Moving Forward and Leaving Fear Behind

"One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again." -Abraham Maslow 1908-1970 Psychologist

This quote really spoke loudly to me as I was wanting to go back towards safety, but knowing that I would never grow, helped me to gradually move the fear aside. It has been a slow process, but I am much less fearful today then I was one year ago.

We started working on the mission statement. The following is what we came up with at this point in Nov. 2007: To provide programs and services that foster family and community interaction; while striving to preserve family life.

Accomplishments being made:

• The Articles of Incorporation was being worked on by Coach Brett and the concept page was starting to be build.
  
• Mailed in the application for Reservation of Corporate name.
  

• Got the Bios of the new directors to be sent to Coach Brett.

Most of the above was the "heavy lifting" that The Power of Grant Money did for me.

Nov. and Dec. was kind of quite for me with That's It, I'm Going to Grandma's! I still had not told anyone. Not even Jeff Wellman and Dixie Brown because I didn't know what their reaction would be. I was learning about affiliate marketing from them.

The end of Dec. around the 30th was when I got brave and shared with Dixie about That's It, I'm Going to Grandma's! She totally surprised me with saying "that is what I want to do!" I had shared with her my plans of what I wanted to do within That's It, I'm Going to Grandma's! and her response was so overwhelming I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Dixie shared with me that that follows right along with what she would like to do.

The following email tells you how I felt after talking to Dixie:

Hi Brett,

I just got off the phone from talking to my coach and she told me about a gentleman that she just talked to the other night after talking to me about the grant program and she found out that this man who is doing things on the Internet is totally blind and so she wanted to share with me how we need to do something to make it possible for the handicap to be able to function on the Internet. She is now working with him on how he can jazz up his website to make it more interesting for people.

this is so unbelievable what just telling one person can do. I am so pumped right now being able to believe that we can start to make a difference in peoples lives.
This is so huge.
I love it.
Renita Farrall

I think you can see on Dec. 31, 2007 was the point when my whole mood and feelings started changing. January is coming.!

The Fall of '07 and the Rise of Grandma?

Email entry for Oct. 15th: I sure feel better about all of this now. I at least feel like we are moving in the right direction and maybe I can do this.

Then I received an email response back from the Leading Grant Expert Sherry Watson saying "That's fantastic! And yes, you not only can do it, you ARE doing it!

Keep up the great work and thanks for keeping me in the loop!

Sherry Watson

“Granting Your Wishes Come True”

After pinning down the name of the organization the mission statement was next in line to work on to start filling out the 501(c)3.

I had sent Coach Brett an email:
Following is a quote that I received in one of my emails today that went along with what I was talking about today also.
"If you are never scared, embarrassed or hurt, it means you never take chances." -Julia Soul
That quote says it all for me since I have been scared through this and afraid that I would be embarrassed if it doesn't work out. And I feel I am definitely taking a chance with our finances.

I am sure you can see from the previous emails what a state of uncertainty I was in at this time.

I was desperately searching for something that would make me some income until I could get That's It, I'm Going to Grandma's! up and running. I came across a website that spoke to me. It was about Jeff Wellman who worked on a dairy farm and how he found a way on the Internet to make money. I decided to see if he could help me and with his guarantee I decided to buy his program. Then after a day or 2 I got buyers' remorse. I felt so guilty that I decided I shouldn't have done it. I called him and he said he would return my money to me but he would like for me to listen to the conference call he would be hosting the next night. I agreed.


I was very distraught by this time. I did get on the call and wasn't going to say anything. But Jeff wouldn't let me just sit and listen he made me talk. Jeff recommended that we join his Mastermind groups that he was putting together. I listened to that call and met a lady by the name of Dixie Brown.

Dixie called me the next day. She asked me some questions and we partnered from there. I have been working with Dixie and learning about the Internet from this phenomenal coach. ever since.

Dixie and Jeff have become some very special people in my life and I am very grateful for each of them, as you will learn with the ongoing posts. Their participation has been a big and positive influence in That's It, I'm Going to Grandma's!

Maybe it's a good thing I was so scared. It drove me to action.

Renita Farrall

Is It Passion or Encouragement that Helps?

Here we are, reporting about Oct. 2007.

On Oct. 1 I sent this email to Coach Brett from the Power of Grant Money: I received a call from the state and "That's It, I'm Going to Grandma's!" is open to use for a name and I have already purchased the .com and .org for that name.

On Oct. 2 Email was sent to me about what to do next: We will need to determine your board of directors so that we can file your Articles of Incorporation with the state.

You are required to have 3 individuals on you board at minimum.

Now my journey is REALLY started! I began searching for my Board of Directors. I was rejected by 2 and 2 more surprised me with "Yes, I think that is needed." I was in total shock and surprise. I thought WOW! This is better then any Multi Level Marketing enterprise. I never got anyone there to say 'yes.' I guess when you have that passion behind you it really does make a difference. My husband said he would be the 3rd member.

Oct 12 a great email from Coach Brett from the Power of Grant Money: From your message I sense that you are still apprehensive about what you are doing. You continue to feel the way that all individuals who are starting a new organization feel.....uncertainty. It is your passion that moves you forward! Hold on to your passion. You are creating a program that will support children and families as they strive to better themselves.

... Keep moving forward with passion, allow individuals to consider what you have asked...
You can have a list of individuals that may be resources for your project. Board possibilities, volunteers, group leaders, bakers (for cookies at Grandma's).....and develop your initial program to begin to establish structures.

Each time you share you project with others, you are "practicing". You are stiving to be more comfortable talking about you passion, you are sharing your passion with others in the community. You are practicing and you are making connections.
You are moving Forward!!

