Have you ever seen The Holiday where Arthur Abbott tells Iris Simpkins that she has to be the leading lady of her own life, not the best friend? When he said that, he meant that we have to be confident in who we are because the best friend never gets the guy or the glory.

As girls, we've been programmed that sexy is really skinny bodies, long silky hair, flawless skin, and always looking our best. Many of us grew up believing that we would get a man by being sexy. My mom was the type to combat those things and although she never leaves the house without her hair and makeup done (and would never leave in her pajamas like so many of us do), she taught my sister and I that although we were beautiful, a smart, confident, sassy woman was the type to attract a man. For many reasons, my view changed and to me, being sexy was the only way to get a man.

I've always had a hard time with attracting a man who didn't need fixing. Either he was broke, or broken, or just didn't have his life together. I asked my mom what she thought I should do. I was shocked at her response. "Dress to the nines every day & you'll find one who has a better job and a better life in front of him." If you know me, you know that I don't 'dress to the nines' and never will. I look presentable but wearing heels and a skirt doesn't seem like an appropriate way for me to attract a man and it doesn't fit my personality at all.

Over the last 3 months I've changed my look twice. I had long blond hair halfway down my back for what seems like forever until... my aunt (a hairstylist from LA) cut it into a long pixie cut. Then I got a wild hair that I should cut it shorter and color it dark brown and did that right before the new year. There's a story here.

Previously, all of my boyfriends loved long blonde hair. They made sure to comment on it and said that I looked sexy with it. I've cut my hair a few times over the years and one of my exes saw me with short hair and wondered out loud if I had switched teams. I liked having long hair but the reasoning was wrong. Guys thought it was sexy. Which meant they thought I was sexy. I placed how I felt about myself in their hands. Their undeserving hands. The problem was... very few of my boyfriends gave me enough credit for being anything more than a pretty face with pretty hair. Not one of them believed I had the strength and confidence to run my own business. As I said before, a lot of events caused me to have so little confidence in myself and I came to realize that if I didn't have confidence in myself, why would anyone else?

As I grew my hair out, I got complacent. I stopped caring about how I wore it. I even started making jeans and a t-shirt more of a staple instead of bothering to put a little time into how I looked. Many people thought I was in my early to mid-20's when I really wanted them to believe I was a successful 'old enough' business owner. The last straw was when two different people at the same conference asked me if I was there doing a college paper. My aunt cut my hair off the following weekend.

Taking a big chance and finding that I loved it, I was told by a friend that I went from cute to hot in one haircut. She hadn't realized how much I had just looked cute and young until I cut it all off. I had put a lot of my sexiness in my hair and found out that it was my confidence that made me sexy, not my hair.

When I realized that short hair changed where I had my confidence, I decided to go a step further and cut it shorter and go dark. Although everyone said they liked it, I was really nervous. Getting rid of something that felt like a security blanket and going dark (which was the opposite of what every guy told me they liked), I had to pull my confidence out of somewhere else.

Shortly after both haircuts, a guy friend of mine let me know that as much as he loved both of my new hairstyles, he loved the fact that I had the confidence to take the leap. His words: Most women hold onto their hair because they don't like change or are worried it won't look good. You doing this shows that you have the guts to do anything.

After only 10 days of being a short-haired brunette, I feel like it's time for me to be a leader and that I've finally got the look to make that happen. My friend Lisa Helfert, a fantastic photographer, loved my vintage look and asked if she could do some photos of me with vintage lighting. The picture seen to the left is what she ended up with. A friend called it vintage glam. This one picture showed me that my personality can come through with serious confidence and an air of leadership without hiding behind my hair. It shows me that I'm a leader and that I have to walk into 2012 with that leadership quality. It's time.

I'm 31, a successful entrepreneur, and I'm taking the world by storm... with short, dark brown hair. Now I'm not sure if the world is ready for me.

Every morning I wake up with the question "What's the most important thing I have to complete today?"

