So- What does it really take?

We have seen it all....

The "picture perfect" life that your high school friends portray.

The "picture perfect" marriage that your best friend shows off.

The "picture perfect" kids that wear the "picture perfect" outfits.

and

The "picture perfect" job that everyone around you talks about.


But what about life?

You know-

REAL.

 LIFE.


The kind of LIFE that we have to endure every day?

The typical LIFE that is messy,

 un-organized

and flat out;

HARD.



What happened to talking about messes, mountains of laundry, dirty sinks,

cluttered floors and uncombed hair?

Since when did it become taboo to share the reality of a real day?


If we are being honest;

I have found myself shying away from showing my "real life",


Believe it or not;

I try my best to polish things up (as best as possible)-

"just to make it look good".


BUT WHY?



Why should I hide behind my day to day,

that adds up to my life?

Why should I feel like I have to "polish things up"?

The conclusion I have come to:

We all think we want something perfect.

We want the success right away.

Thats part of the "instant gratification" society that we live in.

Its scary to show our "real life".

And its scary to show the Process of success.

But;

What if we put ourselves out there?

What if others knew the inside of our story?

What if we would allow ourselves

 to lay down the perfectness of todays

 "highlight real",

and share,

you know-

our REAL LIFE

and the journey of our success.



What if others knew that I homeschool 5 kids out of our living room?

What if others knew that our family of 7 lives a FULL life, in a 1200 square foot home?

What if others knew that the office for my global business,

 is half of an 8 foot folding table,

while the other half,

 is used as our family dining table?





What if others could see that my

REAL LIFE....

is MESSY,

and HARD,

and COMPLICATED-

Just like everyone elses...

Now- don't get me wrong-

I understand that I can't look like a nightmare,

 if I am trying to sell the dream-

but,

On the flip side-

What if others could relate to my "real life"?

What if the parts of my life that I am "covering up",

are the parts of life that would encourage someone else to keep going

 or

Get started?


What if we would finally realize that its truly OKAY.

Its okay to show the failures,

the struggle,

the messes,

the beginning,

and the realness of our day to day.

Its okay to show our REAL LIFE.

You know why?

Because, change is inevitable,


I know that my life won't always look this way,

and I know that yours will be different too.

There won't always be;

 cramped spaces,

messy floors,

full sinks...

Lots of things are going to change,

as we are not all promised tomorrow.

Sure- there will always be chaos, clutter and messy hair.

and there will always be an internal urge to show a "highlight real",

But, what if we did our best to "keep it real",

and told the story of our journey as it unfolded-

not how we portrayed it to be?


~*~


We can choose to tell ourselves that;

we are too broke,

too busy,

not qualified,

too old,

too young,

or

too inadequate, 


OR, on the flip side;

We can decide to make the change.

We can truly decide today, how tomorrow looks.

We can make the time,

find the money,

invest in training,

pursue our dreams,

and

create a life we love.



How do I know this?

Because its been done,

and I am actively in the process of doing it.

I am sure you have all heard the success stories of:

 Oprah Winfrey, Sam Walton and J.K Rowling.

They are all perfect examples of

individuals who completely transformed their hard beginnings into success stories .

How?

They decided to make a change in the direction they were originally headed.

Their lives were:

messy,

complicated,

cramped,

and deprived.



Just like you,

they had their own "real life" story.

But, They didn't let their circumstances

hold them back from creating a life of success.


They chose to be different.


They choose to make their dreams come true and their lives matter.

And you know what?


YOU too have the power to make the change,

and the power to create your own success.


~*~


I understand that success looks different for everyone.

Its not always about:

 the big houses,

7 figure incomes,

and vacation homes.



For some,

 success may be:

 paying for extra curricular activities for their children,

or paying for medical needs,

or being able to give more,

or building a dream home,

or traveling the world,

or retiring early,

or

being at home to raise your children.

We all have our personal hopes and dreams.

and our personal ideas of success.

And do you know what the best part is?


We all have ample time and resources to make them come true.




If you still have blood flowing through your body,

You, my friend,

still have a chance to make an impact on this world.

You still have what it takes to make your life, what you want it to be.

You can decide to hide behind the "highlight real" of social media,

or you can live your life how you truly want to live it,

starting today.


So- WHAT DOES IT REALLY TAKE-

to create a life that you dream of?


COURAGE,

FAITH,

and

ACTION.


Thats all.

It doesn't all have to be polished,

It doesn't have to be perfect,



But it does have to have a beginning.

Stop hiding behind your fears,

and start running after the opportunities that are in front of you.

Be real,

 and

Share your "real life" story along the way.

Commit to making a change,

and in return,

you will make the greatest impact.



Personally-

I'm happy you are reading this in the middle of my success story.

I'd love to say that the "best is yet to come"....

But I believe that the "best" is right here,

right now.

You get a front row seat,

as you watch my life be transformed,

because of the direction I choose to go.


No matter what it may look like today-

within a matter of time,

It will be transformed into a life where I will:

give without limits,

build a dream home for my family,

impact lives around me,

retire my husband early,

pay for all of my kids' college education
(before they graduate high school),

help others live a life of freedom,

travel the world,

and truly live the life I desire.

I am committed to to showing you all the ups and downs,

and all the struggles and failures along the way-

I am committed to "keeping it real".

I hope to inspire you to make a change,

Pursue your idea of success

and keep running after life on YOUR terms.

