2.15.2013

Start!

Start by Jon Acuff If you follow me on twitter or facebook, you know that I have been a huge fan of Jon Acuff for years. I started following him because of Stuff Christians Like, a hilarious and often a little too close to home blog about the idiosyncrasies of the Christian walk (and just how ridiculous we are sometimes).

Since that blog, Jon has taken off on a path that has led to extraordinary things. Quitter is a book about how to follow your dreams without just dropping everything and giving up your day job. It's about knowing what your dreams are, finding ways to work them out, and making an impact - while still supporting your family, your friends and your career. It's about the hard work it takes to be a Quitter and to do the things you've dreamed.

And now, on the heels of Quitter comes Start. While I haven't had a change to read it yet, I am honored to be a part of the Start Pre-Launch Street Team. Looking at the cover, I see the switch from average to awesome and I know right where my life sits right now. I'm somewhere between. Ready to start living my dreams, but terrified at the same time. I have some big dreams, some small dreams, and some dreams that I don't know what will happen to as I become older.

I don't quite know how to Start yet, but I know what is holding me back. It kind of reminds me of the Whatif poem by Shel Silverstein. Here are the Whatifs that keep me from starting to follow my dreams:
  • What if my dreams are too big?
  • What if I fail?
  • What if I succeed?
  • What if my dreams are not the dreams I should be dreaming?
  • What if I have to give up something "too important" to succeed?
  • What if my family doesn't understand my dream?
  • What if the risk isn't worth the reward?
  • What if it is?
  • What if I'm too late?
  • What if no one cares what my dream is?
  • What if chasing my dream changes everything?
  • What if chasing my dream changes nothing?
  • What if my dream is silly?
  • What if my dream isn't about me at all?
  • What if I want my dream for the wrong reasons?
These are just some of the Whatifs that keep me from starting. I can't wait to read this book, kick fear in the face and start doing something toward my dreams. Click on the banner above to pre-order the book and get a ton of free additional resources! Thanks to Jon and the Start team for including me in this project - it's the start of a dream in and of itself!

3 comments:

  1. Hey Emily - I have one more "What if" for you to consider: What if you don't start? What will happen? More importantly, what won't happen if you don't start? Just saying . . .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Scott,
      GREAT POINT! I think i'm so worried about starting that sometimes I forget to look at where I am now. I have a good job, fantastic friends and family, but I know there is something missing...finding that missing piece means starting!

      Delete
  2. Hmmm - well I hope you can get through "Return to the Middle" this weekend ... and maybe the last chapter will speak to you about what's missing -- but don't skip ch 1 thru 9 lol. Please, read the whole thing!

    ReplyDelete