How did you get to where you are now?

I've never been afraid of hard work.  I started working my first job at age 13(newspaper route)  and have worked continuously since except for a few short months while I was pregnant with my first child.

I have always challenged myself to learn new things.  When you try a lot of new things you lose a little bit of the perfectionist's tendencies that so many of us have and learn that trying something for the first time doesn't have to be perfect.

I try to surround myself with positive people.  If I am in a workplace or home environment that is negative.  I try to remove myself from it and look for a more positive encouraging place to be.  By this I don't mean quit my job or divorce my spouse.  Rather than eat my lunch with toxic people who tear others down instead of building someone up, I will choose to eat my lunch in another location that won't bring me down.  Sometimes I just eat alone for the quiet time. 

I don't like conflict.  I don't avoid it entirely but I certainly don't go looking for it.  Less drama=more peaceful days and less sleepless nights.

 

How do you see yourself differently now than you did 10 years ago?

I take myself less seriously in some ways and more seriously in other ways.  Ten years ago I was hard on myself for things I didn't get done around home.  I wanted the "Martha Stewart" home where everything looked great and dinner was always on the table on time and it was as delicious as it looked.  But you can't work 60 hours a week, raise four kids and have a perfect house.  Some things just don't get done and that's okay.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Ten years from now I would like to be retired from my present job and have more time for travel and enjoying outside interests.  Maybe some things I don't even know I have an interest in yet.  I'd love to work on a mission project, not necessarily far from home but help on a project.  I like Habitat for Humanity and other programs like it.  I would like to downsize to a very minimal amount of possessions so I control them rather than them controlling me.

Remember that you are loved not because of what you do or have but for the person you are.  Don't be afraid to step out of the box to try new things.  Think for yourself and don't be overly influenced by others on what you should do with your life unless you truly value their opinion.  Always be kind and try to "Make someone's day" each day.  Above all, love extravagently and judge sparingly.

My role models have been my parents.  My Mom showed me that it never hurts to try something new.  She was always trying new things.  She likes to remodel and decorate whatever home she was in.  She was crafty with what they had available, not needing to purchase new things to decorate.

My Dad led by example in working hard at his job and always working to make our home a well maintained place to live.  Whatever he didn't know he read until he understood.  His comment to me one day when I asked him if he ever got tired of getting up and going to work everyday was "I consider it a privilege to support my family as long as I am able, to use the gifts God has given me each day."

Both of my parents instilled a strong work ethic in each of us in my family.  We were encouraged to work hard and do our best no matter what we were working on and whoever we were working for until the job was completed.