Tonight I got an email announcing the next Inspired Retreat! I am so excited to put my hat in the ring to be a speaker at this amazing retreat (and am so pumped that our next Awesome Life Retreat is rounding out to be extra amazing in just a few short months!).
It served as a reminder that I wanted to share a little bit about my favorite experience at the Inspired Retreat this past fall. The whole experience was wonderful. I felt spoiled, and loved, and learned so many amazing things for business and personal life. Most of all I was surrounded with likeminded women who just kind of got me. Women who want to balance their passion for their family with their passion to create and run their business. What a gift it was to share space with these beautiful people.
One day their was an optional hike to a waterfall. I had a pretty awful cold, and headache but wanted to get out there with the crew. One of my beautiful new friends and I had decided we would swim in the waterfall, but I told her before we went that I wasn’t sure I could, or that it would be a good idea, seeing as it was so cold. (side note… these people talked about how cold it was, they are most certainly not Canadian….the water was refreshing!!!) So when we did the hike and got there to the majestic waterfall, no one was getting in. So I decided to go for it! It was a little chilly and Kristie and I started the process of getting in…. but the process was slow and I know from experience that the rip-the-bandaid method usually works well….so I hugged my friend right into the water. After the squeals and giggles we swam over to the bottom of the waterfall and it was HUGE. The perspective from down there was just so impressive, there were a few ladies who were on the edge of getting in, but hadn’t worn bathing suits (I didn’t either) so I came back and helped someone else in, and then she went back and helped two others in. By the end of it I think 8 or 9 ladies had gotten in. I don’t say this because I was the first one, I say this because it’s amazing what can happen when we encourage and support each other. It was amazing to see the domino effect of one woman encouraging another to step out of their comfort zone!
So if that wasn’t enough of an encouragement from this magnificent waterfall, the next morning Kristie and I got up and went for a walk. We were going to run, but my sick self couldn’t handle it. We found a trail that was to go to the top of the waterfall, and after a little exploration we found the trail and got to the top of the waterfall. And it was um…tiny. Honestly, TINY. The same waterfall that the day before, that had seemed magnificently overwhelming, was now TINY.
Did the waterfall change?
Nope.
Did the size of it shrink?
Noperoonies
So what changed?
My perspective!
It reminded me of a sermon I heard years ago about having a higher perspective, “God’s Eye View” by Tommy Tenney pretty much sums it up. But the reminder is that we need to think higher, view things how God would… from above!
A problem or situation can seem overwhelming when it’s looming on top of you, but when you change your perspective, give it to God, climb a little higher and you’ll see that it’s not so big, the crashing sound of the water will lessen the further you remove yourself, the higher you go, the smaller it seems.
I am learning to not drown under the problems that come my way, but try to change my perspective and get out from under them!
