhausting and sometimes lonely.

Transforming oneself is not for the faint hearted or the lazy spirit. It requires an enormous amount of energy and effort requiring you to dig deep into the dark crevices of your soul.

You need to be ready and willing with unwavering commitment for your inner revolution. You must be willing to show up to do the work, take 100% responsibility for your life and be honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses. 

But after the painful, exhausting and excruciating hard work of years of dedicated effort, its more than worth it. Waking up and being who you really are is one of the best things you could ever do for yourself.

I learned (and still learning) if you want to transform yourself, you must do these four things.

1: You must want to change: You can only change if you have a deep desire and will to transform your life. You can’t ish it or go half asked. You gotta be all in. You need to have a fire in your belly lighting up your soul to burn through everything needed to be healed and released. This passion will trump anyone’s opinion that you don’t need to or can’t change. Allow your strong intuitive sense to guide your decision and resolve this must happen no matter what. 

2: You must do the hard work to change: Transformation is very hard work. There are no shortcuts or life hacking skills to get around it. You must travel through the dark valleys of your soul and face your shadows with courage and honesty. You have to own all of your mistakes and past hurts taking full responsibility for them. You must feel the pain and move through your grief to let go of everything holding you back. This divine work on your mind and soul is a daily practice requiring you to show up again and again.

3: You must have a strong support system to change: Transformation does not happen on your own. You need a support system. Ask your family, friends or find a mentor to help. It’s vital to have someone you trust to point out what needs work and show you what your strengths are. Having a shoulder to cry on and a hand to hold through the tough times is key to making your transformation a success.

4: You must have faith in God or a Higher Power: You will not be able to transform on your own power. You’ll burn out way before you make any significant changes. You need the Divine to flow through you to give you strength, courage, energy and the grace to keep moving forward. Surrendering to this power signals to God you are truly ready for change, and He will help you transform way farther than you ever could on your own.

The journey of transformation is a long and arduous process. You must be in it for the long haul because there are no shortcuts to get you there. 

I wish there was a magic wand to change overnight, but it doesn’t work that way. It’s like a marathon running slowly to build your endurance along the way of moving towards your goal.

However, the goal of transformation never ends. It’s an evolving process made to challenge you to keep progressing and growing to higher levels of consciousness. It’s always about the journey, never about the destination.

But if transformation is so hard and never stops, then why do it? 

Because what lies on the other side of the pain, hard work, exhaustion and suffering is joy, love, peace, strength, confidence, trust, belief, compassion and deep healing. The reward is creating a whole and purposeful life being aligned with your truth at the deepest level. 

Transforming yourself into the person you are meant to be allows you to live with intention and walk the steps to fulfill your Divine mission here on this earth. 

My Easter Prayer for You

~ jodiheisz ~ 1 Comment

May you be peaceful and free.

May you be happy and joyful.

May you find healing and resolve.

May you be kind, generous and compassionate.

May you feel safe, secure and strong.

May you be patient, understanding and never judge others including yourself.

May you feel gratitude for everything you have down to the minute details in your life.

May you feel God’s love in your heart every day.

May you honor Mother Earth and take great care of Her as She takes great care of you.

May you open your heart to the light of Christ within.

May you accept Christ and feel Him living and breathing in your body and soul.

May you resurrect from your dark shadows and be renewed to live your inner truth.

May you surrender to God’s will and live aligned with His Word and His truth.

May you live true to your purpose and serve humanity in the best way you can.

May all beings be happy, peaceful, safe, kind and generous no matter where they are or where they came from.

May all beings be healed, free from suffering, tolerate of others, compassionate towards one another and feel gratitude for what God has given them.

May all beings discover their life purpose and shine their inner light spreading love and joy upon the world and everyone in their presence.

May this Easter prayer reach out to the hearts and souls of all living beings lasting forever in the power of God and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Courage to Be You

~ jodiheisz ~ 4 Comments

Are you afraid you to be who you really are deep down inside? Do you hold back your truth for the sake of others or for saving face? Do you feel more comfortable or safe in the cocoon of your masked persona?

If the answer is yes, don’t feel bad. It takes courage to be you in raw, authentic form. It’s scary to be vulnerable and open the windows for others to see your inner truth.

By exposing ourselves we’re afraid people won’t like us, we’ll be made fun of, we’ll get rejected and treated as an outcast or feel like a stupid no good fool.

But, if you rise above the fear with faith and conviction in who you are, you’ll find peace. You’ll experience great joy in being the person God made you to be. Living in someone else’s version or false self-view creates constriction and anxiety. Living as your true self creates space and serenity.

