Category Archives: Christianity

Day 2717 – Why Are You Putting Off Your Dreams?

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I’m a big pusher. I love this about myself. I love to push people to be better, to follow their dreams and to do things that make them happy. Once I figure out how to make that quality in myself into a source of income that makes sense for my lifestyle, I will be a very happy camper.

But just as a photographer really sucks at taking photos of themselves, their family and friends….AND printing them out. I suck at pushing myself. It’s easier for me to just give advice to other people and not give it to myself.

I have had a dream to publish a book for years. I honestly have no idea how long. At least 10 years. I am pretty sure as a kid/young adult, I had dreams of writing a book. I watched countless videos, went to seminars, heard many people say how easy it is to publish a book today. I knew it was possible and it did sound pretty easy.

But here’s the thing, I still dragged my feet. It took a lot of arm twisting for me to hire a proof reader/editor. I did and I know my book is so much stronger because of the changes and general clean up that my editor did. She even made a few changes that made my formatting for Amazon a ton easier.

I also delayed a while after the manuscript was done. To be fair, I was stuck on the title. It was so hard to say what the book was about. I had so many competing voices and advice. Do this, do that, you HAVE to do this, DON’T do that! One day, I finally turned everything off and just talked to God. I said tell me what you want YOUR book to be called. Because really, the book is what God has to say about work….not me. It was a big step for me, I figured out the title and everything clicked after that.

I met some resistance in getting things set up…buying the ISBN, designing my cover, uploading to Amazon. I realize now, it was mostly a “I’ve never done this before and I’m putting things off” type thing.

But now that I’m done, I can’t get over how easy it was. Not only to put publish the ebook but also the paperback (I’m still waiting for approval from Amazon, keep checking the link if you want to buy a physical copy). I had a little trouble with the cover design….but Amazon has a great program to catch any mistakes on the book.

I will be a major pusher to others who want to write a book now. I will also push affiliate marketing as well. Through people clicking on the link to my book, I’ve already made affiliate sales. Basically, if someone clicks on one of my affiliate links and buys either the product I’m sharing or something completely different, I get a percentage of that sale (at no additional cost to the purchaser). I’ve made more in the last few days through my book than I have in a few months of having an affiliate account. (If you have to shop on Amazon, follow the link to my book in the footer to make sure we get credit!)

So as I marinate over the fact that I am now a published author, I am struck by the thought “why did I put this off for so long?” It seems silly now…especially since I’m a big supporter of “go do these things that make you happy. Go take that cross country trip. Quit your job and take a chance on your own business. Get rid of all your stuff and live out of an RV.”

Why are you putting off your dreams?

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Day 2715 – Trusting God With 2 Cents – My Book Is Live!!!!!

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I am happy to report, my book is live!

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Day 2700 – We Don’t Give Christmas Gifts

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I read a fantastic article yesterday – The Case Against Buying Christmas Presents. It really struck a chord and I wanted to share it and my thoughts on gift giving at Christmas.

I stopped buying Christmas presents about 9 years ago. Like most things in my life, I started/stopped doing it for a superficial reason but the deeper reasons that resulted from the change became very important to me. I stopped Christmas gifts because of my own debt and the example of a close family from church who didn’t do gifts. I thought, huh, that’s interesting. So, I stopped. I’ll admit, that first Christmas was a little awkward, but my friends and family know I don’t do gifts. I still get a few gifts here and there (which I totally appreciate!) but now it’s expected that I won’t give one back.

As time went on, I still didn’t give Christmas gifts. Bret felt the same about giving gifts, so we didn’t. Looking back, I can see how those deeper reasons were a lot of the points the author of the above article made. Since we’re minimalists, we’re all about less stuff. And in turn, we don’t want to add to someone else’s “stuff.” It also frees us to give generously at other times of the year. The unexpected gifts are the best, in my opinion. 🙂

But I have to say, the biggest benefit has been a nearly stress-free holiday season, every year. There’s no “what am I going to get XXX for Christmas?” or “I have SO much to do!” Honestly, the biggest stress of our holidays is getting to and from the airport and flight delays. Since we’re not stressed about all the “stuff you have to do” at the holidays, we can truly sit back and reflect about the real reason for Christmas.

So, what do you think? Are we completely crazy?
(Just be glad I didn’t talk about some of the other topics that we’re REALLY in the minority about!)

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Day 2679 – Cutting Out Your Eye – or – How To Grow In Life

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This morning, I listened to a message about this verse:
“If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.” Matthew 5:29 ESV

About two years ago, we started to take this verse seriously when we stopped watching anything with nudity. This was an area of our lives where we need to “cut out our eyes.” It’s not easy, it’s annoying as anything to get excited about watching a movie or show only to find there is nudity. But, I have to say, having a “nudity-free” mind is SO refreshing!

