Be Bold and Courageous

When I started this blog, I had no intention of ever sharing anything personal. In fact, I was certain I wouldn’t. Yet, from the very beginning, as I wrote, I unexpectedly began to share things that were extremely personal. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat with trembling hands wondering if I should hit the “Save and Publish” button. So, ready or not, here I go again!

Over the past year as I battled cancer, I received such positive feedback from those who were following my blog. Just knowing that what I was writing was helping others, made me feel so encouraged. I am grateful that I could bring love, hope or encouragement into the lives of others who were struggling. That is the main reason I’ve battled my insecurities and continue to write, with hopes that it will help someone.

Well, and then there is also the fact that I want to share my hand made projects with others to make them smile and hopefully spark their creativity!

Since today’s post is about BOLDNESS, let me start by showing you this old photo from when I did some modeling back in High School.

In this photo, I may appear to be bold and fearless but I was far from that. I struggled with a lot of fear and insecurities during this time. I am grateful to God that throughout my life even when I’ve felt lost, He has always been with me leading and guiding my path. Sometimes my path has taken me to mountain tops, and at other times I’ve been stuck deep in a valley, but in both places, one thing remains the same, He has always been with me assuring me that He is near and helping me each step of the journey.

Since fear has been such an issue with me, it has affected many things that I do. When many of my friends in Stampin’ Up! began to launch their online business, some offered to help me do that too. I remember sitting with my friend, Dawn Griffith, many years ago. Dawn, who has an incredible online presence, sat with me and explained step by step how she runs her business She cheered me on and encouraged me, yet even with all of her enthusiasm and support, I was overcome by the fear of the unknown and got stuck in the belief that certain things would be impossible for me.

When you get stuck with the belief that there is no hope and you start to say, “I CAN’T” over and over again, then sadly, that will most likely become your reality.

If you want to make a change, to step out and do something you thought was impossible, it takes faith, courage and believing that you can accomplish ANYTHING you set your heart and mind to do. It also takes time and giving yourself the freedom to make mistakes.

So, this week, I took another bold step forward.

I created this card, which is a part of a four part series of projects I’ll be sharing in my next blog post.

Bold Lipstick Lady Gift Card Holder

This fun punch art girl is a gift card holder. This is what the inside looks like.

Lipstick Lady Card Inside

I recently started making You Tube videos of the cards that I create. However, I only filmed my hands and didn’t show my face. This week, I took a bold step forward and decided to film a segment where you could see my face. This may seem like a silly thing and no big deal, but for me this was a huge step out of my comfort zone. Why did I do it, you might wonder? It’s because, I wanted to feel more connected to my followers. I know that when I see the faces of some people I follow, it makes me feel like I know them a bit more. Recently, I started following someone online who has chemo hair like me, and another who has a port. This made me feel like I could relate to them better. I know that with stamping videos what most people want is to JUST see how the project is made, so I may not always show my face. This week however, showing my face was a part of challenging myself to get over some fears and take a bold step forward and what perfect timing, when I had a BOLD card to share.

Want to see the video? Click on the link below.

Today, I read a quote that said, “Boldness is the opposite of fearfulness”. That spoke volumes to me about why I don’t consider myself to be a bold person, because I’ve dealt with so much fear for so many years.

However, over this past year as I’ve battled stage 4 Lymphoma, my faith has grown tremendously and as my faith grew, guess what happened? My fears began to fade.

Life is a precious gift. Each day we are blessed to be alive we have the opportunity to learn and grow. We can make changes that will not only bless us on this journey but also that will bless others too! So take a bold step today, stop saying, “I can’t”. Start believing in yourself. Let go of the things that have been holding you back. Ask God for help, believing that he is ever present and desires to see you break free from anything that is hindering you from being all He created you to be.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

Bold Blessings and lots of LOVE,

Cindy