I am SO excited to finally share all about my time at the Making Things Happen Conference that I attended a few weeks ago in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Before attending MTH I was craving some time for ME. I felt super burnt out and overwhelmed by all that I had going on. I was full of uncertainty and confusion and was ready to figure out what the heck I was doing. I was frustrated that my dreams and reality weren't aligning the way I wanted and that my workaholic tendencies were starting to weigh on my family. Let me preface this post with saying that I did not know a SOUL when I arrived at the conference (aside from following/stalking the speakers on social media). I was completely out of my comfort zone. The nervous jitters and tummy turning was real when I walked in the first day. I literally ate two bites of my breakfast and wanted to puke from nerves!
One of the scariest but most rewarding parts of the conference was the fact that they took our cellphones at the beginning of each day and placed them in these boxes. My usual go-to move in awkward situations where I don't know anyone is to reach for my phone and start scrolling on social media. It was INSANE how many times in the first day I kept reaching for my pocket and purse looking for my phone. Luckily by the second day I had caught on a bit and it wasn't so dramatic!
Gina Zeidler and Katelyn James were such a joy to listen to. Both walking through valleys but praising the Lord for how He is working in their lives and their families.
The beautiful and incredible fearless leader Lara Casey!
At the beginning of the first day we were asked to write down our biggest fear and then stand in front of the ENTIRE room and say our fear aloud. I wanted to puke... FOR REAL (if you couldn't tell by the look on my face). I wrote and said "My biggest fear is that my children will grow up believing the lie that they are less important to me that my business, because I spend so much time and energy focused on that." Phew, I said it! And it felt GOOD to say and to finally admit! Now it was time to figure out what in the world to do with this fear of mine!
The one and only Nancy Ray! I could go on and on and on about how incredible she is. When she saw me, she called me by name and was the kindest spirit! I absolutely loved getting the chance to meet her and speak with her in person!
It is really hard to put into words what this conference is and what it meant to me. Basically it is a conference for women of all kinds (entrepreneurs, retired, stay at home moms, college students, etc.) who were ready to make things happen in their life. We had time of discovery and reflection and then a time of dreaming and goal setting. The exercises that took place during the conference were targeted specially to allow us a chance to think! Think about it... how often do you have uninterrupted time to dream? No distractions. No cell phones. Nobody pawing for your attention. Just you and your mind and a journal and pen.
Amber Housley was so REAL, and it was SO refreshing to hear her story and inspiring to be in the same room as her!
We broke out into small groups throughout the day. Katelyn James was my group leader where 10(ish) other women and I gathered for deeper discussion and discovery. In the picture on the left she is looking at me as I am sharing and probably fumbling over my words. On the right, one of my new friends and housemates for the conference and I were going over our 10 year vision.
This incredible group of speakers was so vulnerable and honest that it made it easy to open up and share. I cannot thank them enough for sharing their lives and stories with all of us!
The best Pink House housemates ever!
Somehow I got lucky and snatched a spot in the front row next to the speakers and workers for the week! WHAAAAAAAT? Here are just a FEW of some of my favorite take-aways from the conference:
-View your valleys as an opportunity rather than a struggle
-Too much of a good thing is STILL TOO MUCH
-The problem is not our schedules it's our hearts
-In order to cultivate wha tis most important in my life, I need to choose ONE that is going to grow and cut off the rest
We were charged to fill out this 'mad-lib'ish page at the end of the conference with our discoveries, goals, and action steps. Here is mine:
If you would like to talk more about my experience at MTH I would LOVE to chat or have you over for coffee and talk your ear off! These two days were ones that I will honestly remember for the rest of my life and I truly believe that it allowed me to refocus and to define how I want to live and the legacy I want to leave.
Interested in learning more about the Making This Happen Conference? Check it out HERE! Tickets for the Spring Conference are now on sale!
*Images by Rachel Coffey