The main topic of the message was continual sin. Things that you just cannot stop doing. I’ve made huge strides in some major sins in my life over the past few years. It’s been amazing. But there are still lingering “nice but major” sins like pride. There are still things that drag me down. One of them is depression/discouragement/”can’t get out of bed.” I’ve been thinking that I need to come up with ways to combat this, things that will pull me out of that pit and help me to find joy again. This sermon was a great reminder to do so. I’m still noodling what that will look like, but I have a feeling cutting out some Facebook will be a part of it.

Are there areas in your life you need to take a knife to the eye? Have you taken drastic measures to cut things out?

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Did you like what you read? Here’s some ways you can support us and this blog!
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Buy my book, Planning an Epic Road Trip on any Budget.
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Shop on Amazon (no additional cost to you, this gives us a percentage of what you order).
Check out our resources page.
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Day 2673 – Why You Should Look Back On Your Life More

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I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook. I hate that it keeps me connected. I love how it keeps me connected, how it helped grow my business and even helped me to get new business. I do love the On This Day feature. It’s an interesting exercise to look back on things I said over the years. Seeing how I’ve changed – for better or for worse – and how I’ve stayed the same. Fun fact, yesterday was my 12 year Facebook anniversary. Wow, I mean, that’s a long time to be tied to a website.

On November 3, 2010, I wrote this – Jennilyn Gaitan “is grateful for another day to walk, talk, breathe, smell, hear, see and appreciate life. It’s not the greatest day and certainly not the worst, but it’s another day. I’m reminded of how short it is. I have been blessed with a “cup runneth over” life. Even if I’m not photographing full time (yet), even if I have a debt (for now), even though I don’t have a house or a puppy (yet), I will relish the joy of the now.”

Six years ago, I wasn’t a full time freelancer, I was still in debt, I didn’t have a house or a puppy. Little did I know, I would start my freelancer journey less than a year later. We would pay off our debt in 2013. I don’t have a house or a puppy….BUT working for a pet photographer, I have gotten SO opportunities to pet many dogs, get licks and cuddles. Just a few weeks ago, I got to play with 3 mastiffs! I like big dogs and I cannot lie!

I also recently had a bit of an epiphany – I need to constantly push myself to grow. I had been in a bit of a funk. Probably since about July after returning from our road trip. A part of myself came alive during that trip. I LOVE to travel. I love exploring new places and seeing new things. I absolutely adore this country. The varied landscapes and people. I think if more people traveled the country, long distance on the road, we would have a more unified and strong country. I recently watched a segment on Ellen where Michelle Obama made a comment that she would miss going around the country and meeting people. She said, roughly, if you travel the country, you realize how great of a country we have. I sat at my desk, almost yelling, “YES!” Ok…. ::steps down from soapbox::…

So, back to the funk. I hung out with a friend and in our conversation, I made a true admission of where I was with a few things. Finally saying out loud “I am not happy” instead of keeping it inside, felt like a weight lifting. That night, I had a hard time sleeping because my brain was going a mile a minute with ideas and new plans. The next day was one of the best I’ve had in a really long time. I spent a lot of the day watching videos on a new project I’m working on, educational videos on various topics and reading what promises to be a life changing book, Designing Your Life – How To Build A Well-Lived, Joyful Life by Bill Burnett & Dave Evans. The theme throughout the day was this – you have to continue to grow, you have to stretch yourself, you have to be ok with failures.

It made me realize just how important personal development is. To truly embrace the journey of life. To not become stagnant. I think this quote from Designing Your Life sums it up best:

“The biggest reframe is that your life can’t be perfectly planned, that there isn’t just one solution to your life, and that’s a good thing. Your life is not a thing, it’s an experience; the fun coming from designing and enjoying the experience.”

I can’t wait to discover all the many solutions to my life. I can’t wait to experience all the experiences.

What will you experience today?

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Did you like what you read? Here’s some ways you can support us and this blog!
Join our Facebook group, Planning an Epic Road Trip on Any Budget
Join the Journey With The G’s email list (bonus – you get my Epic Road Trip Budget spreadsheet)
Buy my book, Planning an Epic Road Trip on any Budget.
Buy my book, Trusting God With 2 Cents: 22 Days To Becoming A Successful Christian Business Owner.
Shop on Amazon (no additional cost to you, this gives us a percentage of what you order).
Check out our resources page.
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel