Two years ago, I went to Africa on a mission trip. One afternoon, while we were building a mud wall for a school, a Ugandan girl in her early 20s started asking me questions about life in America. After a bit, she asked me if I was married. I told her I wasn't and she said, Oh, it's OK, maybe someday he'll find you.
I immediately stopped slinging mud and smiled at her as I realized that even with our wildly different backgrounds, cultures and lifestyles, we both wanted the same thing.
We all share a fundamental need to be known, loved and accepted as who we are.
My trip to Africa began a long {long, long} journey of self-reflection. I've struggled a lot with what my purpose on this Earth is. I've questioned whether we need to have jobs that fulfill our purpose, or if we can have check-the-box jobs with passion projects on the side. I have cried, felt stuck and felt overwhelming joy. It has been two years of serious growth, which, many of you know, culminated in me pursuing a life coaching certification.
When I told you I was going to become a coach, I thought it was over. I thought: done! This is it! I have found my calling. The hard part is over wahoo!
In a way, I was right. I finished my coaching classes and have begun taking clients. I have loved every minute of it and intend to keep growing this business next year. But, little did I know, this was just the beginning of where this journey would take me.
On June 8, I woke up and realized, without a shadow of doubt, that I needed to take this project further. I realized one of my deepest passions in this world is building confidence and self worth in women and girls. I realized the things I learned in Africa, the challenges I faced in childhood and the decisions I'd made throughout high school and college were preparing me for this next journey.
Beginning next summer, I'll be launching day camps for girls ages 6 to 9, with a focus on self worth and confidence. I'll work with them on knowing who they are and what they stand for. We'll talk a lot about why they matter and why they're more than just how they look.
It's all part of my bigger mission: Project to Love Ourselves. My goal is to reach women and girls of all ages; I believe that if we can learn to love ourselves better, we can love others better, too. And, I firmly believe that one of the only things the world needs more of is love.
Sharing all of this makes me feel very vulnerable.
I don't have all of the details sorted out. I am still finalizing which cities it will be in and determining costs for renting space to host the camps. In fact, I am still looking for space for the camps!
Sharing this project before it is ready to launch goes against my natural inclinations. But, I want to come to this space with honesty and vulnerability. I want you to know I would appreciate, more than anything, your prayers. If you're so willing, I'd love for you to pray that:
- I can find the right spaces for the camps
- Can finish developing the appropriate curriculum
- Can find the right girls to whom I can market the camps
I also want you to know that sometimes people have dreams and it looks like everything just falls into place for them over night, but it actually takes a lot of under-the-radar work. I don't want to present perfection to you, but instead, honesty. I want to invite you into this project as supporters, if you'll be that for me.
So that is where I stand today :) Happy Thursday!