I'm really good at a lot of different things- a jack of all trades, creative mind. I don't say that to brag, I say that because it can be a real problem. I have spent the last 7 years dreaming and chasing my passion to own an all-inclusive wedding venue- with my background in photography, design, and business planning and marketing, I felt like this was a way for me to focus on one specific niche and add balance to my life. I felt like God and my family needed me to FOCUS!
My mind runs on creative endeavors 24/7 and I cannot shut it off. I zone out of conversations, I space out and stare, and my family, with the best intentions, tries so hard to reign me in. I jump from one project to the next without finishing. I have one bright idea after another. And this is where I feel I thrive- refining my vision for success- one marketing strategy idea to the next.
Funny thing is, we've all looked at this as if I have some unsolicited concept of ADD (no, I am not claiming this, nor have I been diagnosed, but if you know me, you probably have wondered if I struggle with focus). The truth is, I have always struggled with focusing. I love so many things. I have so many passions. So how do I harness it? How do I accomplish anything at all?
As my sister and I are reading through Unqualified, Steven Furtick asks us to re-examine our third words... I am __________. A few of my third words may be... I am creative. I am driven. I am zealous. I am spaced out. I am all over the place.
I spoke with a creative business woman (who will remain anonymous) several months ago when I was re-branding the business from just a wedding business to a farm. She looked briefly at our personal instagram account and made one judgment and it went something like this- I don't know who you are. You sell Advocare, you photograph weddings, you have photos of your family, but it just isn't focused. I'll be honest, it really bothered me, but as I let those words resonate me, I realized that these are all things I love and there isn't a thing wrong with that. Sure, my instagram needed some direction, from a business stand point, but this my business allows me to share my story and my life with YOU! And that's just me. I love sharing our life with YOU! And it isn't going to stop, because from what I see and the stories you share with me, you love it too!
Just so, as Steven presses, perhaps, God made me this way for a purpose. I tried to focus on just weddings. And God said, "I never told you to do that." By limiting myself to the wedding industry alone, I was limiting who God would reach through my life and my business, and ultimately His ability to minister to others through me. Great intentions, but limiting God never has worked in my life.
I remember an interview with a church, for an internship I was applying for at a much younger age, "How are you when it comes to delegating?" Ok ok, I was like 19, and I promise I had never heard that word in my life. I am an intelligent person, a 4.0 kind of student, always trying to graduate early and complete tasks ahead of the game, type A minded individual. But never, ever had I learned how to delegate. Sure, I managed things on my own. But delegate? I was dumbfounded and felt like a fraud. Long story short, I didn't get the internship, but I was running myself ragged as a dedicated volunteer to be at church for 3 services, traveling 2 hours every weekend one-way, just to get there and back from college. I was all over the place.
So, after this new idea brought about by this book, I came to the conclusion that perhaps God doesn't want me to limit myself and this ministry, but to delegate my passions, and strengthen and empower others in areas they they are weak. Perhaps all this time I thought my focus should be brides and couples, really was what only I could handle on my own. God was saying, "Go ahead and limit yourself, but don't limit ME, because I am able. Don't focus on one thing and one target, just delegate."
That is why we have broadened this business and ministry. That is why we have expanded to reach you, in whatever season of life you are in. Whether you are a kid in school struggling with math, a mom that feels she can't make it one more day, a guy looking for something more than just a fitness routine, a couple longing to grow together in their relationship, a college girl that feels what she is going through no one has ever walked in her shoes, looking for a way to make your house a home, a small business looking for resources on how to grow, a senior wanting to document their senior year in a fun way, a family cooking dinner and wanting something new to add to your weekly meals, wherever you are, Jackson Pine Farm just wants to make your life more simple, elegant, and blissful.
I realize that my mind and my efforts look like a hot mess. I cannot do it all by myself, but with the help of our team and through Jesus, we can touch lives from one spectrum to another. Shoot if Jo Jo and Chip can make cupcakes, run a farm, and create furniture lines all while flipping houses and raising a family... Jackson Pine Farm can create a co-op where mom's are empowered to educate their kids, encourage others to share their stories to help others, run a FREE wellness program, share wedding tips and inspiration, design family spaces that speak home and life, and coach business entrepreneurs to achieve greatness... all while "making a headband" (my friend Emily used to tell me I'd be doing this and that, and this, and this... all while making a headband- funny thing is that while I'm typing this, I'm currently making a t-shirt to wear to our adoption class tonight)! My passion and my inability to focus will not limit what God wants to do in my life, but allow us to reach more people because I refuse to focus on one thing, but allow God to empower me to manage these areas well through the collaboration of some amazing people I call my #JPFFamily!
xoxo,
Lauren
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