Short Lessons I have learned with this Relaunch (Part One)

Before you start reading, make sure you have a good cup of tea in a mug that keeps it hot, a good snack and openess to see yourself in these lessons because I believe in my transparancy, you too, will find yourself in making hard decisions and trusting God's crushing is for you to DO His will, His way. Yes, you may loose some things along the way, including feeling like your mind BUT, if your committment is to please the Lord and serve His people, you MUST first (Romans 6:6-7, Romans 8:29 & Galatians 2:20).

What does it mean to relaunch? Or, what is a relaunch? According to Cambridge Dictionaty, relaunch is a verb that means to start something again after a pause or stoppage. It can be used to describe the act of reintroducing somethng as if it were new, or an event where this happens."

1. Starting again...the embarrassing pause

Whew Jesus, Simply Pre'fer is the relaunch of another business I previously had. I tried and tried to keep that business but, I knew it was leading me in a different path than what God wanted me to do. While I was still in the lane of health and wellness coaching, it was NOT the main area I was to be in. I was taking a short cut to avoid jumping ALL into the lane I am in now. Have you ever had so many disappointments that starting over is like God, I can't be out here starting over again, it's EMBRRASSING. I put all my trust and eggs in this previous basket, believing it was right, ONLY to be OFF! And STILL wrong, LOL. God will let you run out of yourself until you surrender to His will. Once you get tired of fighitng and follow the signs He clearly lays out for you, you'll be like, AIGHT God, you will! And eventully, you get over the embarrassing feeling becuse let's face it---everyone has started over so many times, and we still support them with a product or service.

2. The vision doesn't mean it will happen over night.

Y'all, we get so giddy when we get ONE piece of the puzzle and forget Rome was not built in one day. THE raw reality of relaunching is that, I fought with myself over not moving fast enough. Girl!!! Aht, aht, aht! This ain't that...it's just a piece of the puzzle.

While Habakkuk 2:1-3 reads:

1 I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.

2 And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.

3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

Each verse is a step and set of instructions on their own. In verse one, we see "stand upon a watch" and "watch to see." How can we receive instructions (verse 2) when we are steady on the go and not still enough to hear let alone receive and AGREE with the set of instructions. When you don't want to do what is required or asked of you, what do you do? You run or stay busy to avoid.... To stand means to BE STILL.

Relaunching will require stillness, can you be still and be uncomfortable in the stillness. Had I kept running and doing my own thing trying to make my previous business "fit" into the vision I had for myself, I would have missed the "appointed time" God had set for me and ran past it. You may be asking how did I recognize the appointed time? The idea (reproductive health) for Simply Pre'fer (although the name hadn't been solidified yet) kept coming to me, even when I was not thinking of it. As the saying goes, "When you know, you'll just know!" God will be sure of it, even when it's still not all figured out :).

3. Puzzle pieces take time to piece together

Ok, so now you're receiving more of the vision and picture but, they are in pieces. Yep, the picture has to be put together. You see it in your mind but, constructing it, putting it together, building what you see in your mind; well, that takes work. And a lot of work. All puzzles are not made with equal pieces. Meaning, some puzzles come with 36 pieces, 64 pieces, 100 plus pieces. And one thing I am learning is that putting larger puzzle pieces together take work. Some pieces look easier and will fit easier than others. The thing to keep in mind is that the picture is a full picture but, putting it together is an adventure you have to be willing to go on and stick with. Lay all thepiecees you may have at the present moment and start placing them together. Bigger puzzles take days, months of working. This means you will place a few pieces to the puzzle and walk off to locate more pieces. Don't let your pride talk you into giving up because you can't locate a piece in the timeframe you'd like to locate and place the piece.

4. Pace to prevent procrastination and burnout

   Simply put, find your rhythm. Life is going to happen, and you have to factor in rest, and breaks along this relaunch. If not, you WILL burnuot, and this is how you set yourself back futher. Life happened. Can I be honest, while relaunching, I had been laid off from my job, my health was under attack, I was still building this business when I had free time, I was preparing for my second Doctoral Residency and I had made the decision to break ties with some organizations and relationships I held near and dear to my heart. I felt like I didn't now who I was. I was depressed, myself esteem was lower than low and I found myself in wilderness set up by God. I felt like I was loosing my mind. I realized life doesn't stop because life happens. God was shaping my identity and all of "life happenings" were part of the puzzle pieces to THIS business. More on that in another post/course :).

   
   

   Neverthless, somewhere along the agonizing months and months of what seemed like grief and continual loss; I got tired and decided to REST. Resting meant I had to stop and be ok with the "settled point" I was currently in. The life lessons were folding in as puzzle pieces to my vision but, I wasn't taking the time to rest and stand to see it. Well, at some point, my body started yelling at me and stress and panic attacks will force your body to turn on you in ways you may not imagine. BUT GOD!! Here me, STOP and trust the REST. A dead man can't fulfil a vision. #ouch

   
   
   
   

   I think I will stop here and let you digest this. I have more on this and will come back with a part 2, if you'd like. What lessons did you take away from this? I'd love to here your feedback!