Friends, the last time I wrote was on January 6th, 2020. I was 6 months into dating Foster Cunningham and madly in love. Now, here we are, a little over 2 years later, April 4th, 2022. Foster and I have been married for 1 year; still madly in love and expecting our first child together. CRAZY. I read through that blog post before writing this one and I am so happy to say that my love for Foster has not lessened but only gotten stronger. That my confidence in our relationship was valid and true. That life took its own wild turns but we're still standing on that foundation of faith. I am amazed at the relationship God has blessed me with. I knew that I loved Foster after those first 6 months and now I love him even more. The past 2 years have brought so much change to our lives - wild turns, excitement, love, disappointment and stress. We experienced the pandemic and quarantine, my mall shutting down, Foster selling his insurance agency, Foster working alongside me in the mall, joining a church together, getting engaged, applying for a restaurant in Las Vegas, interviewing for the restaurant, getting selected for the restaurant, getting married, honeymoon, selling a house, buying a house, moving across the country, building community in Las Vegas, getting pregnant, opening my restaurant and now getting ready to bring our baby boy into the world in August. I am exhausted after putting that all into words. We have experienced so much life together and I've witnessed God at the center. I previously spoke about being driven by my career and how I wanted a husband but did not want to give up my own dreams along the way. I knew that Foster would be supportive but I've seen it actually play out and he's truly been an answer to prayer. God knew who I needed and when I needed him. At the beginning of my pregnancy, like most expectant moms, I was nauseous all the time, tired and did not feel like myself anymore. I was emotional and stressed about my restaurant opening. I felt unprepared and scared of all the unknowns of pregnancy and parenthood. Foster never wavered. He listened to my fears, prayed for me and with me, brought me anything I needed and never got upset with me. I tend to overthink, overanalyze and stress easily. Foster reels me back in, in a way that does not dismiss my feelings but rather helps me sift through the unnecessary ones and bring perspective. He has been in the restaurant with me since we opened and serves my team and me so well. I cannot imagine a better partner in life. As we prepare to embark on parenthood together, I have zero doubts about the kind of father that Foster will be. Maverick will be so blessed. Raising a child is one area in my life that I have not put immense thought into. Maybe that's because Foster and I have been so busy in the past year and before that we were looking at our careers and planning a wedding. Now that we have 4 months to go until Maverick is here, my mind has begun to think about parenthood. Last week, Dan Cathy, visited my restaurant. Foster, myself and a few of my leaders got to sit with him for about an hour. He asked about our love story and gave timely wisdom about becoming parents. I've heard this before from him but it was so good to hear again. He told us that we needed to have 3 things in life figured out and they all started with the letter M. He asked us, "Who is your Master? What is your Mission? and Who is your Mate?" I remember the last time I heard him speak on this was in 2018 at a conference. I knew my Master, Jesus Christ, and my Mission, to become a Chick-fil-A Operator so that I could leave people better than I found them. But I had yet to find a mate. He told us how my team members and leaders will be watching our marriage, watching how we handle conflict and disappointment. They'll watch how we raise our child together. My marriage and my mission will point to my master. Who am I serving? Who is at the center of my marriage, parenting and life mission? We all have choices, every single day. We have a choice on how we treat others, we have a choice on who we are serving and what those motives are. The choices aren't always easy, it can be hard to choose to love your spouse when you are frustrated with them or aren't feeling those butterflies you felt when you first met. But, keep choosing them. I know that Foster and I are only a year into our marriage. I know life has many more wild turns in store for us. Many people will say that as the years go by, feelings change, your spouse changes and the bliss goes away. But. I am going to keep choosing Foster, keep choosing our love and keep choosing to have God at the center. He brought us together for a reason and I know He has great plans in store. My encouragement is this: choose the right Master and your mate and mission will become clear. I've said it before and I'll say it again, run as fast as you can towards your goals and look to see who's running with you. After a year of marriage, I still find this to be true but now that I've made the choice on who's running with me, I know to slow down or speed up depending on where Foster is at and I know that he's doing the same for me. "In the end, we all just want someone that chooses us over everyone else. Under any circumstances." Thanks for reading. -M
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Hello friends, once again, it's been a very long time since I've written anything. Life has been BUSY. 2019 flew by but was packed FULL with everything from taking over my restaurant to flying 12 different times for work and weddings to experiencing heartbreak to getting a new cat and puppy and to so much growth. But most momentous in 2019 was finding the love of my life. I am sure you all have seen my social media posts with this fantastic man but for those of you that don't know, I have been with Foster Cunningham for the past 6 months and goodness, I've never experienced anything like it.
Relationships have never been my strength. The career side of my life has always been something I have control over and find success in. It hasn't always been easy but I know what I have to do to accomplish what I need to. Relationships on the other hand I find to be extremely difficult. But, I've always known I want to share my life with someone, get married, have children. However, the life I lead isn't typical. I don't work a 9-5 job. I do not want to stop working once I have children. I don't want to give up my Chick-fil-A. I don't want to be with someone who makes me feel small. I am ambitious and have goals and want to keep chasing my dreams. I am fiercely independent but want to find someone who can handle all of it. Someone to get me out of my comfort zone. Someone who can handle my emotions and wants to be equals. I downloaded the dating app, Hinge, one day in August. Those that created this dating app claim that, "it's the app that's meant to be deleted." Meaning that you should meet someone through the app, develop a relationship with them and then delete the app because you no longer need it to find someone. I thought I'd give it a shot and see what happens but never thought that would actually happen. I began messaging back and forth with Foster. I remember that same night I had told one of my friends that I was done with relationships and that I would just keep focusing on myself and my restaurant. But then Foster and I decided to meet up for dinner. I'll never forget the moment I saw him walking towards me. He captivated me and I remember thinking, "I'm in trouble". The conversation was even better than I could have imagined. I've been on plenty of dates but have never experienced the type of connection we had together. It lasted for hours and I didn't want the conversation to stop. Ever since that date, the conversation has continued and has gotten deeper, more emotional and completely honest. It's hard to put into words when you find someone like this. I've been searching for a very long time but was always with the wrong guy. Foster feels like a home and an adventure all at once. He makes me feel less heavy. He listens to all the crazy thoughts that go through my mind. He is patient. He is flexible and understands what it means to be a Chick-fil-A Operator. He gets it when I have to close the restaurant because a team member calls out. Whenever we are out, he brags on me and makes me feel like the most important person in the world. I'll never forget when I was going through a breakup years ago and the Operator I worked for, Joseph, gave me advice. He told me that when I was in a relationship again that I should look to the right and to the left and see who was running next to me as fast as I was towards our goals. Foster is the first man I've ever been with that is running next to me just as fast. And I can't even begin to explain how incredible that feels. Foster also has his own business. He has his very own Farmer's Insurance Agency. So, if you're ever looking for insurance, hit my man up! ;) He is the most ambitious person I know. He's extremely relational. I don't think he's ever met a stranger in his life. We walk around the city where he lives and always run into someone he knows. The connections are genuine. He knows and cares for these people. He wants to make his city a better place and that, to me, is amazing. He is an old soul filled with so much depth. But at the same time, finds a way to make anything we do so much fun. He makes me laugh constantly, I am sitting here writing this laughing and thinking about how I was in tears laughing last night with him. He is an incredible cook. He changed my oil in my truck. He'll randomly bring me flowers. The most ordinary moments with him don't feel ordinary. I stop and think all the time about how blessed I am. I don't feel like I deserve him and the love he makes me feel all the time. Life is feeling pretty spectacular right now. I know that life can't be all roses, all the time. However, I am savoring these moments. I am happy. I know Foster and I are running as fast as we can together. Our foundation is built on faith, honesty and trust. I cannot wait to see what the future holds. I know this post has been sappy. But I hope that it has inspired hope to never settle or give up on your dreams. Foster has shown me that I can have a relationship and I can have a career. I know that for women, that can be difficult to find. But God has a plan and at the beginning of 2019, I was doubting it big time. Looking back, I can see how he was working out these intricate plans. All the heartbreak I experienced was so worth it. I had planned my life around getting a Chick-fil-A in Las Vegas to start, but then I was told no and wound up in Lakeline Mall in Austin, TX. I've always been grateful for my Chick-fil-A and for ending up here but now, after meeting Foster, I am even more grateful. It just goes to show that God is the only one that can see the bigger picture and as much control as I'd like to think I have, I really don't. You can have control and you can have faith, but you cannot have both. I choose to have faith and to keep trusting Him with my life. I urge you to do the same. Thanks for reading. -M Hello, friends. It's been awhile. I honestly kept meaning to write a post. I have 8 drafts to prove it. But they never felt good enough to share and I couldn't really finish the post. And now I have the flu and I am forcing myself to finish a post since I can't do anything else. Plus, it's March 1st and seeing as my title for this post is, "New Beginnings", it only makes sense that I publish this starting in a new month. Right? That's what I'm telling myself anyways. Okay, here we go...
Life has been a whirlwind these past several months. I think this is the first time I've actually stopped to think about everything that has transpired. From getting out of the program in September to moving back temporarily to Houston, to taking various trips across the country (New York City, El Paso, Dallas), to going to Atlanta for a few weeks to attend Operator training, to holidays with my family, to moving into my own house in Austin and finally taking over my restaurant on February 1st and then went to Chick-fil-A's annual seminar in Anaheim, California not even 2 weeks after taking over my restaurant. Life has been CRAZY. And next week I head to Atlanta for 2 days for some food safety training. I've always loved a life filled with activity. I do not like to sit still so I've been grateful for the constant buzz of events happening. However, this forced rest of having the flu has allowed me to stop and reflect. Which is so important. Sometimes I think we can get so caught up in the where we are going and have to stop and think about where we've been which in turn fills our heart with gratitude. For example, I'm currently sitting here in my pink, (yes, pink) plush chair at my desk in my home office writing this post. Pause and rewind to a year ago and I was sitting in a little hotel room in a new city, my belongings all packed away. Now, I'm in a room in my HOUSE that I got to decorate in TEXAS. Many of you know that my faith is so important to me and I've been hoping to find a great church home. Well, a few weeks ago one of my team members invited me to go to his church with him and his small group leader so I went. It was amazing and I could just feel God welcoming me home. To top it all off, my team member's small group leader invited me to attend a new small group he was helping start for my age group, I went last week and loved it! Pause and rewind to 2 years ago when I was on Google searching for a new church every few months. My health is also the best it has ever been since high school (aside from having the flu) and I've lost 15lbs. Pause and rewind to 1 year ago and I was the heaviest I've ever been, so stressed out and constantly tired. Oh and I cannot forget the truly amazing team I've been blessed with! The other night my high school team members called down on this intercom we have while I was working on something in the office and told me they missed me. I had only been downstairs for maybe 10 minutes. Then at close, they all started singing, Sweet Caroline, together. My team is AWESOME. Pause and rewind to all the goodbyes I've said to various teams I've worked with, hoping that one day I would get to call a team my very own. And now I can! The gratitude is unreal. Wow. God is good. If you are struggling right now with your present circumstances. Don't give up. Keep going. Every season has a purpose. God has so much in store for your life. I've realized that had I not gone through the tough stuff, the adversity, the tears that had me calling out wondering if He was even there, not even in just the past 2 years but throughout my whole life, I would not have been ready for what I've received. Each situation has prepared me for what I've been given now. And man, I'm so grateful for where I am now and for the woman I've become. So, now what, you ask? Well, the chapter of life on the road is closed. I am so grateful that chapter exists because it taught me so many lessons about Christ's love, myself, impacting others in a powerful way, adversity, perseverance and chasing my dreams. However, my journey is just getting started. I got my Chick-fil-A restaurant but I know there is so much more to come, Lord willing. I pray He uses me and my restaurant to impact others in the best way. I'm ready to plant these roots and make a real difference in Austin, TX. I cannot wait to see what's to come, it already has been oh so sweet. "And then it happens...one day you wake up and you're in this place. You're in this place where everything feels right. Your heart is calm. Your soul is lit. You're at peace, at peace with what you've been through and at peace with where you're headed." Thanks for reading. -M Hello friends,
It's been way too long since I've last written. I am currently standing on this pier in the middle of the bay and my gosh, it is beautiful out here. I feel immense peace while I stand here watching the pelicans swoop, the water ripple and the cicadas sing. I've officially been living the nomadic life for 2 years now. 2 years ago I was in Virginia, scared to death but so excited for the future and what the program would bring. The Leadership Development Program has been THE hardest thing I've ever done. But I would do it all over again if it meant I'd end up here. Over these 2 years, I have been to so many amazing places:
I have one more day left in Destin before I fly back to Texas. I am so very excited to start this next chapter of my life. But I've also got that scared to death feeling I had when I started 2 years ago. There's a bittersweet feeling on closing this chapter. Especially leaving behind the people who have captured my heart here in Destin. I have spent at least 12 hours a day, 6 days a week here with my team. They were never just a check mark on the way to becoming an Operator. They became my home. I have learned what true exhaustion feels like. I have driven home from work in the worst traffic ever with tears streaming down my face because I knew I'd be getting about 2 hours of sleep and have to turn around and do it all over again. I have sat in the office countless times listening to my team members pour their hearts out to me. We've shared in each other's wins and losses. I've had the privilege to develop leaders beyond just running a shift. I've danced with my cow mascots and gone dumpster diving. I've driven to the restaurant at 1am because our delivery driver set off the restaurant alarm. I've laughed so hard I've cried. I've been the subject to pranks like my team member throwing