Remember:

Anything is possible.

Be HONEST.

Be REAL.

Be YOU.



GROW. SERVE. LEAD.

~ Natosha Mae~




* Natosha is a Blessed Mama to 5, Ranch Wife and Business Owner. She enjoys free lance writing and is pursuing her dreams through a global business. Feel free to reach out and ask questions regarding the steps she is taking to transform her life.

We have arrived... And I want to go back

Editors note: I began writing this Blog post over a year ago,
I just finished it up- but it still rings true today...

~*~

I always wondered what it would be like...

The day that I wouldn't be able to fully care for my children on my own.

I never imagined it would come so soon...

~*~

But we have arrived... 

And we can't go back. 

~*~

The day seemed to come out of the foggy haze,

and it came more quickly than I ever imagined.

But, I clearly remember the day that my youngest child qualified for nursing care.

and

It broke my heart.

~*~

I fought it for a long time.

I avoided the paperwork,

I avoided the phone calls that needed to be made...

It was suggested that we should apply for it-

but I resisted. 

I never wanted to be in a place where I simply could not care for

all the medical needs of my child.

But the day came.

~*~ 

We have arrived...

And I want to go back.

~*~ 

I want to go back to the day that it was just me at home with my 5 beautiful children-

Full-filling all their needs.

Sure, it was super crazy-

but it was MY crazy.

I didn't have to worry about scheduling,

I didn't have to worry about having someone else in my home 10 hours a day,
several days a week.

I didn't have to stress about having my house and life in order.

But the day came.

~*~

We have arrived...

And I want to go back.

~*~

We have arrived at a place where I need help-

 As in, help from professional Nursing Care to assist the medical needs of my children.

Yes- Children.

Not too long after my youngest qualified for nursing care,

my oldest qualified too.

That was another heart-wrenching day.

~*~

We have arrived...

And I want to go back.

~*~

But- I CAN'T.

I can't go back.

And if I stop and think about it for more than 3 seconds-

I quickly realize....

~*~

We have arrived...

And I DON'T want to go back.

~*~

I don't want to go back to life before nurses in my home.

Back to life when the nursing schedules are no longer,

Back to the day when the nurses company is not seen-

Why?

Because;

It will mean that life as I know it now,

will no longer be.

~*~

We have arrived...

And I don't want to go back.

~*~

I can never go back to the way it was before.

I can only cherish what I have moving forward.  

We are not able to get the moments and the memories back,

once the precious time has slipped through our fingers-

We can only cherish today for the gift that it has been.

~*~

So-

 I will be grateful for today.

I will choose Joy.

I will be thankful for the schedules.

I will focus on Love.

I will be happy to welcome 2 additional nurses into my small living quarters and life.

I will hold dear the memories that are made.

I will be content with the life as I know it now.

~*~

We have arrived,

And I am Blessed.

I see you Mama....

I see you mama,

and I have seen and heard the looks and questions you get.

You know what I am talking about,

 the look where the inquirers eyes get wide, their forehead crinkles up and
 one eyebrows raises...

that look of question...

The one that has a slight unknowing gesture, with a passive head shake right behind it...

  

You know....  

That unwanted look that comes your way every time you and the kids leave home, or step into the grocery store.

The question that follows the unwanted gaze, is generally-


"How do you do it all?" or "Don't you know what causes that?"

Yes, you usually smile and say- "by the Grace of God.",

but by then, the inquirers eyes have already glazed over... 

  They don't understand. 

 They can't understand.

You don't expect them to understand.

AND:

You truly hope they never HAVE to understand.

~*~

Why?

Because you know: 

The journey of raising 5 kids (who are only 5.5 years apart),
 with 2 of them having complex medical needs-

 is your own journey- and not one to be taken lightly. 

You have a journey,

And they have a journey. 

They are ment to be different.

Thats the way the good Lord made them!

~*~

But- if we are being honest here: 

I know you probably don't always understand their journey either.

From your point of view-

They live a life of freedom,

 with 3 healthy active kids,

grandparents close by,

 have a comfortable home,

in a community that they were raised in.

I mean- how rough can it be, right?

~*~

BUT- as we were saying-

This is just the "outside looking in", a quick snap shot of their life.

Kinda like the quick glance someone gives you at the grocery store.

You know that everyone has their own struggles.

Big,

small,

 hidden,

 or

 out in the open-


Everyone is struggling with something,

and thats just the way this life is.

~*~

So- my advice to you: 

Don't worry about how others see things-

Don't worry about explaining your journey in 3 seconds flat.

Don't worry that they may not understand.

Its not for them to know,

Because-

This is YOUR journey, sweet mama.

This is your life story.

And, by the way-

 you are doing a kick ass job of telling it.

~*~

You are a mom who is marching out the meaning of God's Grace. 

You are the mom- who like others- has an extreme love and devotion for your children. 

You are the mom who has a deep desire to provide for your children, in the ways they need. 

You are a mover and a shaker. 

You have been heavenly programed for this journey that God has entrusted you with. 

He has given you the strength and resilience to face the challenges ahead.

You are a Warrior. 

Who has God's Grace. 

AND

At the end of the day-

We are all the same.

~*~

We all: 

Struggle everyday.

Face our fears.

Cry.

Laugh.

Feel desperate.

Love Jesus.

Drink a lot of coffee.

Love our babies endlessly.

~*~

And hold the title of a:

 MAMA WARRIOR