Fairy Tales....

"There was Eru, the One, who in Arda is called Iluvatar; and He made first the Ainur, the Holy Ones, that were the offspring of His thought, and they were with Him before aught else was made. And He spoke to them, propounding to them themes of music; and they sang before Him, and He was glad. But for a long while they sang only each alone, or but a few together, while the rest hearkened; for each comprehended only that part of the mind of Iluvatar from which he came, and in the understanding of their brethren they grew but slowly. Yet ever as they listened they came to deeper understanding, and increased in unison and harmony.

 

And it came to pass that Iluvatar called together all the Ainur and declared to them a mighty theme, unfolding to them things greater and more wonderful than He had yet revealed; and the glory of its beginning and the splendour of its end amazed the Ainur, so that they bowed before Iluvatar and were silent.

 

Then Iluvatar said to them: "Of the theme that I have declared to you, I will now that ye make in harmony together a Great Music. And since I have kindled you with the Flame Imperishable, ye shall show forth your powers in adorning this theme, each with his own thoughts and devices, if he will. But I will sit and hearken, and be glad that through you great beauty has been wakened into song"

~ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion; Ainulindale, The Music of the Ainur.

 

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I love fairy tales.....and the greatest master of the fairy tales was J.R.R. Tolkien. Many of you know his great work..."The Lord of the Rings". Few know and less have read the foundational work "The Silmarillion"....in which he wrote the history of Middle Earth. It is the deepest of all fairy tales.....and the first chapter is based on the biblical account of God's creation of angels, earth and men. It is to me, the most beautiful picture of what it might have been like in Eternity Past....in fairy tale format. And the first time I read it, some 25 years ago.....it awoke a place in my heart that has stayed alive for all of these years. A recognition that music has within it the power of God to pierce the heart, soul and spirit...reaching the depths of our being....because it is a gift from the very Mind  and Heart of God. Each time I read it again....I am overwhelmed with wonder and tears well up from deep within my soul.

 

As I look at the journey I have been on....I realized today that this story....this fairy tale..... struck such a deep chord in my soul for a reason. Extreme Dreams is a direct response to this tale.....for the songwriters we are called, as His servants, to love and care for....are much like the Ainur.....God's instruments to create great beauty in the world. All music emanates from Him.....and returns to Him for His pleasure. Each songwriter is a co-creator with God in this creation of song......and beauty. What a gift....what a calling....what a mission.....what a partnership!!!!!!

 

In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal. In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back. The first of these living beings had the form of a lion; the second looked like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth had the form of an eagle with wings spread out as though in flight. Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying ( OR SINGING??),

   
    "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty--
       the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come."

 

Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the One sitting on the throne, the One who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the One who lives forever and ever. And they lay their crowns before the throne and say ( or sing??),

    "You are worthy, O Lord our God,
       to receive glory and honor and power.
    For You created everything,
       and it is for Your pleasure that they exist and were created."

 

~ Revelations 4:6 - 11 ( The New Living Translation)

 

 

Kathy Douglas

President/Owner

Extreme Dreams, LLC

8203 Schaffer Ln.

Houston, TX 77070

Office - 281-890-5034

Fax - 281-469-0267

Cell - 713-398-7304

kathyd@extreme-dreams.net

www.extreme-dreams.net

 

"Helping people enjoy the journey as much as the destination"

 

Check out my coaching journal at:

http://extreme-dreams.blogspot.com/

 

Discipline and Loyalty

"We live in a world where these two great words --discipline and loyalty are becoming meaningless. Does this mean that they are worthless? On the contrary, they are becoming priceless qualities because they are so hard to develop in the first place. And should you be one of the fortunate few who by God's grace has caught the vision. Your battle has just begun because the greatest battle is to keep what you've learned through these two priceless qualities."