My life is a running priority list. At any given point, I can give you a huge list of things I've accomplished and what I intend to accomplish. Yesterday, I woke up with my priority list already running through my head. I knew I had about a week's worth of things I needed to complete by the end of that day but I had to find a way to fit it all in. This is a pretty typical Saturday layout. I accomplished a TON but felt like I didn't.

MY SATURDAY:
6:30am - wake up & lay in bed
7:15am - get dressed for run
7:30am - clean up bedroom
7:40am - walk the dogs & talk to boyfriend
7:55am - put load of laundry in washer
8:00am - run
8:40am - put load of laundry in dryer & eat Larabar
8:50am - give dogs baths
9:15am - bathe self & get ready for day
9:45am - head to office
10:00am - make coffee
10:15am - do devotions with boyfriend
10:45am - walk to brunch with a girlfriend
11:00am - brunch with girlfriend
12:10pm - walk to Lululemon to buy my Christmas gift (for myself)
12:30pm - walk to office
12:45pm - walk dogs & talk to boyfriend
1:15pm - organize projects and setup Trello boards
2:30pm - write proposal & send to client (realize there are 8 more to do)
3:00pm - organize to-do list
3:30pm - help boyfriend with resume
4:00pm - re-string office lighting (moved office furniture around Friday)
4:45pm - sweep up mess made by re-stringing lights
5:00pm - walk dogs & talk to boyfriend
5:20pm - drive home
5:35pm - put load of laundry in washer & fold clean laundry
5:45pm - make food
6:00pm - clear out emails
6:50pm - figure out what to wear to housewarming party
7:15pm - walk dogs
7:30pm - drive to housewarming party
8:00pm - hang at housewarming party
9:05pm - head to bar for friend get-together
9:45pm - hang at bar with friends
11:15pm - head home & talk to boyfriend
12:00pm - sleep

Looking at that, I realize just how exhausted I make myself and start wondering what I would do with a weekend of quiet peace. I have 5 books sitting on my nightstand. I have fabric on my table waiting to be made into a quilt. I've also tried to make sure to spend time with my guy & puppies. With all of the things I end up accomplishing, how much of it is required of me. I know it needs to be done but I keep wondering what things can be cut out and how I can reorganize my life. Being an entrepreneur, my business eats up a significant amount of time. Being a connector, I have a large network of people I want to spend time with & build relationships with.

What would my Saturdays be like if I didn't have Sisarina? Would I sit on my couch and read a book? How can I fit that into my current schedule? I just found a little time to write this post... was that a priority though? It's been on my mind... what could I have had on my mind instead?

Are you good at prioritizing your life? How do you shut off the things that end up taking priority when a little selfishness is a good thing?

Written for CityGirlsWorld.com

While enjoying a weekend away in Western NY, I glanced at the paper to see that, not far away in Seneca Falls, there was a celebration of Susan B. Anthony and the women’s suffrage movement. The next day, my mother and I just happened to drive by the movie theatre and made a last minute decision to see The Help. Both of these struck a deep chord with me.

Growing up as the oldest of four children whose parents were only 20 years older than myself, I was raised in a time where girls were expected to go to college after high school. Being from the country, I found that most girls my age weren’t finishing more than a year or two before becoming wives and mothers and spending their days at home. Although my mother was one of those high school graduates turned wife and mother, she was the voice that told me it wasn’t necessary to find a man and have children. A career should be my focus, not someone else.

Looking back to the early 1900’s when women’s suffrage was at its height, we see women who turned against the grain and fought for our rights, careers, choices, and futures. These women were different from those of their time because they were single (gasp!) and didn’t do what was expected of them. Moving forward to the 1960’s era of housewives depicted in The Help, we see women who went to college to get their “Mrs.” degree. They chose men who could take care of them & hired maids to take care of their children, cooking and cleaning while they played Bridge and setup charity events. Their education became useless.

