Beth K. Vogt's Blog, page 43

In Others’ Words: The Encouragement of Doubts and Mistakes

I like to encourage people. And I like it when other people encourage me. Someone else’s encouragement — a word, a hug, a smile — can make all the difference in a day, can’t it?

And I like today’s quote because it’s brimming with encouragement:

Take a step forward even if you’re doubting.
Go ahead and do the risky thing.
Do not confuse making a mistake with being a failure.
Ask yourself what you’ve learned from your mistake. 

 

While I love each one of those affirmations, I find myself wondering how often do I take the time to sift through the less than perfect moments of my life? It’s easy to say, “Oh, I wish I’d done this” or “I wish I’d done that.” But I don’t learn anything in lamenting about should of’s and could of’s. Wisdom comes from examining what I did that didn’t go as I’d hoped or planned … and discovering the truths hidden there.

In Your Words: What part of today’s quote spoke to you? Stepping forward when you’re doubting? Taking chances? The truth that mistakes aren’t failures? Or learning from your mistakes? What wisdom have you gleaned from past mistakes?

In Others’ Words: The Encouragement of Doubts and Mistakes #InOthersWords #lifequotes #mistakes
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“Even when you have doubts, take that step … ” #quotes #CatCora #doubts
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I’m excited! In one month, my next e-novella, You Can’t Hurry Love, releases. If you receive my newsletter you got a first look at this lovely new cover — isn’t it romantic and fun? To celebrate, let’s have a bit more fun shall we? Pre-order the novella for only 99 cents by next Friday, April 15. Then leave a comment on my Author Facebook page with your order confirmation number and I’ll enter you to win a $25 Amazon gift card! Purchase here: http://amzn.to/1RZ2BBY.

Preorder $.99 #romance e-novella You Can’t Hurry love by @bethvogt. Then enter to win a $25 #Amazon…
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In Others’ Words: Becoming Someone of Worth

 

Goals.

I’ve read articles about goal-setting. Sat in workshops about goal-setting. I know that goals should be S.M.A.R.T. :

SPECIFIC
MEASURABLE
ACHIEVABLE
REALISTIC
TIME-BOUND

 

All good tips for helping me (and you) break down goals so that we can reach them.

But all too often we focus on the goal — where we want to go — and we forget about who we are and who we become in the process of achieving our goals. 

We’re purposeful in what we’re doing, but we lose track of our hearts. Our values. Our passions. Along our way to success, we lose ourselves.

Here’s a thought: Maybe, just maybe, the next time we’re writing down a goal, we ask ourselves three questions:

What do I want to accomplish?
Who do I want to become in the process of working toward this goal?
Is that person someone worth becoming?

Here’s an example just off the top of my head:

What do I want to accomplish? I want to declutter my house. (Don’t ask!)
Who do I want to become in the process of working toward this goal? I want to become a person who is free of stuff — not hindered by things, not tripped up by disorganization.
Is that person someone worth becoming? Yeah, I think so.

In Your Words: Let’s talk about goal-setting today, shall we? What goal(s) are you working toward right now? Try applying the three questions to your goal(s):

What do I want to accomplish?
Who do I want to become in the process of working toward this goal?
Is that person someone worth becoming?

In Others’ Words: Becoming Someone of Worth #InOthersWords #lifequotes #goals
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“You want to set a goal that is big enough that in the process … you become someone worth…
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***

 

I’m excited! In one month, my next e-novella, You Can’t Hurry Love, releases. If you receive my newsletter you got a first look at this lovely new cover — isn’t it romantic and fun? To celebrate, let’s have a bit more fun shall we? Pre-order the novella for only 99 cents by next Friday, April 15. Then leave a comment on my Author Facebook page with your order confirmation number and I’ll enter you to win a $25 Amazon gift card! Purchase here: http://amzn.to/1RZ2BBY.

Preorder $.99 #romance e-novella You Can’t Hurry love by @bethvogt. Then enter to win a $25 #Amazon…
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You can sign up for my newsletter here and find out about future book releases, contests, and giveaways!

In Others’ Words: What It All Comes Down To

I don’t have a whole lot to say today.

Wednesday was a long day. A difficult day. A discouraging day.

Have you ever fought for something … or rather fought against something that is wrong? I mean written down in black and white wrong? And you aren’t heard? The wrong-ness of it all continues? And it just doesn’t make sense.

Before going another round in this situation — no, I’m not going into details — I told someone, “My hope and confidence is in God.”

And I do trust that God is aware of what is going on — even with things continuing to go wrong. I’m choosing to trust Him in the midst of my frustration and disappointment and yes, even my tears. Just because other people haven’t proven trustworthy doesn’t mean God isn’t trustworthy.

Let me rephrase that: Even when other people aren’t trustworthy, God remains trustworthy. That is what — who — my hope and confidence is in.

Jeremiah 17:7 (NLT) says: But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence.”