~Charlie "Tremendous" Jones

 

The relationship we have with our Creator is our most fundamental relationship. This first, most essential relationship inspires our discipline to honor the principles that will guide all our other values and choices. It is paramount that we clearly know our values and how we are honoring those values through day-to-day actions. Living by time-honored principles and remaining true to our life's purpose requires living with both loyalty and discipline. Rewards await those who remain true to their visions, for through tenacity and resolve, they benefit countless others. When we do what we love, sharing our God-given gifts, we reap tremendous rewards. Life provides the space for our unique gifts and talents to shine. We have the choice to live with purpose, joy, and contentment. However, we must define our lives, not by the reactions of others, but by our vision for the future. Only then will our discipline and loyalty will lead us forward.

 

A Chinese proverb reads, "Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere."

 

As we learn and develop skills, we "outgrow" our current positions. When skills increase, life moves us to the next level. As we grow in faith, discipline, and loyalty, life responds by allowing us to share more of those unique treasures.

~Steve Brunkhurst

 

When I began my career in Mary Kay some 25 years ago....I had a lot of loyalty....but very little discipline. I tend to like to do what I like to do when I like to do it!!!!! So as a result the loyalty I had got scrambled up with a lack of discipline and it was lost in the reality of living an undisciplined life. My Mary Kay training was one of the most loving ways that God used to train me daily to discipline myself......with each success I was rewarded and I was motivated to continue the difficult choices of discipline vs.. whim. Then God added my children into the mix....and that layer of discipline activated the higher level of skill required to continue receiving the rewards, a higher level of  loyalty as choices became clearly defined, and a higher level of faith as the vision began to grow.

 

He has changed the course over the past 6 years in, what seemed an entirely new direction, the music industry.....and yet as I look back I can see that it is the same course, just a higher level of training. When I was with Mary Kay, I depended on those around me to help me grow, encourage me and discipline me. God has called me forth to trust completely in Him as my source of these aspects in my life.....to run this race with Him as my Source, rather than anyone else. It is a great challenge as I am a "people person".....and though Extreme Dreams is definitely a "people business".....I have had to learn to rely on God to meet my needs rather than an outside entity. To trust His guidance and direction as we move forward rather than the acceptance and approval of other people. These have been difficult and challenging lessons for me to learn.

 

The journey in this life I am called to live requires that I continue the learning and development of those skills.....it scares me and my first reaction is to run from the responsibilities of the newest growth opportunities......then I am reminded that God is in those opportunities....just waiting for me to join Him!! How could I refuse such an invitation?? I can't!!!!!!! So as we move forward...we grow!

 

" God is educating you; that's why you must never drop out. He's treating you as dear children. This trouble you're in isn't punishment; it's training, the normal experience of children. Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God? We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God's training so we can truly live? While we were children, our parents did what seemed best to them. But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God's holy best. At the time, discipline isn't much fun. It always feels like it's going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it's the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God. "

~Hebrews 12:7-11 ( The Message)

 

Kathy Douglas

President

Extreme Dreams, LLC

8203 Schaffer Ln.

Houston, TX 77070

Office - 281-890-5034

Fax - 281-469-0267

Cell - 713-398-7304

kathyd@extreme-dreams.net

www.extreme-dreams.net

 

"Helping people enjoy the journey as much as the destination"

 

Check out my coaching journal at:

http://extreme-dreams.blogspot.com/

 

Dreaming a Dream Big Enough for God to live in....

"We have the divine gift of free will. We make conscious choices as spiritual beings who live in a physical world. Conscious choice is a gift that carries great responsibility."
~ Steve Brunkhorst

 

"The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence."

~ Denis Waitley

 

"Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility."

~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

 

"We are responsible for actions performed in response to circumstances for which we are not responsible."

~ Allan Massie

 

" Work while you have the light. You are responsible for the talent that has been entrusted to you."

~ Henri Frederic Amiel

 

"Hope is like a dream-fire burning in the background of our minds. We start with hope. Where there is even a spark of hope, faith lives and dream-fires burn.  Begin today by creating a compelling vision of what your life will look like five years from now. Then ask yourself, "What is my plan for making that vision a reality?"  If you have a desire you cannot forsake, you have the first ingredient for achievement, a dream. Your dream is all you need to start with — a blueprint for the future.  We need to move boldly into the foreground of our visions. Life sometimes calls for us to be a bit wild when it comes to making our dreams come true."

