September 2016 - Stephanie L. Jones

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September 2016

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Dreaming Big September 22, 2016

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by Stephanie Jones

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MY MISSION
is to encourage you to live a bold life, establish and accomplish big dreams and challenge you to bless others in everything you do.

© 2020 Stephanie L. Jones, Giving Gal

Celebrate Thanks…Giving For many, our thanksgiv

Celebrate Thanks…Giving For many, our thanksgiving is going to look different this year. I know my hubby and I will be staying home and finding a way to still be grateful for the day, without being surrounded by friends and family. Every year I post a Thanks…Giving Challenge. Whoever you are with this year, there is still an opportunity to take the challenge! From my home to yours, Happy Thanksgiving🦃

I loved I got an opportunity to share my adventure

I loved I got an opportunity to share my adventure with my friends.

Happy World Kindness Day! I don’t know about yo

Happy World Kindness Day! I don’t know about you but the world could use a little, or a whole lot of, kindness right now. I love these ideas from, fellow author, Shannon Anderson. Take action on one act of kindness and leave a trail of smiles behind you everywhere you go!

To all the men and women who served in the militar

To all the men and women who served in the military of the United States of America, THANK YOU! We are forever grateful. The sacrifices made for this country can never be repaid. Over the past decade, on my giving journey, I’ve talked to hundreds of veterans. One thing I’ve learned, they are incredibly humble. Today, and every day, if you see a Veteran, walk up to them, extend your hand for a firm handshake, and thank them for their service. It’s a simple, yet impactful, gift you can give.

Happy Election Day! Take the Election Day Giving

Happy Election Day! Take the Election Day Giving Challenge: ❤️Be kind at the polls
🙏🏻Thank a poll worker
😁Chat to a stranger in line
⏰Be patient
👋 Give Air Hugs
📱Stay positive on social media

I’m grateful for the opportunity to vote early,

I’m grateful for the opportunity to vote early, as I’m heading out on an adventure on the 3rd. With an hour to wait, I took the opportunity to get to know the lady in front of me. I gotta be honest, she struck up a conversation with me. I welcomed the distraction, as I was not dressed to stand outside in the cold. We didn’t talk politics, even though we were there to vote. I have no idea if she was a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, or writing in a vote for @kanyewest. We found common ground in chatting why were voting early. That discussion led to me sharing about my life as an author and a speaker. We moved onto chatting about travel, where we discovered we both want to visit Italy. We ended on the topic of running. In her late 60s she’s still an avid runner. And even though she doesn’t feel safe to hit the roads at 4:30a, she still hops on her treadmill. In the hour we stood out in the cold, my shivers subsided, and my heart warmed with a new friendship, even just for the hour. If we shut off the news and stop scrolling through social media, we’ll discover we have way more in common than we think. Who will you meet at the polls?

As we move into the final week before the election

As we move into the final week before the election, I want to challenge myself, and my community, to step up our giving, but not monetarily. As we engage with our family, friends, and strangers, before responding, whether in person, on social media, or via text, let us respond in one or more of the following ways: 🤝Giving others the benefit of the doubt
👄Speaking a kind word
🕊Showing grace
👂Providing a listening ear
❤️Wrapping them in love
📵Focusing on understanding instead of debating
💌Practicing gratitude
🙏🏻Lifting others up in prayer Let's start a wave of goodness!

Dang it! I missed National Smile Day! But that’s

Dang it! I missed National Smile Day! But that’s okay because every day should be National Smile Day! I use to think smiling at strangers was difficult. It means making eye contact with those I didn’t know. What if they didn't smile back? What if they thought I was flirting? But then I realized that none of these "what ifs" mattered. I was making this simple, free gift about me. Putting expectations on how the receiver would react or what they thought. When we add expectations to our gifts, they are no longer gifts. Give and expect nothing, not even a thank you or a returned smile. But you know what? 99% of people smile back. My worries are for nothing, as are most fears in life. Made up and prevent us from not only giving incredible gifts, but pursuing our dreams. I love this pic of me with a dear friend, fellow author, and speaker. Check out her book, Live Life: Be Stronger with God. She never fails to share a smile, bringing joy to everyone she encounters. Giving Challenge: Smile today and make someone’s day!