We all fall prey to other people’s expectations of we are and who they want us to be instead living true to our own expectations and God’s plan for us. It’s a constant battle between our inner truth and what others think our truth is.

You are not who your spouse or partner thinks you are. You are not who your besties think you are. Or your boss, your colleagues, your parents or even your kids. The only ones who know who you really are is you and God.

You are the one who feels the dreams and passions tugging and pulling at your soul. But, it’s your responsibility to know and understand how capable you are to fulfill your dreams.

To unpack and discover your capabilities, you need to investigate what’s deep inside of you. Take the time to learn who you are. Every inch. Every light. Every shadow. With this truth, no one is qualified to tell you how or who to be.

When you get to the point of not needing anyone’s permission to be you, you discover freedom and wholeness.

If you don’t live your truth, it will be a disservice to the world. God gave you a set of unique gifts and talents to make a positive difference in the lives of others. You are not being selfish by being you. You’re being generous and giving by being you.

Don’t hold back. Your family needs the real you. Your friends need the real you. Your community needs the real you. Humanity needs the real you.

Your truth is beautiful and full of light and love waiting for you to wake up and see it. When you become aware of yourself, share it with those who appreciate you and need your light to heal and brighten up their lives.

Knowing yourself requires flexibility. We are in constant change and flux evolving in every moment. We are not the same person we were seven years ago, seven months ago, seven days ago or even seven minutes ago. The key is to know who we are lightly without clinging to any labels or strict notions of who we are.

Our bodies are a process made up of different types of tissues, elements, molecules and cells changing every second. The more we move in harmony with the ebbs and flow of life allowing impermanence to ease into our space, the more we can accept and adapt to how we change.

It takes bravery to be you in raw and authentic form. Stand strong in your faith with your feet planted on the ground of your truth. Be you in every moment in absolute conviction with no apologizes, no expectations and no excuses with unbridled crazy, confident and complete courage.

If you are interested in having me speak at your event, please inquire here.

When Depression Strikes

~ jodiheisz ~ 1 Comment

“When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.”
– Psalms 34:17

I am an eternal optimist and positive about life.

Most of the time.

But other times beneath my smile lies an inner struggle. A battle of dealing with depression and anxiety. When it decides to strike my life, it disrupts my entire world.

Many people don’t know about my struggle. I choose not to talk about it (except for my mom) because I want to spread love and light to those around me, not darkness and despair.

Depression and anxiety is something I’ve dealt with since childhood on and off throughout the years. But I make a choice to own it and take responsibility for it instead of wallowing and staying in the dark place. I choose to stay on the path of optimism in the midst walking through the muck.

For me, depression is like giving birth. Going through it is painful and excruciating. I feel exhausted and can barely breathe. I feel like I can’t go on for one more second. But once I embrace it, feel it and go through the emotions, I release it.

A new life is born out of the process of working through my darkest moments. I become more aware of who I am, what I need and what I want. I give birth to more awareness of self.

When depression arrives, it’s like a door swung open letting out a hungry ghost from a hidden, haunted room. I want to keep the ghost locked up forever. But, I know I must let it out to heal old wounds and past hurts pushed down deep inside.

Depression and anxiety hits most of us at some point in our lives. Here are some ways I deal with depression and hopefully these will help you too.

1: Read spiritual text. I read the Bible every day even when I don’t feel like. My go to scripture when I am depressed is Psalm 23. It’s an incredible healing always giving me hope and faith God will carry me through.

2: Pray. Ask God to heal your depression. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you and show you the way. Trust that God loves you and wants what’s best for you. Knowing this gives you peace everything will be ok no matter how bad you feel today.

3: Meditate. Focus on your breathing for 10 minutes day. Sit in a comfortable seated position with your back straight, shoulders back, and eyes open or closed. Feel the inhalation and exhalation of your breath. Watch your thoughts come and go like waves in the infinite sea.

Drop off all worries, concerns, and stresses. Let every bit of it go. Breathing into this space helps to ease anxiety by relaxing and calming the mind in the present moment.

4: Get creative. Being creative is always healing for me. I am a graphic designer by day so when I work on a creative design project, I feel so much better about myself. For you, it could be painting, sewing, drawing, writing, or crafts. The process of working with your creative spirit is healing nourishment for the hurting soul.

5: Cooking. Trying a new recipe or cooking a favorite meal always makes me feel good. There’s something about cooking your own food in your own kitchen that makes you feel alive. Make sure the food is healthy so your body feels good too!