~ Steve Brunkhorst

 

Over the past 48 hours I have had several instances of discovery and revelation that have quietly rocked my world. Not a one of them was a huge NEW discovery or revelation...they were each simply invitations to step into a new level of maturity and understanding of principles that I have been learning for many years....a culmination of a training program that God has had me in for all my life. AND at the same time realizing that the training has REALLY only just begun!!!! It feels much like when I graduated from College.....the day I took my last Art History final.... I knew I was done with that type of learning.....and in typical form for me.....as I walked out of the lecture hall I laid the exam on the table and threw my entire notebook in the trash....right there in front of the professor!!! I was done....I was moving on. At that point in my life, I was REALLY only just beginning to learn.

 

I look back at what God was teaching me in college....and though I have never "used" my "art history degree".....I realize that the training I received to memorize and categorize and dissect and study....comparing, contrasting and analyzing ad nosium the details and structure of a painting or piece of artwork....trying to discover WHAT THE HECK an artist was trying to accomplish in the work......was of great disciplinary value to me as I went through my life. Dreaming BIG Dreams requires these skills as we plan, equip and prepare for all that God is moving us towards.

 

"Always involve yourself with something that bigger than you are, because that 's where God is. Every great success was, at the beginning, impossible. We all have the opportunity for success in our lives. It takes just as much energy ad effort for a bad life as it does for a good life; yet most people live meaningless lives simply because they never decided to write their vision down and follow through on it. Know this, if you can't see the mark, you can't press towards it."

~ John Mason

 

Many times I hear people say that they do not need to plan or prepare because God is taking care of everything ......it used  to really bother me when my consultants would tell me that they were not succeeding in their Mary Kay business because God did not give them any customers or classes. Their expectation was that if they were "supposed" to succeed that it would "just happen". In all my years I have never seen God work that way. It is not His way. His way is to equip us to DO His will. He has placed His Holy Spirit within us to lead, counsel and partner with us in the life that He has planned for us. We are each personally responsible to Him for those gifts and talents that He has given to us....and He full expects and plans to reward us for our choices in their use. As we get to know Him better in a deep relationship, we learn His ways, we learn His heart, we grow more like Him in love, compassion, relationships, and action. He does not drag us to success, He does not give us something He has not prepared us to receive, instead He lovingly trains us through discipline, equipping our heart and soul for a life that we only imagine in our wildest dreams.

 

His desire is to give us that dream......in a way that allows us to live in that dream....He does not spoil us....He does not raise up brats who in their entitlement issues demand that He hand over the goods to prove His Love for them......nor does He train up perfectionists who work to prove that they deserve all the good things they want and go arrogantly to God with the list of promises for obedience and await their "just rewards".  I know what each of these perspectives creates in a life....I have been BOTH of these in my life.....and can easily slip into the role of either ......UNTIL He reminds me that He has NOTHING to prove beyond what He has already done for us in giving us a new life in Jesus Christ....and I certainly have done NOTHING to deserve ANY OF IT!!!  What He does allow us to do is find that what we learn on the path to the goal is actually more valuable than the goal itself. We can't get it wrong.....God is in complete control.....trust HIM on this journey!

 

“ Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. ”

~  Psalm 37:4

 

"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

~ I Cor. 13:11-13

 

 

Kathy Douglas

President/Owner

Extreme Dreams, LLC

8203 Schaffer Ln.

Houston, TX 77070

Office - 281-890-5034

Fax - 281-469-0267

Cell - 713-398-7304

kathyd@extreme-dreams.net

www.extreme-dreams.net

 

 

 

 

Running towards the Goal...

"It is not what happens that determines the major part of your future. What happens, happens to us all. It is what you do about what happens that counts.  Don't let the learning from your own experiences take too long. If you have been doing it wrong for the last ten years, I would suggest that's long enough!

 

Discipline has within it the potential for creating future miracles.  The best time to set up a new discipline is when the idea is strong.  One discipline always leads to another discipline.  You don't have to change that much for it to make a great deal of difference. A few simple disciplines can have a major impact on how your life works out in the next 90 days, let alone in the next 12 months or the next 3 years. "          

~ Jim Rohn

 

"To persevere is to move in alignment and in harmony with life.  Pick a big dream, a once in a lifetime dream, a song in your heart dream, a gift to mankind dream, a purpose- filling dream. Then run with it and persevere!  Confidence comes from knowledge, successes, faith, and a firm resolve to move forward despite temporary discouragement. 

 

There is tremendous value to be found in all experiences whether we are stuck in a valley or standing on a mountain top. We just need to look through the right "lens" from the best perspective to find that value. Then we begin to see in a new way. That's where adventure begins."

~ Steve Brunkhorst

 

I am not an athlete...far from it!.....but I have 3 daughters....and each are incredible athletes in their chosen sports....gymnastics, soccer and tennis. AND I love to watch sports. I have heard the coaches who have trained my daughters, as well as many on TV and in the movies, talk about how "looking back" and "taking your eyes off the ball....can steal precious seconds off the potential for a win. On Sunday I watched this phenomenon happen during the Astros/Cardinals National League Championship Baseball game. Biggio bunted the ball up the 1st Base line and Marquis, the pitcher, ran over to grab the ball so as to make the easy out...... he took his eyes off the ball for a split second to see where Biggio was....and he missed the ball....that split second cost the Cardinals the opportunity to get Biggio out and opened the door for a run....and rattled the pitcher.

 

As we move towards our dreams God desires that we run with the vision and goal in our life. As long as we are running with the vision we won't turn around. When you walk with a vision, it's easy to change directions and go the wrong way. "You can't Stroll to a goal"  We used to say in Mary Kay...."fast is easy, slow is hard".  I found in my own life and business that when I stayed focused on the goal....worked with discipline and perseverance, I got through the steps quickly and easily. It was when I procrastinated and put off what I knew to do, that I found myself struggling to get through the simplest assignments and small obstacles became mountains to climb.

 

"In Proverbs 24:3-4 we read "Any enterprise is built by wise planning, becomes strong through common sense and profits wonderfully by keeping abreast of the facts." Simply stated. effective goal-setting and planning provides an opportunity to bring the future to the present and deal with it today. You will find that achievement is easy when your outer goals become an inner commitment."

~ John Mason

 

As I listen to my daughter Sydney practice her piano, I am reminded that the discipline needed to play her pieces beautifully requires hard work, tireless repetition of notes OVER AND OVER AGAIN ....she can spend as much as 30 min. repeating a single difficult phrase to perfect the results...increasing her speed each time so as to push herself to the highest level of performance. She leaves this weekend to go to California to look at a school that has been trying to recruit her to be the goalkeeper for their soccer team. She will be also auditioning for a piano music scholarship. From the time when she was in first grade...she has worked diligently on her dream of being both a goalkeeper and a pianist.....through injuries, struggles and disappointments she has moved steadily and confidently toward her goals....believing in herself and disciplining herself to value each of the experiences that have brought her to this day. Through the years I have wondered if she had to stamina or the strength or the dedication to actually excel at both of her passions. It has never been easy for her....she has exceeded all the expectations of her coaches and teachers....she has made tough decisions as her time commitments were stretched to the limits. For the first two years of High School she was in the band playing the oboe.....she began to realize that her piano practice time was suffering and came to us to discuss the options of what areas to adjust. She made the decision to leave the band due to the requirements that she would have to become a member of the marching band...which she did not want to do. As she shared her decision with me, I was a bit disappointed....I had loved the marching band in High School, I was the drum major and I had hoped she would enjoy her experience also...however her decision-making skills were strong and impeccable. SHE loved the piano.....and HER desire was to major in piano at college.....so the best decision for HER was to focus her musical time on that instrument. The decision has paid off WELL!!!!! She even now has time to have fun playing her piano with the youth group band at our church...which has opened her eyes to the possibilities of where God may lead her as she grows and expands her horizons musically past Mozart and Beethoven.

