3 Things I Know for Sure (That You Should Too!)

For the Savage Girl the past few days have been in rewind. I have been doing a little reflecting over the past four years since my anniversary being a FCS County Extension Agent is today. I would not be where I am today without a little heartache, the exhilarating experiences, the tough moments, and the daily grind. What keeps playing in my mind is that the past is to make you better not bitter!

One of my goals this past year has been to be positive since I am so richly blessed! I am so thankful for the intervention of the man upstairs in my life and the challenges He has tested me with when things were tough and hard to bare at the moment. I would not be where I am today if not for Him! I would not have gotten to meet such great new people that have made an impact in my life and have helped me grown into the young woman I am today! I do not know what the future holds, but as I hit play on my life again I am going to try to remember the following things since these are three things that I know for sure and I think you should know them too!

1. Our goal should be eternal happiness. Yes, worldly happiness and physical happiness are awesome and great but sometimes we can be too caught up in the moment that we forget what our real prize in life should be. We should keep our eye on the prize <<<getting to heaven one day>>>! If we have God on our side then everything else will fall into place. We will make it to heaven one day if we follow His will and direction for us. If we choose man’s will and the temptation of the world then we might fall short of our goal and true success in life.
2. We all need encouragement, pats on the back, and genuine appreciation from others. As a Christian, young professional, daughter, and sister sometimes I still need advice, help, teaching, corrective criticism, and positive reinforcement! In addition, I am sure you do too! If we are honest with ourselves, we should admit that we cannot do it all and that we do not know it all. Sometimes we need others to help us see our strengths and weaknesses and then give us encouragement on how to be better instead of bitter on the curves we have been given. So if you are reading this post then be an encouragement to someone else and build relationships instead of breaking them up. If you are on the receiving end of this encouragement willingly accept it and be thankful that person is willing to make your business their business. God told older women in Titus 2 to be teachers to younger women. All it takes is one kind word and advice from a respected individual to change ones outlook in life. If you are on the hearing end of the advice...even though you might not want to hear it at that moment...LISTEN, mull over what was said, and try to take what you heard in a positive manner since the other party is doing this act out of LOVE for you.        
3. Ok, so you might have failed, now what? First, keep in mind you might fail again! But don’t let this discourage you, because we all do. Keep the words of Zig Ziglar in mind, “Make failure your teacher, not your undertaker”. You can always ask for forgiveness and learn from past mistakes, but you have to turn from that mistake and try not to commit it again. Jesus blood continuously washes us white as snow once we take him on in baptism for the remission of our sins, but we have to ask for forgiveness and continue in God's word walking in the light and being faithful unto death since the truth will set us free (John 8:31-32, Hebrews 10:23-39, Revelation 3:3, 19-22). If you want to change your ways there is an easy plan to follow...God's plan. 

In conclusion, use your past experiences and memories of yesterday to make you a better person that is not bitter. Learn from your past and do better in the future as you walk throughout your journey. Let your hair down, wear no make-up, and be you for a moment! Who knows the end result might just be a beautiful snapshot in time capturing the true essence of who you truly are?

A Savage Girl's Reflection

Recently I attended a once of a lifetime opportunity through a professional association that I am a member of. This association that I'm referring to is the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. I've been a member since August of 2004 when I started Tennessee Tech University. We had a wonderful advisor and department head, Dr. Sue Bailey, that encouraged students to join and become part of the association. That's where I got my start with AAFCS. I later became my student unit chapter President and the state student unit Treasurer. This association has always provided me with guidance, new learning opportunities, leadership opportunities, and professional development from my very entrance into the profession of family and consumer sciences. I moved on to becoming a 4-H Youth Development Extension Agent when I graduated college in 2006, but I stayed on as a member of the association since I loved FCS and still wanted to have ties within the field. I moved jobs in the summer of 2009 and finally became a Family and Consumer Science County Agent. This was my "dream job" in the right location area and the right field...who would have thought that at age 24 I would have this opportunity?!? July 6th marks my 4th year being a FCS Extension Agent! Time has flown by!

This year the Director of the School of Human Environmental Sciences, Dr. Ann Vail, at the University of Kentucky encouraged me to apply for the Inaugural Class of the AAFCS Leadership Academy. A little scared and skeptical that I wasn't the "right" fit for the academy....I thought to myself "Why not apply and learn more skills!". I am a leader everyday in my community so this opportunity I thought would be able to help me daily achieve more within myself and the people I serve! My application was selected and  I got into the academy! I recently attended the AAFCS Annual Conference and the Leadership Academy...I just got back yesterday. A little tired but also ready to start blogging I started reflecting and this post evolved very quick.