I have one last email I want to share with you to show you just how supportive my coaches were to me. This will be the last one for this post and then tomorrow's post will be to finish October's events.

Thanks for your emails. I have stayed quiet this week because I have felt the need for you to stay committed to your mission. It's never easy, and certainly there are periods of discomfort in pursuing your goal, but if you are truly committed the "universe" will provide the means for you to get there.

As the beautifully framed picture that I've had on my office wall for many years of a famous, extremely challenging golf hole tells me daily "If you think you can.....or you think you can't....you're right"

My advice is really pretty simple. Recognize that you are on the right path and commit to it. Once you commit the universe rallies to help you. And once you truly commit you don't have the demons confronting you of "I can't", "I'm not sure", "This isn't working today", and the like.....

I'm v-glad that you have had some success lately but...

Recognize Renita, that there will be severe, emotional ups and downs........it's part of everybody's life when they decide to move beyond their comfort zone. The trick is to not really pay any attention to the highs or the lows.......just stay focused on the objective.

Understand that the process is hard........for all of us......but the end result makes it all worthwhile.

You are on the correct path, make your vision a reality, and we are here to help you but realize there is only so much that we can do.....whether you accomplish this (or not)....it's really up to you.

All the best, Gary Nichols

Gary also said something very profound to me and that was that "he has worked with farmers in his area of expertise and the 2 toughest things that anyone can do, in his opinion, is farm and raise kids." I said, "Well I have done both, so if that is true why am I so worked up about doing a not-for-profit business?" That has helped me to keep pushing and moving forward in this.

I hope this post helps you to keep moving forward and know that we all have our ups and downs but there is light on the other side, I think! I am getting closer to it though.

My passion drives me. The encouragement is the fuel that keeps me going.

Renita Farrall

What is my Not-for-Profit going to be!

Good evening from the state of Nebraska. It has been rainy so was a great day for making 2 pumpkin pies. My son had used some pumpkins for target practice last fall. With all of the rain we had in the spring one of the seeds decided to sprout so now we have 2 pumpkins one of which I cut up and baked yesterday. Received a gallon of pulp from that pumpkin and of course hubby thought he needed a pie. So a pie he will get tonight.

Being a mom and grandma the above is part of my legacy, but as I have done in the first two posts, I would like to continue bringing you up to date with what I am working on for my not-for-profit legacy.

We will go back to Sept. 2007. If you haven't been able to tell the last half of the year, I was very distraught over what in the world I would be doing for a legacy. If "this farmwife" could even do anything! I was a total wreck. If that wasn't enough I was also on the mission board of our church.

September was the month for our Mission Conference. At the first of the year I had suggested that we invite some missionaries from California to come and speak. The missionaries were people that Eunice (a friend) and I had met in 1992 when we went to Russia on a mission trip with Josh McDowell's; "More Than a Carpenter." Dr. Jim and Laurel Carlson was 2 people on that trip. We were in the same group that went to Tallinn, Estonia.

In Tallinn was this beautiful church with a 40 foot steeple. The pastor of the church spoke to our group and mentioned that there was a need for christian radio. The steeple on the church could be used to put the antenna on in place of the KGB antenna that was already there. To make a long story short, Jim and another gentlemen in the group took on the challenge and from there The European Christian Radio Project was born.

Jim a Medical Doctor who had no previous knowledge about the workings of a radio station, and this other gentleman who own a radio station or 2 in the Pennsylvania area decided to make this project theirs. After a few months the gentleman from Penn. decided to bowed out of the project. Jim and Laurel have taken this project and have set up 5 radio stations in Estonia that broadcast across Russia and into many other countries. Now with a big transmitter that they just installed in one of the radio facilities they will be able to broadcast across most of Europe.

We invited Jim and Laurel to come to speak at our mission conference. They stayed in our home. I had the opportunity to question Jim about how he continued with the project without the other gentleman's participation. He shared with me that he just knew that it was the Lord's leading and it was God who would provide. In which he has. He just had a sense of knowing that it was right.

Boy did that ever mess me up. I thought, "I don't know what direction God wants me to go! What is wrong with me?"

The conference was over, the next day Eunice and I drove the Carlson's to Omaha to catch the plane. On the way to Omaha Eunice shared with them what she had been doing and all the time I thought "I do not want to do that. Been there done that, I don't want to do that!" (She was working with children who had severe family problems.)

We got them delivered to the airport and said our good byes and heading home I said to Eunice, " If I tell you something will you not laugh or tell me I can't do it?" She promised me she wouldn't do either. You see, up to this point I had not told anyone about what I was doing. Scared to death someone would say "you idiot what do you think you are doing? How are you going to accomplish that?" I proceeded to tell her my thoughts and asked her if she knew anyone I could talk to about it. She gave me the number of her CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) director.

The next day, at 10 in the morning I started calling the CASA director. She told me I needed to call so and so and that led to another call of someone else and this kept up until about 4 p.m. when I talked to a lady at a nearby hospital. By that time I knew what I did not want!

I finally said to the lady, "what is not out there that is needed." She thought a minute and said "there is nothing for the middle and upper class people." Then my brain was really going and I said "well what if we would have a place for whole families to come in times of stress?" She liked that. (At one time a social worker had said we need respite care for the children whose families are going through stressful times but were unqualified for the state programs.)

The lady also suggested that I call it something like Grandma's Place. 'I was off to the races!' I got busy trying to think of a name because Grandma's Place was all over the Internet and it was a day care. I didn't want to do day care!

So, "That's It, I'm Going to Grandma's!" was born.

Renita Farrall