a fake snake on my arm. Our door bell caught on fire. I've been outside taking orders in the drive thru and have had a guest propose to me. We've had more cups of coffee than I can count due to having the most sales this restaurant has ever seen in a single month. I could go on and on and tell story after story from my time here in Destin but that would fill a book. This was by far, the hardest assignment I've ever done but I couldn't be more grateful for being placed here. I wish I could pack this team up in my suitcase and take them with me to Texas. I know I will be crying hard tomorrow. So, that leaves me, heading back to Texas to start this next chapter. I have been selected to Own/Operate a Chick-fil-A of my own in Cedar Park, Texas. I won't take over my restaurant for a few months though so in the meantime I plan on resting, recuperating and spending some much needed time with my family and friends. If I could give one piece of advice, it would be to run as fast as you can after your dreams. Give it all you have and hold nothing back. Pursue it fearlessly. I have no idea what is to come. But I do know that being an Operator of a Chick-fil-A is what God has called me to do. I cannot imagine doing anything else with my life. I know every day will not be easy. I am sure I will have even harder days than I've already experienced. There will be more tears but also more joy. I will finally get to settle down and build long-term community in Cedar Park. I am over the moon excited for what is to come. Thank you to all my friends and family for supporting me these past 2 years. I could not have done it without you all. "Perhaps fearlessness is not something one can merely wander into, but the gritty gold dust rising up from the ashes of every single thing they have been through." Austin, Texas, I am ready for the next chapter. -M I was inspired to write this post from one of my best friends. He's been in my life since I started with Chick-fil-A as a team member and told me recently that he admired my dedication and persistence with Chick-fil-A. In the age of millenials, it can be challenging to stay persistent and dedicated to one job. We want instant gratification. But that's not always the case. I'm sure you've heard it before, but success rarely happens overnight. People have told me that I'm young and lucky to have success so quickly. I do believe that I am blessed to be able to have my first company I've worked for hopefully be my last. However, I've stuck with Chick-fil-A for over 7 years. It may seem quick for some people, but for me it hasn't always been easy. When I first started out, there were times I thought about leaving Chick-fil-A. I encountered so many different personalities. Some turned into best friends while others turned into people I'd rather not see on a daily basis. I moved into leadership quickly and learned how challenging it was to lead my peers. Here I am, 17 years old, attempting to lead those that had been with Chick-fil-A longer than me or those that had trained me. I became known as, "the golden child". They thought I was the favorite. I hated being known as, "the golden child". It bothered me so much because I worked hard to get where I was. I wanted everyone to know that I wasn't getting special treatment. Looking back, it was during this time in my life that I began to define my leadership philosophy. I wanted those I lead to respect me. I wanted to inspire and demonstrate that hard work pays off. I wanted to help others grow. If I had not persisted, I would not have the wisdom I have now. I would not have gotten to that point if it had not been for two people in my life. The first, my Operator. He believed that I could own and operate my own Chick-fil-A someday. When you're 18 years old and do not even know what degree you are going to pursue in college; hearing your boss tell you he thinks you can be an Operator of a multi-million dollar restaurant is a big deal. He once gave me advice to run as fast as I can towards a goal and look to the right and to the left and see who is running next to me. Who is keeping up? Who is cheering me on? These are the people I should surround myself with. Second, my mom. She used to tell me to, "Do your best.". When it came to grades and I felt I did poorly on a test, she'd ask, "did you do your best? That's all you can do." These words guided my actions. I was a straight A student because I could not do anything less than my best. While playing basketball, I'd give my all on the court because that was my best. And then while working, I'd ask myself, "Is your best leaving because you are frustrated?" "Is your best throwing in the towel because you are encountering a difficult person?" My mom's advice has convicted me as a young girl and has continued to along this journey. In all honesty, I've found myself getting anxious for what is ahead. The Operator interview process, the thoughts of not getting the opportunity I think is best for me and if I am selected, the set of challenges that will come with being an Owner of a Chick-fil-A. But then, I remind myself that God hasn't brought me this far only to leave me now. I'm going to continue being persistent and running as fast as I can towards this goal of being a Chick-fil-A Operator that God has placed on my heart. If He chooses to redirect me, then so be it. But until then, I will not leave the path that God put me on over 7 years ago as a girl just looking for her first job to get a car. The Lord has placed amazing people in my life who have been my biggest cheerleaders. I've been able to be persistent because I have support. I have people who believe in me and want me to succeed. Surround yourself with those that will keep you going. I am so grateful for those that have been there for me. "Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in." - Bill Bradley Thanks for reading. -M Picture of myself and the cow back in 2010!
On Friday, August 25th, I hit my one year mark on the road with Chick-fil-A.