6: Spend time with family and friends. When I am upset, I don’t want to be around people. But I must. Being around loved ones pulls me out of the trenches into higher ground. I don’t need to tell them what’s going to feel better. Instead, it’s their joyful and loving presence that brings me up.

Don’t be alone. Find someone to spend time with.

7: Allow yourself to feel bad for a bit. It’s a myth we need to be like Pollyannas all the time. It’s a new culture norm you must be wildly and energetically positive 24/7. This is unrealistic and unhealthy. It’s fake positive.

There are times we need to feel the darkness to see the light. To process depression, you must go through it. It’s the only way to get to the other side. You need to keep swimming through the treacherous waters to reach the shore. Not treading water forever by staying in place. You must be committed to keep moving forward or depression will drown you.

8: Get physical. Workout, go for a walk, dance. Just get your body moving. Physical exercise releases feel endorphins, the feel-good hormones in your body. Plus, feeling healthy will help ease depression. I go to the gym and attend martial arts classes no matter how bad I feel emotionally. And I always feel better afterward. It never fails me.

9: Help someone. Being of service is one of the greatest healing elixirs. Seeing someone smile because you helped them will bring you out of the darkness. It makes you feel worthy knowing you can make a difference in another person’s life. It’s a win-win for both. You help them, they help you heal. It’s a beautiful combination.

10: See a therapist. I am not a doctor so I don’t have all the answers. But if you are suffering and can’t find your way out, see a therapist. There’s a stigma in society if we see a therapist, we are weak. But if you are honest with yourself knowing you can’t do this on your own, you are strong for reaching out for help.

During my divorce, I saw a therapist weekly for months. It was vital in my healing journey and wouldn’t be the woman I am today without it. There’ no shame but only healing and strength in getting help from a licensed professional.

If you are dealing with depression and anxiety, please know you are not alone. You are not weak, lame, stupid or crazy. You are still amazing, beautiful, smart and wonderful with lots of gifts and talents to share.

But no matter how hard depression strikes, you have a choice. You can choose to heal your life or you can choose to stay in the darkness. Don’t choose victimhood. Choose to heal your life and be the light with deep, unconditional love for yourself.

Featured Photo by Štefan Štefančík on Unsplash

Parenting is Damn Hard

~ jodiheisz ~ Leave a comment

“Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.”
– Psalms 127:3-5

I love my two sons, Hunter and Cal. No other love remotely comes close except for the love of God and Jesus in my life. No man, no job, no hobby, no friends, no nothing can rival the deep bond and connection I feel with my sons.

But no matter how much I love them, parenting is hard. Damn hard. Plain and simple.

From telling my son to get up and get dressed in the morning…over and over and over again, to struggles with behavior at school and learning to listen to me at home, to convincing him healthy food is good for you and tastes great even the green leafy stuff he says is yucky… the job of parenting challenges me to my core every single day.

In all honesty, the things they do to irritate me or get me upset, tends to reflect what I need to do inside myself. Many times, they are signs of what I could be doing different at home to create a better life for all of us.

We tend to overlook or miss the truth of what’s really going on because we get caught up in the day to day activities and the busyness of life. We enter a fantasy world thinking everything is ok so we keep trucking along without awareness of our true reality.

But our kids will shine a bright light into any dark areas needing attention and healing. They are our little mirrors for us to see every aspect of ourselves. They show us when we are not paying attention, when we are too busy and stressed, when we are not focusing on what matters most, and when we are lost in our own life.

That’s what makes parenting so hard. It’s difficult when our own children call us out on what we need to work on. They serve as tiny truth tellers and bold accountability partners.

Our egos will fight to the death saying it’s our kid’s fault. But really, it’s ours. It’s up to us to change ourselves or the environment in which we live to create a more joyful, productive place for our family.

This requires deep humility and raw honesty. We need to ask ourselves questions to get the heart of the matter.

How am I contributing to his behavior?

Am I living up to the highest moral standards and integrity to be the ultimate role model?

Am I spending enough quality time with my children or am I too distracted?

Do I really listen to them when they talk to me or am I hearing what I want to hear?

With self-reflection and investigation, we can discover the truth of our situation and take responsibility to create the best version of ourselves and our kids.

We are teaching each other. Patience, compassion, leadership, connection, grace, mercy, kindness with assertiveness, sacrifice and the value of being there in heart and soul for another human being.

