Our store opens in 17 Days, 23 Hours, 7 Minutes and 43 Seconds. I've never opened a store before. We've had the kiosk a couple of years in a row now so I am not totally oblivious to everything that goes into it but a store is a lot bigger than a kiosk, a lot bigger. With a store you have to deal with construction and painting and shelving and floor and bags and more employees and scheduling and applications and...and...and...and....breathe....deep, deep breaths. Basically it's an overwhelming task. The other night I was sitting on the couch with my sister Sam and she loves when I fill her in on the store and our businesses so she always asks a lot of questions. Our conversation went like this:
Sam - When will all the shirts get here? I can help you fold, I am a really good folder T.J. - Hopefully they will get here the 25th of April, but it will probably be more like the 28th or 29th. Sam- Don't you open the 30th? T.J. - Yes. Sam- Aren't you worried?
That is such a key question at the forefront of my mind right now. "Are you worried?"
Worry and fear are such easy things to get lost in. They are two reasons that people don't do anything with their lives. If you let fear and worry totally consume and control you, your life will be meaningless. Our answer to the questions "Are you worried?" isn't just a question you need to think about when taking a business risk or big decision, it's a stance you take toward life.
I am not worried about the store. I could easily slip into a panic that could consume my thoughts and actions and the people around me but I have made the decision not to. I decided early in the store process to trust God. It's not an easy decision to live by but it's the only decision that will work. If you let fear and worry consume your thoughts, actions and words you will paralyze yourself to act out of fear.
Brooke and I have a really good friend that is only 15 years old. She seems more like 20 but she is only 15 and the reason that we are so fond of her is because she is fearless. She loves photography and wants to become a great photographer, so you know what she does? She takes her camera out and shoots as many photos as she can of whoever will let her. Most new photographers are so scared of looking stupid that they never take any risks and try something new out of fear of looking stupid. So theses photographers slip into this "normal" way of shooting everything and become generic and plain while people like our friend have been out there trying and trying to come up with something new and inspiring. Now our friend might take 1000 stupid un-important photos, but then she could take 1 that could change the world, why? Because she's fearless. Now that's how I want to be. That's how I want to run my relationships and my business. I want to be fearless in the way I love people and customers. It may not be the way people have done it in the past but it's the way that I want to do it. I don't want to slip in this "business or life as usual" mindset because of fear and worry. I want worry and fear to take a back seat to ambition and faith and let God decide how far I can go because when we listen to fear and worry all we are doing is deciding how far we are going to go. Don't you think God might have bigger and better plans for our lives than we do?
Here are some awesome verses to read and post on your walls if you are constantly letting fear dictate your life:
"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34
"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." 1 John 4:18