These Moments Have Been The Part Of The Ride

I realized that more than my own intentions, this was something special and important that was beginning, and I could never, ever give up on it. And that was before I even started interviewing and hearing the incredible stories from these women who agreed to talk to me. I have interviewed more than 100 women, each of them with a different story to share, a life experience from which to learn. I have grown exponentially by hearing their accounts. I began this journey knowing that if I could help even one woman, I would be a success. I had no idea that I would be the one person who would ultimately change the most. I benefited far more than anyone else from each call. I gained dozens of new friends, all of whom I loved deeply and respected for their courage and spirit. They have all made me a more marvelous mom to my own children and have changed my life. These moments have been the part of the ride when the doors open to allow you to see outside the park and people below. The rush of excitement when you have finally made it to the top. It seems crazy to even admit this, and it will be one of the first times I’ve done so, but it is also something I consider a big failure.

I Don't Believe A Word

Not because it isn’t amazing, powerful and important, but because I haven’t yet pushed myself to make it as wonderful as I know it can be. For many people, the very act of interviewing people and putting their voice out there would be the scariest thing they had ever done. But as my track record proves, talking is not something that scares me. Socializing is my love language and I can’t get enough social interaction in my life. Having grown up in a culture that views money as the root of all evil, my relationship with and understanding of money has been a huge obstacle. I have come very close to fully grasping the potential I have to make serious amounts of money, but have still felt blocked. It’s felt morally wrong to get paid for something I also love doing. I haven’t treated my podcast like a business, and yet I spend more hours of my week working on it than any other venture. That is something I plan to turn around in the second year of Marvelous Moms Club, because I know that the money is the vehicle by which I can take the messages shared to even more people who need to hear them! I can look back at my past self from years ago when I was a full time photographer and give myself a lecture about not charging enough, and not valuing my work and believing in my abilities to capture beautiful photos. The other day I gave myself a pep talk from the future me. This future version of me understands success in a way that I have not even come close to glimpsing. This future me already has millions of dollars in the bank.

One Way Or Another

She knows that while it took a lot of work to get there, it wasn’t an impossible or foolish journey. She knows fully what it means to have faith and to keep putting one foot in front of the other. She also knows that the accomplishment of one dream means the beginning of another. I know that the future me who has achieved all the things I’m working on now will not feel that she’s finished or that she’s done making an extraordinary life. Because the person I am now does not feel that way, and I’ve come so far. I can look back, or almost down, because it’s been an uphill journey that I’ve had to dig my feet into every step of the way. I’ve started to slide down the hill, and doubted there was even an end in sight, but I’ve kept going. The future Kirsten won’t stop going either. I started out at the beginning of the year with all the zest, hope, and fearlessness I thought existed in this life. Along the way, I have fallen down in a heap of tears in my closet, on the bathroom floor, and anywhere else I found myself unable to catch my breath. Not long ago, in September of 2016, I hit bottom. I was on a trip in Salt Lake City with a friend, for a work convention.

All The Butterflies Have Broken Wings

I didn’t want to be there, not even a little. I had so many businesses in the works and felt powerless being at a convention that focused on only one of those businesses. I had some pretty ugly conversations with my friend about how faithless I felt, how forgotten I felt, and how sick I was of not having the answer I wanted to my prayers. Something that I’ve realized only recently is that there will never be a way to calculate how much money I’ve made as a result of my podcast. The moment that started this whole journey for my husband and me was the result of a seemingly unanswered prayer. We had prayed for him to get a job with more pay, and which would fulfill him much more. But it didn’t happen. And if it had, I wouldn’t be sitting here, writing these words I am writing now. I was blind to the things that were happening right in front of me to make it possible for the very near successes to happen. I didn’t see at the time, how the people I was meeting and the relationships that were growing would lead to rapid growth in our business. Life has such amazing little moments that help you comprehend a much bigger plan is happening around you. I got on Periscope one day, where a friend was talking about writing down prayers. I was intrigued by this concept, so I did it. I wrote much more than I thought I even had within me.