 

Whether this is the school for her or God has another place in mind....does not matter. She is ready and prepared to play her role in God's plan. I am so proud to have her as my daughter....so amazed by her focus and discipline.....so in awe of her ability to remain steadfast to her vision. What a journey she will enjoy as she moves out to all that God has prepared for her life!!!!!

 

"I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward--to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back. "

~Philippians 3:12-14 ( the Message)

 

Kathy Douglas

President

Extreme Dreams, LLC

8203 Schaffer Ln.

Houston, TX 77070

Office - 281-890-5034

Fax - 281-469-0267

Cell - 713-398-7304

kathyd@extreme-dreams.net

www.extreme-dreams.net

 

"Helping people enjoy the journey as much as the destination"

 

 

Faith in the Vision Giver.....

"The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today; Let us move forward with strong and active faith."
– Franklin D. Roosevelt

 

"Life does not consist mainly, or even largely, of facts and happenings. It consists mainly of the stream of thought that is forever flowing through one’s head."

- Mark Twain

 

"Look ahead; envision the beautiful blessings waiting on your distant shores. If you follow your personal stepping-stones with joy, love, faith and gratitude, the swiftest currents will not impede your journey."

 

"The greatest inventions and accomplishments began as the flicker of an idea. This tiny flame was then fueled by desire and faith. Watch out for those tiny little ideas. You have the potential to turn them into great things."

 

"Passion behind a clear goal is a powerful force. You can gain enormous control over that force by focusing on one small step that you need to take."

–  Steve Brunkhorst

 

In the early 90's I was given a wonderful book, "An Enemy Called Average" by John L. Mason. I am not sure if it is even still in print!! The book has "nuggets" ... each nugget is a 2-3 page short essay....and each is a powerful encouragement to be all that God has created us to be. Nugget #18 is "A Goal is a Dream with a Deadline". Mason lays out some simple insights to vision.

 

"First the vision must be written down. When you keep a vision in your mind, it is not really a goal; it is really nothing more than a dream. There is power in putting that dream down on paper. When you commit something to writing, commitment to achievement naturally follows. You can't start a fire with paper alone, but writing something down on paper can start a fire inside of you."

 

This past year has been a year of answering this insight with writing the vision down on paper.....God has used several ways to drive me to do what I have put off for years....write a business plan. When I examined why I have put it off, I realized that I was overwhelmed by the dream.....I was having a very hard time believing that God would want to use me to do this.....I don't have an MBA, ..I have a degree in Art History, for heavens sake!!!, I am relatively new to the music business.....I spent 20 yeas as a Mary Kay Sales Director...I know cosmetics, NOT music!!!!, it was not originally my dream....it was Luis Rey's dream, and so on and so on and so on.

 

This past weekend I spoke to the Christian Women in Media and Arts monthly meeting. As I was preparing, I spoke with the president of the chapter and we were discussing personalities of people in the Bible and the ones we relate to. We talked at length about Moses, she has a similar personality to Moses, and how reluctant he was to take up the vision that God had placed on him to accomplish. This morning I realized I have some of the same issues. Moses informed God of His poor choice of leadership.....how could he be the one to lead his people, why hadn't God noticed what a poor speaker he was????, and so on and so on.....God wasn't buying it. God hasn't bought my years of repeating the long list of my own inadequacies either. He seems rather stuck on the idea that I move forward with the vision He has given to me.....and reminded me that it is not ANYONE ELSE'S vision....it is HIS VISION. I am simply an instrument, He can use whatever and WHOEVER He wants ( He has even pointed out that He could use an everyday rock if He wanted to!!!! So any pride in any qualification I might have and try to hold onto has been dashed against that revelation!!) .....and their inadequacies are actually a vehicle to increase His Glory!!!! So as I accept that reality....I say bring it on, God!