Boy, did I learn a ton of information in the five days I was at this conference! Here are 5 things I want to share with you that I learned while attending the Leadership Academy and the AAFCS Conference. These are 5 things that anyone can do in their life:

• We should all STRIVE to THRIVE within whatever we choose to do in life. Maybe you don't want to be a member of a professional association like me, but choose something and do it well. Be need to be BRAVE and BOLD and take a stance for our beliefs in order to share our vision.        
• Sometimes in life you may need to change things up a bit, so Consider all your options and opportunities, Communicate your vision and dreams to others to gain a shared outlook, and Collaborate with others around you to reach your fullest potential and to achieve great things with the awesome potential of those on your team since together be are stronger!
• The difference in a Vision and a Hallucination is the number of people who see the dream, so don't forget to Consider, Communicate, and Collaborate with teammates.
• Kouzes & Posner via The Leadership Challenge (2012) say to LOVE what you do in life in order to:  

1. Model the Way
2. Inspire a Shared Vision
3. Challenge the Process
4. Enable Others to Act
5. Encourage the Heart   

• Be the FUTURE. Don't wait for others to lead the way...start now with yourself! "A leader's job is to look into the future and see the organization not as it is, but as it can be." 

While at the Leadership Academy I got the opportunity to do an activity called "speed-mentoring", kinda like speed-dating, in order to find a mentor to help me discover my next adventure within my career and with AAFCS. After many questions and a few short minutes with each potential mentor I narrowed down my list and Joyce Miles became my newest mentor in my collection of awesome leaders for the Savage Girl. I'm super excited about getting to know this lady and having her guidance within A Savage Girl's Life...

  

Last but not least if you are ever in the Houston, TX area you have to try out a restaurant while you are there called The Breakfast Klub. It has awesome southern soul food with great customer service that this Savage Girl highly recommends! It came highly recommended from anyone and everyone I asked while in Houston. "Katfish & Grits" and "Wings & Waffles" are their specialty and a trip to Houston would not be complete without eating breakfast here.

There is always a line at the restaurant, so come early to avoid a long wait if you are in a rush to get back to a meeting like we were. 

Wings and Waffles...breakfast of champions! FYI these are the first deep fried chicken wings/chicken that Savage Girl has eaten in over a year! Yes, they were worth the extra points! 

Some of the Leadership crew that escaped the conference with me for a few hours. 

   

Life is Good

I am sure you have heard the saying "Life is Good". Who knows you might even own a t-shirt that has this on it?!?! This statement helps spread a little optimism around and makes people feel good about the simple things in life. For me this statement brings me to the "now" and the reality of the present moment and how truly blessed I am with life. Today 5 things reminded me that "Life is Good" for the Savage Girl.

1. Walking and/or riding on country roads always take me back to "Life is Good" moments. Roads like this one help me to clear my mind and figure out my next move. They sometimes give me a moment to whisper to God. This morning I soaked in the beautiful sunshine on this road before my Sunday began. 

2. Worshiping on the Lord's Day is always a top priority for the Savage Girl and this morning I found myself here at the Tompkinsville Church of Christ. Lately I have felt like I needed to reintroduce myself to members of the church since I've been busy lately visiting other churches because of vacation, Mother's Day, Father's Day, a baby shower, this trip or that trip, etc. A few weeks ago another member gave me a visitor's sticker...as a joke of course because of my Sunday morning absence! I normally always find myself there three times a week, but it seems like here lately on Sunday morning I have found myself visiting other congregations. It is great to visit and see how other congregations worship, but it is also great to worship at your home congregation, so this morning "Life is Good" because I got to worship with fellow Christians at Tompkinsville!  

3. I had lunch with my family today and the Savage Mama made these yummy zucchini brownies! This is a great recipe to help use up some of the summer bounty of zucchini from the garden. 

I was in heaven!

 

Click here for the yummy recipe. 

A Savage Girl + Chocolate = Life is Good! 

4. Blackberries take me back to my childhood! While on the farm today I inspected the blackberry bushes. Seeing these bushes got me excited about the future. In a couple of weeks we should have berries...Life is Good! Stay tuned because the Savage Mama might be having a grand opening to her berry patch business...I feel these bushes are going to produce an overabundant amount of berries that the Savage Family will not know what to do with all the berries except to sell a few. So I'll expect her to hang a shingle on the mail box to saying "Savage Blackberries U Pick" or something of that nature come July 4th.

5. Last by not least...my parents yard is in full bloom...Life is Good! I love summer and getting to walk around their yard. The Savage Mama has over 650 varieties of daylilies. They can be yours if you want to purchase some! LOL. The "Daylily Patch" (as my mama calls her flower garden) is a state inspected nursery in Tennessee. She sells plants from the garden to anyone who can catch her home and she will even ship plants to you if you are unable to make it to Moss. Let me know if you need her contact info so your yard can look like this! This is truly her labor of love and one of her many passions. 

My Favorite Man

I have one in-particular favorite man in my life currently. Who knows what is in store for the future when it comes to my life and men?!?...Only God knows the plan for certain, but I know there is one very special man who will always be in my life.