Now we see women taking on corporate executive positions and leading non-profits instead of being someone’s Gal Friday. Women are taking bigger entrepreneurial risks and leading the way for the younger generations to prove that we can do more with less. We’re getting seats at the table now, but asLeslie Bradshaw asks “is that really enough?” Studies are showing that many women leave work before they leave work. Most of the time it’s due to getting married and planning for children. They don’t ask for raises or promotions because they plan to leave the workforce to stay at home with their future little ones. And then women complain that we’re not getting paid or treated equally.

Finding myself looking at my 30’s with great excitement for what’s to come, I see a woman not unlike the main character, Skeeter, in The Help. A young woman wanting to change the world, wanting to find her space by helping others. This gumption-filled character who went outside the confines of ‘normal’ and proved herself by taking a stand for others. She is someone to look up to, to become more like, to be humbled by. She’s the woman I want my nieces and nephews to look up to and my parents to be proud of.

About 10 years ago my mom had a conversation with a friend of hers who was single, 35 and waiting. She hadn’t even bought towels because she thought you had to be married to get towels as a wedding gift. My mom told her she needed to go do things because she wanted to. So, she went to Honduras on a missions trip, bought a house, finally bought towels and became happy with her life. She’d always been waiting for someone to be happy with and realized her life was waiting for her instead.

As a woman who seems to have it all together, I wonder why this notion of ‘what’s next’ keeps me searching for a ’someone’. Why is the next step always marriage and/children? Why can’t a big career and amazing friends/family be enough? Why is there always the comment “Oh, you’re pretty. You’ll find someone.”?

 It may not be 1890 or 1960 but we still have the requirement of marriage surrounding us as women. We’re taught to be independent and to find ourselves but when will we stop being looked at like there’s something wrong with us if we choose to be alone. Our lives aren’t based on our careers, but the end game always seems to be settling down. I look at the lives of most married women and see them looking at my life with wonderment. I think I’ll just keep on keeping on and see where life takes me next instead of trying to fit a mold the women of the 20’s & 60’s tried to break for me.

"Why don't I have ____?"      

                                                                  "Why can't I get ____?"
            "I'd be so much happier if ____?"

Ever catch yourself asking these questions of yourself? I finally quit... and guess who is happier than ever before? Me.

So many people think that if they had more, they would be better off. The grass is always greener. If you are single, you wonder what it's like to be married. If you're married, you wonder why you made that decision. If you don't have kids, you yearn for them. If you do have kids, you're happy to give them up for a night off. If you're in an unhappy job, you know you'd be happier working for yourself. If you work for yourself, you wish for the days of a steady paycheck. Greener... but is it?

At the beginning of this year, I set a goal of intentionality. I didn't do a New Year's resolution. No "I'll eat less and run more". No "I'll walk the dogs more." No "I'll take more time off." Just a goal of being intentional with everything I do because no one else was going to live my life better than me. 7.5 months later, I see the fruits of my intentional intentionality... and every day it's clearer.

No more worrying. When I set this goal, it was to put full faith that God had given me the tools and the strength to be a success. I finally started leaning on Him and with that I had to stop worrying about everything. Money, relationships, work, family, everyday details... Once I stopped, I was able to focus on what He really wanted for me - my best life. A life that was in place to help others accomplish and live their own.

I love my life. My friends, my family, my job, my coworkers, my clients, my dogs, my home, my office, my body, my goals, my everything. Nothing is perfect but man, I really love where I am a month from 31. I am happy, I am healthy, I'm in the best shape of my life, I'm a successful entrepreneur, I travel, I am full of faith... it's all coming together.

Being intentional about who is in my life, what I do with my days, and how I find peaceful rest each night knowing I'm living my best life is how I am able to just be happy.

Are you happy? How are you intentional about your life?

Entrepreneurs come from all sorts of circumstances.

Some fall into it, plan for it or create it based on need. With practically every member of my immediate and extended family working for themselves, it’s not surprising that I chose to become an entrepreneur.