The work of parenting our kids requires a strong relationship with God. The most important thing we can do as parents is commit to our daily spiritual practice. Reading the word of God and sitting in prayer is essential for our walk in Christ. By watering our spiritual seeds to deepen our roots and grow our faith, we learn to trust God will guide us in the right direction on how to lead our children.

Parents with strong faith in God equal kids with strong faith in God. They learn by seeing our daily walk with Christ and how it breathes light into our lives, our home and our community.

This is the greatest gift we can give to our children as it sets the right path for their lives in the many years to come. It’s also the greatest gift our children gives to us by holding us accountable for our faith in God and allowing Christ to be the center of our lives and our families.

The path to learn and embrace the wonderful qualities parenting teaches us is an arduous and difficult road. But nothing great achieved ever comes out of something easy or anything handed to us on a silver platter.

That’s why parenting is so hard. Damn hard.

And that’s a beautiful thing.

How to Build Champion Confidence

~ jodiheisz ~ 2 Comments

I’ve been a martial artist for over 22 years. I’ve won Grand Champion Black Belt twice, earned my 5th Dan master black belt in KiMudo and my 1st Dan black belt in Judo. The awards and accolades are great, but there’s one thing I gained the most on my journey.

Champion confidence.

What is champion confidence?
Champion confidence is knowing who you are, why you are here, and standing strong in your beliefs, talents and abilities. You know have what it takes to win at life and create the life you desire no matter what difficulties or obstacles you face. You own it and rock it in everything you do.

You’re killin’ it.

Champion confidence is hard earned with no easy path to get there. It takes work. Lots of work. It requires commitment and dedication to working on yourself every day. Showing up with consistent practice over time is vital to growing your confidence.

It doesn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of many accomplishments small and large over time accumulating to building yourself up to a higher level.

I used to be timid, hard on myself and never believed I could accomplish anything I wanted. It took me years of consistent effort and building my self-esteem until I was convinced I was worthy of greatness.

With my martial arts training for two decades and my deepening faith in God and myself, I found a powerful combination and training tool for building my confidence. It’s still a work in progress, but I want to share what I learned with you and hope it will help you too.

There are more ways to build confidence with a free eBook coming soon filled with more ideas and tips. But here’s short list to get you started.

1: Know Who You Are
The more you know who you are, the more faith you will have in yourself and your abilities. If you let others mold into who they want you to be, you’ll lose your identity causing distress and loss of connection to your soul. Knowing who you are and standing in your truth builds confidence helping you stick with your beliefs and values no matter what.

Take a look at Jesus. He knew who he was and never faltered from his truth. He never needed validation from anyone or created a watered-down himself to please anyone. And neither should you. Take the time to discover who you are and be strong in faith knowing your inner truth.

John 14:6 says: “Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’”

2: Practice, Practice, Practice
Whatever it is you’re involved in, practice as much as you can. The more you practice, the more confident you’ll feel in your efforts. You’ll get the kinks out, repeated mistakes out of the way, and the repetition needed to allow your greatness shine.

During practice, create a safe place to fail. Failing is necessary to learn, grow and evolve. By creating an environment where it’s ok to fail, you’ll relax and be open to feedback.

Over time, you’ll see positive progress giving you the confidence to keep moving forward. Those little celebrations of achievements small or large gives you the fuel to drive your self-esteem upward.

“Practice is the hardest part of learning, and training is the essence of transformation.” 

Ann Voskamp

3: Surround Yourself with Positive People
You become the people you hang out with. Choose people who are confident within themselves. Confident people will inspire you to be confident. They’ll be willing to point out your special gifts and help you see your inner light. Many times, other people believe in us more than ourselves. It’s helpful to have someone open our eyes to see the special uniqueness within each of us.

“Surround yourself with those who see greatness within you, even when you don’t see it yourself!”

Zig Ziglar

4: Grow Your Faith in God
The stronger relationship you have with God, the more confident you’ll be. God loves you and cares for you deeply. Because of His love and adoration, you’ll have all you need to be confident in who you are. God can make things happen for us, send opportunities our way, and give us strength to follow through on our goals.

It wasn’t until I grew in my faith in God and studied how Christ lived, I realized I had the chops to accomplish my goals. With man, many things are impossible. But God, all things are possible. Once I understood this and God has my back in everything I do, I could relax knowing my life would be ok.

“For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Luke 1:37

Building champion confidence gives you courage to create the life you desire. We all deserve to be confident in who we are, in our faith and beliefs and the special gifts we possess to offer humanity. Take the work on your confidence every day because you are worth it. It transforms what you think appears impossible… possible.