Quit holding yourself back and just say “yes!”.

Why is it that saying “yes” to everyone else is so much easier than saying “yes” to ourselves?? Maybe it’s because for every “yes” we say to ourself we end up with more guilt and shame than good? Maybe it’s because for every “yes” we say to our dreams, the riskier it feels or the more vulnerable it is to share our ideas with others?

And just why is it so dang scary to share our ideas and vision with others anyways?? Why do we immediately feel regretful or timid for sharing things that light us up, things that make us US, and inevitably things that God has asked us to do?

Why why WHY  is saying “yes” to our God-given dreams and exploration of ourselves so hard??

We talk ourself out of our own curiosity, creativity, and things God has laid on our heart by asking things like: “What if I mess up?”, “What if I heard God wrong?”, “What if I waste my time?”, and “What if ______?”…

And that’s all fear sister!

Corina Tripon, faith growth coach and found of Ginger Root, explained why we do this to ourselves:

“It’s much easier to lean into excuses and live a mediocre and slightly dull life. Although we recognize our discontentment or dysfunction, we still find comfort in its familiar ways. Saying no to your dreams and desires has little risk and takes minimal effort especially after spending the day chasing babies, tackling to-do lists and squeezing in a shower, you start to feel incapable of more work. Yet something inside of you flutters around asking for more. You day dream about ideas, businesses or being seen and heard. Something keeps pressing itself on your spirit and although you doubt your abilities, you still entertain its manifestation. That’s the call I want you to answer.

I wrestled with fear for a good two years before I started to say yes to my desire for more. I had a non-traditional job that paid well and allowed me to travel and be creative in a lot of ways. Yet something was missing. I knew in my heart of hearts that my potential was untapped and even neglected. I felt a huge part of me laid in the shadows, unsettled and yearning. I had gotten used to saying no to my ambitions, playing it safe and only setting goals I was pretty certain I would reach. Until homegirl had enough of watching everyone else around her rise to their potential and tossing insecurities to the wind.

I was happy for all the women that seemed to surround me in their rise to entrepreneurship. I was never jealous or resentful but they made me realize I was holding myself back. I decided to start listening to that little voice inside my soul that said- why not you. I stopped disqualifying myself from bigger dreams and started asking myself what I truly desired out of my life. I started with a tentative yes. Yes to wanting more. Yes to being worthy of more. Yes to being capable of more. And eventually a hell yes to rising to my true potential. I wanted desperately to say YES to what made me unique and use the gifts that God had knit inside of me. I didn’t know how to live out my purpose but I knew I had to start believing in myself.  

I truly believe God yearns for us to say yes to our own potential. To living with intention. To doing scary audacious things that require His intervention. To smashing through our fears and believing in ourselves. To using the gifts He so cleverly designed uniquely inside each of us.

Say yes to yourself, so you may find flow in your heart and hustle and freedom in His grace.”

Yes Corina, yes!

Ladies we have to be bold enough to say “yes” to ourselves before we can give our best “yes” to others.

“Yes!” to taking the first step in our calling even when we can’t see.

“Yes!” to pursuing our purpose even when we don’t know exactly what it is.

“Yes!” to being obedient.

“Yes!” to being our truest, most authentic, selves– the person we were uniquely created to be.

So next time the enemy uses fear to talk you down from those big dreams and saying “yes” to yourself, flip the script…

Ask yourself: “What if I succeed?”, “What if He gets the glory?”, “What if I inspire others?”, “What if this gives permission for others to do the same?”, “What if this plants a seed or makes disciples??”, or “What if this is what I need to do to grow my faith?”.

Because we don’t actually have to see or wait for an outcome to trust that saying “yes” to God’s calling and using our unique gifts will be worth it. Responding to His calling has far greater powers than we could possibly imagine.

So quit being fearful of your potential and resentful for not pursuing it, ok??

Together, we can boldly answer the call for more, find flow in our hearts and freedom in His grace.

Bold wishes,