I’m not looking for some extra blessing, as if God’s going to hand out prizes or ribbons or something extra to anyone who chooses to trust Him. No, I think the blessing comes with trusting Him. The blessing is the peace we experience. The inexplicable calmness that sustains us in the midst of discouragement. The whispers of assurance of His presence and His provision. Blessings, one and all.

In Your Words: How are you doing this week? What are you trusting God for? Is there anything I can be praying for you?  

In Others’ Words: What It All Comes Down To #InOthersWords #lifequotes #hope
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“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.”…
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In Others’ Words: You Can’t Always Get What You Want … Or Can You?

This quote baffles me.

I wish I could sit across from the illustrious Mark Twain and ask, “Who were you hanging out with?”

I mean, really? He couldn’t find anyone who could tell him what they wanted out of life? And then there’s that other part of the quote — the first part — where Twain boldly proclaims that he teach anyone how to get what they want out of life. But I’m skipping over that segment of the quote. I wouldn’t ask Twain his secret(s) to success because I’m stunned that the people he knew didn’t know what they wanted from life.

I know lots of different people who know what they want from life — and I’m not talking a Miss Congeniality “I want world peace” kind of answer. Not that “world peace” is a bad thing to want. It’s just wrong if you’re parrotting the expected answer to the question.

I know what I want out of life because I’ve paused long enough to consider my values. My core values determine what I want … what I’m working toward.

Here’s one thing I want: I want to live an honest life. 

I talked about this with my friend Casey the other day. Living an honest life doesn’t mean you have to be belligerent or in-your-face about who you are or what you believe or where you came from. But living honestly means you don’t let other people whitewash over the facts of your life because it makes them more comfortable.

In Your Words: Let’s take on Mark Twain today, shall we? Join the conversation and share what you want out of life. And if you want to, go ahead and share how you’re getting what you want out of life!

In Others’ Words: You Can’t Always Get What You Want … Or Can You? #InOthersWords #lifequotes…
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“I can teach anybody how to get what they want out of life. The problem is … ” #quotes #MarkTwain…
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In Others’ Words: Old History, New History

First the darkness …

Then the waiting …

Then the dawning of a new beginning for all who believe the miracle of the resurrection.

May you embrace the truth of His story in a new way this coming Easter.

In Others’ Words: Old History, New History #InOthersWords #lifequotes #Easter2016
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“Our old history ends with the cross; our new history begins with the resurrection.” #Easter2016…
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In Others’ Words: Headed Here, There and Everywhere

By the time you read this post, I’ll be in Seattle.

Spring break — a great time to go someplace, right? And since my son Josh moved to Seattle last October, that sounded like a great place to visit. I’ve never been to Seattle and I’m ready to explore my son’s new hometown, rain or shine. (And I understand there will probably be rain.)

There are other places I’d love to visit some day.

I’d love to go back to Venice. The last time I was there my first three kiddos were little.
Hawaii? Yes, that’s on my travel wish list too.
Australia? I’ve wanted to go there since I was a teenager.
And one day I’d love to see the redwood trees in Oregon.

 

I have to admit, I like the “everywhere” attitude encompassed in today’s quote. Why not aim to travel to everywhere and see just how far you get?

 

In Your Words: Today’s post is short and sweet, written in the midst of housecleaning and laundry as I prepare for my trip. Are you traveling anywhere soon? What locations are on your travel wish list?

In Others’ Words: Headed Here, There and Everywhere #InOthersWords #lifequotes #travel
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“I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.” #quote #SusanSontag #travel
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In Others’ Words: A Different Perspective on Suffering

Dr. Kelly Flanagan writes the blog UnTangled. Today’s quote was in his post titled “This Could Be the Difference Between a Life of Suffering or Joy.”

I’ve seen various definitions of suffering, but his statement — Suffering is the resistance to what is — stopped me short. Suffering? Resistance to what is? And then I continued reading:

Suffering is opposition to the present moment and demand for the next moment. Suffering is having this but wanting that. Suffering is the search for the next thing. Suffering is the mental roaming we do for what might be.

And I read that paragraph several times. Let the words echo in my heart. And I heard the truth of it.

Maybe some of you want to argue that suffering is more than this. That there are more types of suffering than what Dr. Flanagan’s definition.That may well be true. But stay with me today, with this definition of suffering … the suffering brought on by discontent. The suffering created by refusing to admit that what we want — the relationship that we long to have with another person, perhaps? — hasn’t happened yet and it isn’t going to happen barring some miraculous change in them. Or in us.

And wanting what isn’t, longing for something that very well can’t happen … is a form of suffering. Rather than being present in whatever our “now” is — be it joy-filled or pain-filled — we let our thoughts roam to the future what-ifs and might-bes. 

And we suffer for it. We chafe against our circumstances, wondering why God isn’t showing up. Or is it that we missed Him because we were not present here and now? There is no help to be had because we don’t pause long enough to see what others are offering us: Comfort. Counsel.

I’m still weighing this new definition of suffering. Sifting the truth of it … and trying not to oppose the present moments in my life.

In Your Words: I’d love to hear your thoughts on suffering as “the resistance to what is.” How does that definition resonate with you? Where do you want to push back against Dr. Flanagan’s thoughts?

