Kara's Soft Words

{From the February 2015 issue of Women's Elevation Magazine} *This piece was inspired by Kara’s blog post- “Lessons from Strangers (Part 1). . . You’re Beautiful!” * Okay ladies! It’s that time of year. We’re seeing chocolate and flowers EVERYWHERE . . . Valentine’s Day is coming. As we get closer to February 14th, I just want to encourage you to be careful . It can be easy to get caught up in the hype and feel like you need to have someone special in your life. The New Living Translation of Proverbs 4:23 reads, “ Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” These days, I don’t know if many people consider the truth in that statement. It seems like the more popular idea is, “ Anything {Anybody} is better than nothing {nobody}” but that’s not always the case. I want to share part of my own story to remind you to proceed with caution when it comes down to matters of the heart. A while ago, I randomly met someone who was sweet, h...

**This post first appeared in the February 2014 Issue of  Women's Elevation Magazine . Sign up for your free (online) subscription by visiting  www.womenselevationmagazine.com ** Do you love yourself?  I’m not promoting being vain or obsessed with yourself. . . but can you clearly see and appreciate your qualities? Do you recognize your value? I truly believe that a relationship with God can help us to recognize our own worth and establish a healthy sense of love for ourselves. If we care about someone, we’ll most likely cherish and want to protect them. We should be grateful for our lives and desire to make the most of them. Realizing that we have been created in God’s image should remind us that there’s no need to compare ourselves to others. If we focus on the world’s messages, we’ll always be more concerned that there’s someone prettier, smarter or popular instead of the fact the fact that God views us as His masterpiece. How amazing is that? ...

**This post first appeared in the January 2014 Issue of Women's Elevation Magazine . Sign up for your free (online) subscription by visiting www.womenselevationmagazine.com ** Happy New Year! I hope you’re excited about it!   This time of the year can take on different meanings for different people. Some are anxious to say goodbye to the last 12 months and the events that took place, while others look at it as a time of new beginnings.   I want to encourage you to embrace this time as the start of a new chapter in the story of your life. As you may know, a vital part of the writing process is reviewing your work and making necessary revisions .   We can apply this principle to our lives as well. Are there aspects of your life from the last year that you weren’t happy with? Well here’s something to think about. "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." If you know that something 'didn't work' fo...

     I see you.  I know you have dreams and goals but for one reason or another, you’re sitting on them.       What are you waiting for?  Do the stars have to be aligned perfectly? Does everyone need to be in your corner? Do you know whether you’ve saved “enough” money?  Is it the perfect time. . .      Wake up!  These things may never come. . . but you still  - no-> you ALREADY have the power to make a difference!  Napoleon Hill once said, “Do not wait; the time will never be just right. Start where you stand and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.”      Remember to replace fear with faith! You may not realize it but fear can be the thief of many dreams. Often times, we allow our own words of doubt to stop us from accomplishing our goals. We focus more on  “what if” rather than the FACTS  that a...