 

The vision is written down...it is even now on the Extreme Dreams website!!!! www.extreme-dreams.net

 

Today my new assistant, Cindy, and I begin the process of preparing to move into our new offices on Grant Rd. It is exciting and scary all at the same time.....it is that part of the journey that reminds me that in order to get to our destination we cannot stay in one place, we must MOVE!!!!!!

 

Then the LORD answered me and said,"Record the vision and inscribe it on tablets, that the one who reads it may run."

~ Habakkuk 2:2

 

Kathy Douglas

President/Owner

Extreme Dreams, LLC

8203 Schaffer Ln.

Houston, TX 77070

Office - 281-890-5034

Fax - 281-469-0267

Cell - 713-398-7304

kathyd@extreme-dreams.net

www.extreme-dreams.net

 

"Helping people enjoy the journey as much as the destination"

 

Check out my coaching journal at:

http://extreme-dreams.blogspot.com/

 

Receiving the Gift...

 

"Solidarity is not a matter of sentiment but a fact, cold and impassive as the granite foundations of a skyscraper. If the basic elements, identity of interest, clarity of vision, honesty of intent, and oneness of purpose, or any of these is lacking, all sentimental pleas for solidarity, and all other efforts to achieve it will be barren of results". ~Eugene V. Debs

"This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy." ~George Bernard Shaw

"Many people have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose." ~Helen Keller

"I have one life and one chance to make it count for something . . . I'm free to choose what that something is, and the something I've chosen is my faith. Now, my faith goes beyond theology and religion and requires considerable work and effort. My faith demands -- this is not optional -- my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference." ~Jimmy Carter

"Whatever a man wants badly and persistently enough will determine the man's character."~ A.W.Tozer

This past Sunday our church hosted the International Children's Choir.....and we had the privilege of experiencing the true joy of the Children of the World. Their presentation took us on a roller coaster ride of emotions; from laughter to surprise to worship to tears and back to joy. Our entire church feel in love with these precious children, each of whom are homeless, orphaned and poor. Their hearts were laid out on the stage with a love for their God who had shown up in their world and saved them from shame, poverty and torment, and given them lives that they didn't even have the depth of knowledge to dream of. Their costumes from their home countries were beautiful displays of the rich heritage their families had been raised as a part of.....and their stories were the horrific realities of the lives of the majority of people who populate this planet.

As I watched the video presentation of what the world knows little of, the genocide taking place in Uganda, the story of the Forgotten Children .....I realized how unbelievably my life has been blessed. I came face to face with the heart of Jesus who loves each of the people living in Uganda www.worldhelp.net ...the victims as well as the wicked. The stories that were told reminded me that shame and fear are the favorite weapons of torture....the tools of subjugating the hearts of men and women to evil and hatred. Brothers forced to kill their own brothers, women forced to hand over their newborns to be murdered ....atrocities that we can only get a glimpse of through the miracle of video and TV.

I was reminded once again of the power of music and God's purpose for Extreme Dreams as I listened to the heart of Michael Tait of DC Talk share his desire to open the eyes of the world to this suffering. The songs pierced my soul....and I was reminded that all that I have; my life, my money, my talent, my gifts....all I am ....belongs to the One who bought me with a price.....and however He wants to use ANY OF IT is His business ...I am only asked to obey.

So many times when I throw my own little pity-party, believing the lie that my life is not filled with all the good things I THINK it should be filled with......or things I think I am entitled to.....or things that I think will actually make God's plan work better through me .....I get pulled back into the reality of God's World......His pain over the deep suffering of His Creation.....and His Call on my life to be His instrument of reconciliation. I sat there Sunday morning ...reminded that I have everything I need for life and godliness.....AND not only everything I need ....I HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH!!!!! I have enough to share. God has supplied me with such blessings, not to indulge in my own constant pursuit of pleasure, my own constant creation of the universe circling around my own perceived needs and wants......but for His Purposes and Plan. Surrender is the only option ....surrender of my own plan to the Plan that God has been working in my life ...ALL OF MY LIFE ...to accomplish. The journey has had a purpose and it is bigger than anything I could ever imagine.