This man is the one who has been there from the very beginning of my existence. He is there if I need something whether that is a listening ear or help doing something. He is not shy when it comes to offering advice whether I ask for it or not. Sometimes it is free and the majority of the time just what I need to hear. He might not know how to exactly fix everything, but he is not afraid to roll up his sleeves and try to do his best to learn how. There are sometimes he will admit whatever I've requested is not within his expertise. He would give the shirt off his back literally if I needed it to wear or give it to a friend in need. He is a loving, giving, and supportive man that occasionally likes to pick on and love this Savage Girl. He is the best lawn care service provider I know (he takes care of my yard)...needless to say this Savage Girl is spoiled! My favorite man that I am talking about is my dad! I love you dad!

Here are a few photos I took today when my family came over to my house for lunch.

Today I hosted him, my mom, and sister for a fathers day lunch after church. On the menu was one of his favorite meals...steak, baked potatoes, corn on the cob, grilled veggies, and salad. Everything was topped off with his favorite cookie...oatmeal raisin. For this recipe click here for a healthy version that is dad approved. He didn't even realize they were adapted from what he usually gets, so if you see him out and about don't tell him he ate a healthy cookie please! I have to keep some secrets from him!  Anyways Happy Father's Day from my Savage family to yours.    

Making Whoopie Pies

Tonight while preparing for my upcoming Leadership Academy I was faced with the new idea of "Challenge with Purpose". I am having to read The Leadership Challenge: How To Make Extraordinary Things Happen in Organizations by James Kouzes and Barry Posner to prepare for this upcoming academy. This idea struck a cord with me tonight as I was setting in my back yard reading my book while my neighbors worked in their garden and mowed their yards. They were being productive physically while I was mentally preparing for my ultimate life challenge that some will never achieve...becoming a leader in my community, county, state, and nation. I am not bragging by any means. This is a daunting task that somewhat scares me! Yes, I know that I am currently a leader, but hopefully I can learn how to do it better and with a more focused purpose. Someone saw enough value and potential in me that they selected me to be attend this academy to prepare me for whatever future leadership challenge that I might ever be put up against. I hope this Savage Girl can meet these upcoming challenges and start implementing what I learn into action in my daily life.

Getting back to why "Challenge with Purpose" struck a cord with me. Here are four things that I concluded that we each should do in order to bring "Challenge with Purpose" into our lives:

1. Stop complaining.

I get approached all the time to do something new or try something out. I have people that give me ideas and share possibilities. People are simply trying to "share" things that could happen or that should be happening with the things I am involved in within my job or in the community. It finally clicked with me that these people are simply complaining. Stop complaining people! Put action into your words and start creating a vision, goals, and purpose. Why tell me because I am just one person! It is OK to ask questions and challenge what has been done in the past. I do this every day! But you also have to be willing to actively help deal with those challenges and uncertainties that are happening within your life situation or what is currently going on that you want to fix. I am just one person and I cannot do everything. Volunteer to help us make changes in our community. Volunteer to make that change in your workplace that you always wanted to see happen. Enlist yourself to help out instead of setting on the sidelines waiting for someone else to do it! I cannot do it alone. I need help. The groups I work with can only accomplish so much. Trust me we can find you a place where you will fit in.

2. Begin listening and start.

If you want to ask why something is done a particular way...take a tip from me and begin to listen to the responses you are getting when you ask questions. After listening to the responses you are given analyze the situation, come up with a game plan and put some of those answers into action. If you have ideas help make them goals and put them into action and begin working towards achieving them. You can start your own group if you know there is an area currently being undeserved. Don't wait for someone else to do it! You can help too! Stop the excuses. Start. Find people who have the same interest, same passion, and same drive as you do and enlist them to join your group.

3. Share a whoopie pie occasionally.

Together we all can make a difference. You can have your project and I can have my project. Let's point our arrows in the same direction. Support my team and I will support your team. We are better together than we are separate. A whole whoopie pie is better than a bite of one. When whoopie pie ingredients are perfectly measured out, carefully mixed together, baked to perfection, whipped cream goodness spread in the middle, and served to others usually something sweet happens. Comfort and happiness is shared. If it is an awesome whoopie pie then others want the recipe so they can make it themselves at home. Share your recipe with them and don't leave any ingredients out. Tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Don't sugar coat any of the important details. The more we can share our recipe with others the better our communities, families, and lives can be and together we can begin making a difference.

 

 

4. Find your passion.

We need to turn our challenges into opportunities and purposes. We need to rise to the occasion instead of complaining to others. We all have the power, the force and the drive within us if there is passion and if it is something we really care about. If we want to really resolve something and improve a situation, then there should not be any excuse for what is stopping us. If we keep eating the same kind of pie all the time it will begin to taste dull and old...so change it up and seize the opportunities to try something new for the first time. Find your passion and start sharing it with others. Be on the lookout for people to share pie with, but don't complain! Listen and share. Sharing your pie means that you might find some new ideas yourself and you might also find others who have the same passion you do.     

Get out there and begin making whoopie pies, but do not forget to stop complaining to others, begin listening and start, share a whoopie pie occasionally, and find your passion! Last but not least be open and willing to discover new possibilities but keep in mind you need to "Challenge with Purpose".