Of all of them, my mother is the one I look up to as my mentor and hero.

From the first moment I can remember, Julie Harris, my mom, had some sort of entrepreneurial endeavor going on.

My parents had four kids in their 20's and wanted to make sure my mom was home to raise us. With my dad running a growing home-building company, my mom found ways to add to our family income.

She set up an informal daycare helping other neighborhood parents. She raised all of us to school age and found herself excited at the prospect of filling her quieter days with her own business.

When my youngest brother was off to kindergarten, my 31-year-old mom found a barn and utilized my dad's carpentry skills to turn it into a huge consignment shop. Although it was called Bears Repeating, it became known as Julie's Barn and offered a way for locals to make money on their used clothes while being able to enjoy "new" clothes.

  When asked why she decided to do this type of business, she said “... so many people gave to me. It's my turn to give back.”

Her business outlook was always one of supporting her own family by helping others support their own.

Working in my mom's store from age 11 taught me about hard work, dedication and superior customer service.

I learned how to count back change, greet people when they came and went, keep a clean store, show off merchandise, and help customers find the things they needed. My mom always had a smile on her face, always made sure every customer got attention and that everyone felt comfortable in her store.

Watching her and getting this experience at a young age was the key finding my own entrepreneurial spirit.

Finding a niche in the early days of businesses needing websites, I stumbled into being an entrepreneur at 20. Following in my family's footsteps and taking my mother's lead, I learned how to stand out by providing enthusiasm in customer service.

I knew the inner workings of being a business owner from growing up in a family business and my mom became a resource for dealing with hard clients, figuring out taxes and making sense of paperwork.

  She knew nothing about websites but knew what customers needed.

After disappointing my dad by going to work for "the man" for a number of years, I realized it was time to go back into business for myself.

While brainstorming unique names it was my mom who suggested using my childhood imaginary friend's name, Sisarina. After signing the lease on my first office space, she was the one who suggested I ask my dad to make big desks out of 100-year-old doors. She even sometimes provides unbiased hiring advice.

Without realizing it, she was an integral part of my venture back to entrepreneurship.

I got started fresh and excited about the newness of it all, while she sold her barn and business after 16 successful years. Her passion for what she did had left her, and she set out to find what it was that would make her happy again.

While searching for her next venture she became a Realtor, took pottery classes, set up booth space at a local antique store, started cleaning out her house and realized that she just wasn't meant to be sitting around.

She thought about opening a restaurant or a bed and breakfast.

She worked for the State for a bit but nothing fit just right.

She'd lost her passion, sold her business, her life had completely changed.

She remembered what it was like to start Bears Repeating – she wanted that excitement back.

So she bought a cute little brick building, had my dad help her remodel it and setup a boutique consignment shop for women. Julie's Consignment Cottage gave her the place to show off her passion again. The focus of her niche clothing store is helping women dress for success on a budget, and pulls from her boutique shopping experiences to setup the displays like a shop owner would in the Hamptons.

My mom works because she has passion for what she does.

It doesn't feel like work. She loves dressing her windows, peeking into bags of consigned clothes, helping her customers find what fits their body style, and putting up Facebook posts about what's going on at her store.

My mom's passion showed me the value of hard work and gave me the inspiration to be passionate for my customers as well.

I wouldn't be where I am without my mom and I'm sure she has no idea how much of my success is owed to her.

Most girls look up to their mothers in some way. We dress up like them as little girls and hope someday we can be as amazing as they are. I only hope someday I can be as successful as my mom.

Happy Mother's Day!

Written for Women Grow Business: My Mom, the Entrepreneur

The other day I found a Wonder Woman for President t-shirt. At the bottom it says ‘1000 years in the future.’ I bought it. My friend Claudia, a fellow business owner, swears I am Wonder Woman between my height and insatiable energy for life and business. As much as business owners were mostly male even just 20 years ago, the world is changing and women are needing to be everything to everyone. It’s definitely not a man’s world anymore but I’ve learned a lot of valuable superhero lessons recently.

