The Foundations over Flourishes Challenge
I was in what I recently heard someone refer to as a “sit-down season” and as much as I was reluctant to sit down, that’s what, God was asking of me. Looking back I wish I would have loosened my grip and let myself soften into that season. I wish I would have rested. I wish I would have trusted in His provision and perfect timing - and I did, but only in part. As a now 31-year-old I realize just how much it’s a blessing for me to not see the full plan, and what a gift it is to be able to look back with even a smidge more clarity and see the good work God was doing in and through my life - even if I was kicking and screaming.
And while I part trusted and part fought my way through the last decade or so I’ve learned something so pivotal and so mindblowing and so SIMPLE that I needed to live these past 10 years to actually be able to see the depths of proud truth that come from understanding this. And the lesson? That foundations matter SO much more than the flourishes. A good, thriving business STARTS with a healthy home and a thriving YOU. A business that can handle the kind of growth and expanse that I fully know you and I are both capable of STARTS with a strong foundation.
But here’s the thing - foundations don’t have followings.
Foundations don’t have metrics attached to them. Foundations are unseen, hidden below the “flourishes” of the building itself. But this unseen work is endlessly important. I think of the parable about the man who built his house on sand, rock, and dirt. (read that here)
Yet here we are, well - here I WAS working so very hard on the flourishes and all the while preaching foundations! That’s not entirely true. I have worked to develop some foundations, but I’ve abandoned the build part way through - or got bored, or forgot, or got so carried up in the vanity metrics that I forgot to look down and remember that the discipleship of my children and my own relationship with the Lord far surpasses my like-count on Instagram.
This isn’t me saying I suck. This is me saying, that I’m eager and excited and ready to loosen my grip and pay more attention to the foundational work that I value so deeply. And this is me inviting you along for the ride.
Please hear me when I say - I don’t have all the answers. Like at all. 😅 And I’ll probably get it wrong several times. I can GUARANTEE you I am going to have failures along the way. This will be a show-up messy, honest, and as fully ME kinda challenge.
And, if you’d like to join me in this challenge - I would love that so very much! In a bit, I’m going to outline my full plan for the majority of the year from a high level and I’ll break things down point by point over time. I’m basically sharing my business strategy with you and TELLING you to steal it. It’s simple, it’s tried and true. And it’s effective.
Each week I’m going to check in here with a quick overview of my week, share lessons learned, and analyze what worked and what didn’t (and why.)
It’s going to be full of strategy and reflection. And once per month I’ll likely - we’ll see how this goes do a deep-dive into certain strategies and methods I’m using (or not using - and why.)