"So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that's coming when Jesus arrives." ~I Peter 1:13

 

Kathy Douglas

President/Owner

Extreme Dreams, LLC

8203 Schaffer Ln.

Houston, TX 77070

Office - 281-890-5034

Fax - 281-469-0267

Cell - 713-398-7304

kathyd@extreme-dreams.net

www.extreme-dreams.net

 

"Helping people enjoy the journey as much as the destination"

 

Check out my coaching journal at:

http://extreme-dreams.blogspot.com/

 

The Journey Gets Exciting!

"You already have every characteristic necessary for success if you recognize, claim, develop and use them "
~Zig Ziglar

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."
-Aristotle

"Discipline is remembering what you want." ~David Campbell

"Man can learn self-discipline without becoming ascetic; he can be wise without waiting to be old; he can be influential without waiting for status. Man can sharpen his ability to distinguish between matters of principle and matters of preference, but only if we have a wise interplay between time and truth, between minutes and morality."
~Neal A. Maxwell

"Something in human nature causes us to start slacking off at our moment of greatest accomplishment. As you become successful, you will need a great deal of self-discipline not to lose your sense of balance, humility and commitment."
~H. Ross Perot

"One-half of life is luck; the other half is discipline — and that’s the important half, for without discipline you wouldn’t know what to do with luck."
~ Carl Zuckmeyer

"The successful person has the habit of doing the things failures don't like to do. They don't like doing them either necessarily. But their disliking is subordinated to the strength of their purpose." ~E.M. Gray

"I learned about the strength you can get from a close family life. I learned to keep going, even in bad times. I learned not to despair, even when my world was falling apart. I learned that there are no free lunches. And I learned the value of hard work." ~Lee Iacocca

"Always involve yourself with something bigger than you are, because that is where God is. Every great success was at the beginning, impossible." ~ John L. Mason

This past week has been a whirlwind! All the work that has been focused on developing the vision of Extreme Dreams is coming into fruition and we are now moving forward with excitement and expectation. For the first time I have partners who are fully onboard with whole-hearted commitment to the success of the vision; providing all the support, encouragement and wisdom to step forward into the fulfillment of this dream.

So much has to happen.....so many thing have been spurred forward as we now have the means to see the vision through. As I was able to sit down for a few moments this afternoon and ponder all that God has done....and take in the reality of it all .....I was overwhelmed by the enormity of the vision and mission God has placed before us. And then God reminded me that it is not MY VISION....but HIS. He is faithful and will bring it to pass. I am simply a steward of the vision and am only responsible to obey His direction and calling.

I was completely humbled by the task at hand. Completely aware that I can do little to MAKE this vision a reality. It is God's and He is completely capable to accomplish it all in any manner He chooses. I am completely amazed by the incredible partners who He has brought to Extreme Dreams. Each one has prayed and feels called to the vision. The response has brought me to a place of responsibility and surrender. Now the work has really begun, and yet it is the work that has been going on for 6 years. The natural flow is apparent and I recognize my need to rest in the reality of God's purpose. AND FOR ME THAT IS HARD WORK!!!!!!!!

As I sit here and consider all of it....my daughter calls and she was going into Luby's with her husband, Ryan. She is as giddy and excited as she could possibly be. This evening she will take him to the apartment that she has moved them into and they will begin their life .....their extreme dream. It will also be hard work....and God is right there with them every step of the way.....just as He is with me on this incredible, wild and adventurous journey!

"Any enterprise is built by wise planning, becomes strong through common sense, and profits wonderfully by keeping abreast of the facts." ~ Proverbs 24:3-4

 

Kathy Douglas

President/Owner

Extreme Dreams, LLC

8203 Schaffer Ln.

Houston, TX 77070

Office - 281-890-5034

Fax - 281-469-0267

Cell - 713-398-7304

kathyd@extreme-dreams.net

www.extreme-dreams.net

 

"Helping people enjoy the journey as much as the destination"

 

Check out my coaching journal at:

http://extreme-dreams.blogspot.com/