One of the things I hate about the police wife lif

One of the things I hate about the police wife life is when my husband teaches at the academy and is gone all week. I must put things in perspective as military wives have their spouses deployed for months to years at a time. I don’t know how they do it. I get major anxiety. I hate to be home alone at night. I pretty much barricade every entrance because if someone is going to get in the house, by golly, they are going to make a lot of noise and hopefully that will give a fighting chance to call the cops and defend myself. I stay up as late as possible and get up really early, averaging about three hours of sleep a night and then do a lot of reading, working and cleaning to keep my mind busy. I looked out at the driveway and it’s covered in leaves. For some reason this drives my husband bananas! He’s not worried about me when he’s gone, he’s worried about the leaves piling up in the driveway. He knows I can protect myself but there is nothing stopping those leaves from floating to the ground.😂 I decided to take a break from building a PowerPoint and sweep the driveway. A simple gift I could give to my husband. I grabbed the push broom from the garage, cranked up Tim McGraw and got to work! Grumbling under my breathe I complained how boring sweeping was, how much it sucked and dang...why is it so cold already?! Then I stopped myself, flipped a switch and listed everything good about sweeping leaves: 🚶🏻‍♀️I’d hit my steps for the day. 🍁Instead of sitting inside, I was outside enjoying the beautiful fall day. 🌅 I witnessed an incredible sunset. 💪🏻 I worked up a sweat, and got my workout in, loosening my tight shoulders from sitting at the computer. 🎁 Gift of the day ✅ 😀 When I got back inside I had a boost of energy to get back to work! And look at that driveway! I know it will probably be full again in a couple of days but when my hubby gets home, it will make him smile. So next time you see an opportunity to make your spouse happy, go for it! It just might make you happy also.

My community has grown and I wanted to take a mome

My community has grown and I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself. Here’s a little bit about me☺️ I love God. I asked Jesus into my life at age nine and I’ve never questioned his love for me. He is the guide of my life. My favorite verse is Proverbs 3:5-6. I love giving. I gave a gift every day for 522 days, and it changed my life. I took a break but missed giving and have been giving a gift almost everyday for years. It’s why I’m also known as the Giving Gal. I love speaking. I got the bug in college when I spoke at local churches, sharing experiences from a Honduran mission trip. I haven't shut up since. I love speaking on giving, gratitude, and goals. Last year I got to check giving a TEDx talk off my speaking goal list🤗 I love writing. My writing career started as a grant writer for the Indiana State Police, bringing in million dollars. I learned written words have power and can change lives. I’m an author of two books. The Giving Challenge and The Gratitude Challenge. Check them out😉 Strangely enough, months before my first book released, I discovered I’m dyslexic. I don’t view it as a disability, but a strength. I love law enforcement. In 2000, I showed up at the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy to become a State Trooper. After thirteen weeks of grueling training, I was devastated when I failed firearms. I had no plan B, but God had a plan, and three years later, I would marry a fellow recruit. We’ve been married for 17 years! He is my rock and protector and always supports my big dreams. With the failure of washing out of the academy on my back, in 2007, I finally accomplished my goal of becoming a police officer, and I qualified as a distinguished expert with my firearm. Lots of lessons learned in those seven years. I live life intentionally! When I learned to say no and set priorities my life changed. I live each day with intention, aligning to where God is calling me, focusing my time on goals. I not only love dreaming, but I love taking action, making my dreams a reality and helping others to do the same!

Check out episode 7 on my new #podcast, Giving You

Check out episode 7 on my new #podcast, Giving Your Best Life. I share the lessons I learned from a hot yoga class. I would love to hear what you have learned from trying something new.

I love podcast interviews because I never know whe

I love podcast interviews because I never know where the conversation is going to go. I have a soft spot for the law enforcement community and unexpectedly got to talk about that part of my life. And of course we chatted about giving and gratitude. Check out my interview on The Robert Timmons Show!

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