Wonder Woman helped everyone.

Running a business that focuses on helping small businesses and non-profits has brought me clients of all shapes and sizes. We don’t discriminate unless someone doesn’t fit our business model or company values. Being a woman entrepreneur has brought me to the attention of other woman business owners and many of those clients have become great friends. Others have given lip service about being supportive of fellow women and proved otherwise when needed. Superhero lesson #1: Be supportive and mean it.

Wonder Woman never seemed to age.

Running a business has already started taking a toll on me physically. Although I feel like I’m still 22, the reality of being 30 with a 24/7 venture is setting in rapidly. Lack of sleep, trying to exercise, focusing on clients instead of myself, hiring & growing the team, making sure dogs get attention, and finding time to Skype with my long-distance boyfriend are enough to make me feel like I should be retired already. I find wrinkles and white hairs more rapidly than I did when I was working a cushy job for someone else. Wonder Woman wouldn’t let this get her down. She’d hit the gym, make time for her loved ones and find fantastic face cream. Superhero Lesson #2: No complaining, make it work.

Wonder Woman had superpowers.

Running a business, especially in the tech industry, has made me stand out more than many of my other female colleagues. Tech is still a man’s business. But not for long. I recently went to a tech conference where I was one of three women and the organizer asked me if I was “getting anything out of it as a designer.” Since he seemed to be putting me in my place, I took a step back and realized something. Wonder Woman would have just smirked and walked away knowing full well she could have hit him with her lasso. She would just keep at it and forget he ever said it. Superhero Lesson #3: Never fight back, just soar.

Wonder Woman was a powerhouse.

Running a business is just like running a race. You train by starting small and gradually going further. Beginning with the idea that you can do it, you set out on a journey to accomplish a goal. This goal is one that will never actually be completed. Every time you go for a run, it’s harder and longer and you get stronger. Every time you run a race you find you have to enter another to beat your time. The finish line is never the end, it’s just one more step to accomplishing more. Helping others along the way and encouraging others to do better will not only make you a stronger runner (and business owner), it’ll make you a better person.  Wonder Woman would never do anything to beat someone else, only to make herself better by helping them cross the finish line. Superhero Lesson #4: Work on your own goals but always lend a hand to others.

We’re in this together, ladies and we’re not alone. Ask for help, help others and be a woman of Wonder Woman’s stature. Don’t forget about the men… they can be the most supportive!

Written for City Girl's World.
Originally posted on May 5, 2011: Wonder Woman for President

Received from a friend regarding the announcement that May 1, 2011 was Sisarina's 2nd birthday:

so i wanted to send a note of congratulations on Sisarina's 2 year anniversary.

as i watched a dos equis commercial i realized that you, melanie spring, could possibly qualify as the most interesting woman in the world...so i checked the internet to see how you stacked up to the bearded, mexican beer drinker and here is what i found:

“He is the life of parties he has never attended” - you, being a social media master, don't even need to be somewhere to be the life of that particular party.

“Sharks have a week dedicated to him” - Small cuddly dogs have weeks dedicated to you...hmmm...you may need to do some work in this area.

"If he were to mail a letter without postage, it would still get there". - again, you being a master of all forms of electronic communication, never use postage either.

"He once punched a magician. That’s right, you heard me." - yeah. something tells me that you and capt. morgan have had some choice evenings...

"He lives vicariously through himself." - i believe this is the "living intentionally" that you were talking about.

“He planted the idea for the movie ‘Inception’ into Christopher Nolan’s mind while he was dreaming.” - you may have just tweeted it first

So it looks like you're well on your way - congrats on sticking to your vision these last two years, congrats on building a company that has principles (and principals), and thank you for being an example to the rest of us. stay thirsty, my friend!

- David, @dsklarin

As of 5pm today I will be going social media free for the weekend (until 8am Monday morning).

To many of you this statement doesn't seem like a big deal... but to me, it's going to be hard. ! I will be forgoing Twitter, Facebook and Instant Messaging so I can accomplish the productivity levels I have set for myself along with catching up on sleep and relaxation.

Thinking in Tweets Must Stop

I have taken bits of time off from my phone, my computer, the internet, etc but have realized that even though my business profits from my social media usage, my weekends are suffering due to my 'thinking in tweets.' Whenever something pops into my mind, I feel the need to write it. I think in 140 characters, I obsess about how to say something... my marketing mind is always twisting and turning.

I have been obsequious (yes, I just used that word... totally came to mind randomly & COMPLETELY fits) to social media and IM instead of focusing on my life around me lately. I've been bringing my laptop into my kitchen while I cook so that I can IM with friends or keep up with tweets. It's almost sickening... even to me.

At 4:35pm today, I finish this post and get ready to shut down Tweetdeck, Facebook and my GoogleTalk for a quiet weekend of happiness and productivity. I appreciate all that is information-sharing but need a break for a bit. This may be something I do more frequently depending on how it goes. Check back for updates.

Happy Weekend!

UPDATE: Sun, Jan 30 at 10:52pm

I have just completed a social media & IM-free weekend. I was able to accomplish quite a bit between running with friends, getting to church earlier for practice, cooking without distraction, chatting with my parents on the phone without distraction, crossing off to-do list items, cleaning, laundry, brunch with girlfriends and so much more.

I was amazed at how often I would think of a tweet or FB post and realize a moment later that it wasn't riveting or helpful to anyone so there would be no point to posting it. Having the inability to post the information was restraining and a great exercise for censorship. Removing the 'thinking in tweets' mentality, not sharing every thought and allowing myself to really focus on the tasks at hand were quite favorable. I wanted the ease of IM'ing with friends but I realized that the information I wanted to share wasn't necessarily worth sending if I had to spend the time to call them about it.

Overall, this was a great exercise and allowed me to have quite a bit more clarity. I can see myself doing a lot more implementing of this in the future on the weekends and evenings. My work is done on social media, not all of my goings-on need to be shared with the world. Time to focus on what helps create connections, inspires ideas and allows for engaging conversation. 

FAST: I will stop 'spending' for a year. From 10/10/10 to 10/09/11.

My dad is a spender. My mom is a saver. I realized at 30 that I take after my dad. My mom taught me to be a frugal shopper, only buying what I need and only really spending money on quality items. My dad was always taking us to lunch or buying flowers for my mom or giving more than I knew he could to the church.

I'm not a shopaholic nor do I spend outside my means. I'm a big giver when I do have money and often find great things for my friends or family and give more to the church when I have it. Every once in a while I'll go on a little splurge but I've never been in debt. I have no credit card debt, no outstanding loans... I also never have any money.

I buy quality clothes but not designer stuff. I make sure to have staple items in my closet for all occasions. I rent an apartment with a roommate and never buy ostentatious things. I have driven and paid off the car I bought 6 years ago and have no plans on an upgrade any time soon. I have a dog that I am quite self-sufficient with between cutting his hair and bathing him myself. I do trade to get massages and my hair colored. I do my own nails. My roommate & I keep our thermostat low in the winter and high in the summer. I know how to keep my grocery bill down. You get the point.

All of those things would typically mean that I could easily save money. Yes, living in the DC area (man, it's expensive) & being a new business owner (sacrificing salary & spending savings to get things started) are two of the biggest reasons for not saving much lately but there's something more than that.