In Others’ Words: A Different Perspective on Suffering #InOthersWords #lifequotes #suffering
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“Suffering is the resistance to what is.” @DrKellyFlanagan #quotes #suffering
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In Others’ Words: The “More” of the Serenity Prayer

You have Facebook to thank for today’s blog post.

Specifically, you have my friend Kim Henson to thank. She posted the complete version of the Serenity Prayer on her Facebook page last week, saying she hadn’t known there was more to the prayer except what we so often hear — or say to ourselves. Like Kim, I’d never heard the second segment of the well-known prayer. But once I read it, I wanted to share it with you:

Living one day at a time;

Enjoying one moment at a time;

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;

Taking, as He did, this sinful world

As it is, not as I would have it;

Trusting that He will make all things right

If I surrender to His Will;

So that I may be reasonably happy in this life

And supremely happy with Him

Forever and ever in the next.

Amen.

Most of the prayer reads like much-needed reminders — to not rush through life, to not demand that life conform to my expectations, to not set my hopes and happiness on here and now but rather on eternity.

But there was one phrase that gave me pause: Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace …

I’m mulling over those seven words even as I write this post. Hardships? The pathway to peace? The pathway to frustration, more likely.The pathway to disappointment. How can the hardships I face ever develop peace within me? They can’t  … they never will … unless I allow hardships to change me.

Unless I  stop putting me in the middle of the hardship and start looking for God in the midst of the trial.

Unless I stop insisting on what I want to happen and start looking for what God is doing.

Unless I realize that the struggle is the process God is using to change me … because maybe something I am doing is making the whole situation all the harder.

And yes, everything I just wrote is applicable to a specific hardship in my life right now.

In Your Words: What part of the second half of the Serenity Prayer spoke to you today? How have you experienced hardships as the pathway to peace?

In Others’ Words: The “More” of the Serenity Prayer #InOthersWords #lifequotes #theserenityprayer
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“Living one day at a time, Enjoying one moment at a time, Accepting hardships as the pathway to…
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In Others’ Words: When You Lighten the Burdens of Others

There are times I get to the end of the day and I think, “What did I accomplish today?”

Actually, I usually think, “I didn’t get anything accomplished today.”

Somewhere along the way I lost my To Do list. Or circumstances ran over my plans for the day. I want to find a red pen and mark the day with a big “F.”

Fail.

It’s funny — not “ha ha” funny, but pathetic — how crossing things off my list makes me feel fulfilled. Meaningful. Been-there-accomplished-that proud.

I beat back the laundry. 
I submitted edits to my publisher. 
I exercised.
I went to physical therapy. 

Maybe, just maybe, I’m asking the wrong question at the end of those “what did I accomplish” days. Maybe I should ask this question instead: Did I lighten anyone else’s burden today?  

No day is wasted if I’ve considered the needs of others more important than my want-to-do list. I know how I feel when someone takes time out of their busy day to lighten my burden. I feel seen. Valued. 

In Your Words: When has someone taken time to lighten your burden? How do remember to focus on others’ and not just your To Do list? 

In Others’ Words: When You Lighten the Burdens of Others #InOthersWords #lifequotes #relationships
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“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it for anyone else.” #quotes…
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In Others’ Words: The Demands of Insecurity

I’ve certainly sat on the ledge and attempted to reason with insecurity … and lost. I’ve tried to calm my self-doubts with both truths and the Truth and found myself staring down, down, down, realizing that insecurity is stone-deaf to that kind of wisdom and good sense. 

I also agree with my writing friend Jill Buteyn that insecurity is an all-too-willing assassin, one who sneaks up behind you or me to stab us in the back with accusations, insults, condemnations, and reminders of past failures.

Insecurities so often flame to life in the face of another’s success. Instead of immediately celebrating with our loved one, be they family member or friend or colleague, insecurity whispers, “Listen to me! Why didn’t you receive that award? Why weren’t you singled out? Will you ever be appreciated? Have you ever been valued?”

Each question is the verbal thrust of a knife in our back. Yes, we bleed … our sense of worth pouring out like our very life blood.

Jill confronted the unreasonable demands of insecurity in Just Show Up, the book she co-authored with Kara Tippets, who died of breast cancer in March 2015. Jill also shares how she learned to stand up to the backstabbing jerk of insecurity.

Instead of doubting herself or feeling left out or questioning her relationship with someone, she prayed for the other person. 

“The insecurities, for me, were instantly gone. Snap your fingers, Superman-fast gone,” Jill writes. “Just like that.

Yes, insecurity is a jerk that won’t be reasoned with. But prayer … prayer is more powerful than any insecurities rooted in our human frailties.

In Your Words: When have you confronted insecurity recently? How did you manage to silence the accusations that undermine your sense of worth?

In Others’ Words: The Demands of Insecurity #InOthersWords #LifeQuotes #insecurity
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“Insecurity is a backstabbing jerk that demands attention and doesn’t listen to logic.”…
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