What caused this epiphany? Two things:

1. A girlfriend told me a story about a neighbor of hers who can't stop spending. Patra told that neighbor that if she didn't buy one piece of clothing for a year that no one would notice.
2. A 23-year-old girl I know lost her job, her car & her home and decided to sell everything else and go on a tour of the US to write a book about the homeless in every state and she's doing it! Check out www.shaykelley.com

A switch flipped in my head and I looked around me. I have a closet stuffed full of clothing that all fits and works for every occasion. I have all the electronics I could want (camera, laptop, phone). I have a normal set of bills but nothing I'm paying off. Aside from the daily life stuff, I already have absolutely everything I need to comfortably live for a year.

As a working American, I have access to anything and everything I can possibly need or want. If I lost it all, what would I do? As a business owner, I have to trust myself enough to make sure I keep income flowing but do I really need to keep spending?

Spending money on things I don't absolutely need has stopped today. No more Starbucks, no more weekend trips to my parents, no more online shopping, no more wine, no more purchasing for myself or others, etc. I have everything I need and if I need anything, I can make gifts or borrow items from friends.

I will set a monthly budget & stick to it for the following things:

• bills
• toiletries
• groceries
• dining out
• tithing

With the money I hope to save over the next year, I want to:

1. Take a real vacation
2. Give more to my church
3. Put money into my retirement
4. Build a savings

This is something I need to do if I want to do the things my heart longs to do. Working 7 days a week and never seeming to save is getting old. It's time I started acting my age and started thinking about my future. Being healthy physically, emotionally, spiritually, and financially will allow me to be the woman I set out to be.

Saving starts now!

I am constantly surprised at the vastness of God’s love for me.

About 18 months ago I decided I wanted a solid group of Christian women in my life so I started a monthly women’s bible study at my church. The group now has 30 people with at least 10 people in attendance every month. This month has been especially hard for a lot of us and our study was about encouraging ourselves in the Lord based on Psalm 6. David had many tough times where he felt God had left him only to find He was right there the whole time.

One year ago on May 1 I started working for myself full-time again. I had a laptop, my old job’s promise of referrals and my God-given talents at networking. God has provided so much over the last 12 months – an office, many incredible clients, steadfast friendships, mentors, employees, and so much more. There have been valleys and mountains and I feel like I’ve accomplished so much for having started with nothing. But right now I feel like the biggest failure.

There are so many doubts, so many fears… and the knots in my stomach just keep growing. I don’t know what to do about all of it. The doubt ebbs and flows as does the worry. It’s hard to talk to anyone about it because I feel like I’m falling apart but then I say something to another entrepreneur and they give me that knowing look. Every one of them has been through exactly what I’m going through. “Been there, done that, still wear the t-shirt.”

Entrepreneur for life – that’s me. I will never work for a boss again but I’ve realized that the boss I do have is the most powerful, most successful, most driven boss anyone could have. He holds me when I feel like the world has left me standing in the storm alone. I doubt God is taking care of me but He’s got bigger plans than I can even think of.

At the bible study on Monday I let it all out – all the fears, the tears and the worry. The reception I received and love I felt was astounding. I felt they took my worry and cast it to the sky so God could dissipate it for me. The next morning I walked out my door to find a plate of homemade brownies with a poncho that said ‘so you can dance in the rain’ – the dear girl who has a life full of worry was able to give me a sense of hope and love. This group I started so many months ago has given me back way more than I could ever give them.

The song ‘Your Hands’ by JJ Heller keeps playing on my radio – the words flow through me like God is pouring Himself into me. At the study someone said ‘we have to pour ourselves out so God can pour Himself in.’

“When my world is shaking heaven stands.” This is a daily reminder of God’s love.

--

Your Hands – JJ Heller

I have unanswered prayers
I have trouble I wish wasn't there
And I have asked a thousand ways
That You would take my pain away

I am trying to understand
How to walk this weary land
Make straight the paths that crookedly lie
Oh Lord, before these feet of mine

When my world is shaking
Heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave Your hands

When You walked upon the Earth
You healed the broken, lost, and hurt
I know You hate to see me cry
One day You will set all things right

When my world is shaking
Heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave Your hands

Your hands
Your hands that shape the world
Are holding me, they hold me still