The past year has brought more joys, more adventures, more friends, more faith and ultimately, more clarity than I ever could have hoped for. As I sit here in the warmth of Panera Bread with my broccoli and cheese soup while it rains, I am reminded of God's goodness. I look back on this year with fondness. I have grown immensely. I have experienced such contrasts from joys to hardship. I've sat on the floor of my hotel room and sobbed. I've laughed the kind of laughs that make your stomach hurt. My jaw has dropped at the beauty of fall foliage and snow-capped mountains. I have grown so frustrated with people that I have wanted to scream. I have been moved to tears saying my goodbyes to the people that I grew to love. I began this journey excited but unsure of what it could bring. I knew that God was calling me to go on this adventure with Him. I have shared in previous posts that it was hard at first. I remember being at my one month mark and missing home so very much. It was strange to be on my own with no one nearby to see. It felt uncomfortable to go eat at a restaurant by myself. But being on my own forced me to get to know myself. It forced me to learn who I am and what makes me, me. My life has purpose and direction and now I not only know that I want to be a Chick-fil-A Operator but the why behind it. I have clarity. At many points in my life I have attempted to look to the future to see where my life was headed. I would describe what I saw as a fog. I could not see where I was going and I hated it. I am a planner. I love to have control. It was in those times that the Lord was testing my faith and calling me to trust Him. I remember finishing up at my community college and not knowing where I would be attending school next. There was a fog in front of me until I handed it over to God. The fog lifted and I found the perfect degree to study. It was at University of Houston where I could continue to live at home and commute. This meant little student loans and I was able to continue working at my home restaurant. It was a perfect setup but not one that I had thought of when I was planning my life. My original plans included moving away and leaving Chick-fil-A. How little did I know then what God was doing in my life. When I was planning for my life on the road, I did not think it would provide all that it has. I did not plan to see my family as often as I have. I did not plan for the experiences to be as memorable as they have. I for sure never thought I would want to end up living in Las Vegas, Nevada. The thought of living in Las Vegas was never in my plans. But then Chick-fil-A took me to live out there for almost 6 months. It was life changing. So life changing, that I want to be a Chick-fil-A Operator in Las Vegas. I am not sure if this will happen. However, I do know that it has been on my heart and I have been praying for guidance. There is a fog over what will happen after this final year in the program. But I do know that I trust God to take me where He wants me. The fog will lift at the right time and all will be clear. Until the fog clears, I will be on the road, continuing to soak in the moments. These moments are precious. These moments are filled with so many emotions from pure delight to sheer sadness. I am ready for all this next year has in store me. "We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!" 1 Corinthians 13:12 Thanks for listening. -M Have you ever gone through a really big life change? Baby born? New job? New house? Moving out of your parent's house for the first time? Broken up with a toxic person? I am sure you have all experienced at least one of those before. And if not, I am sure you have experienced some type of good change in your life.
I remember the first time I went through a break up. It was one of those high school flings that did not last very long and ended up causing me more stress than happiness. I was really grateful that we were no longer together but I felt an overwhelming sadness as my life suddenly changed. I moved out of my mom's house almost three years ago. I was ecstatic to have a place of my own but again felt this overwhelming sadness as I laid down to go to sleep and my mom was no longer down the hallway. My life had changed. I started the Leadership Development Program with Chick-fil-A 11 months ago. As I hit my 1 month mark on the road, you guessed it, I felt overwhelming sadness. My life had changed yet again, and it would never be the same. The first time I went through the "overwhelming sadness", I sat down with my mom and expressed my feelings to her. I told her I did not understand why I felt sad if I wanted this change to happen. Her response is one that I've held onto any time I face the overwhelming sadness. She told me, "Even good change is hard." Why is good change hard? Why does good change bring us sadness? Why do we experience such a mix of emotions? Well, our life is taking a turn. Everything that we were used to is no longer the same. You establish routines. There is a comfort in consistency. People will tell you that they love the unexpected and thrive on surprises but I guarantee you, that if they go through a big life change, they will experience sadness too. I am here to tell you that it is okay. It is okay to feel sad and to mourn what is gone. It is human to long for what we once had. As I was preparing to pack up my life and travel with Chick-fil-A, my development coach urged me to find items that would keep me "grounded". What were things that I could do that would provide normalcy to the crazy life I would be experiencing? A life that is never consistent. A life that is 100% travel and our schedule changes on a weekly basis. For starters, I brought my cat, Penelope, with me on the road. Penelope feels like home. She was there when I moved out of my mom's house and now she was here to be my travel buddy. I establish routines. Whether I'm in Florida or Nevada, I can do these things anywhere. I exercise (I recently joined Cyclebar and am now obsessed. I will share more on that in another post.). I go to church and have found that I love the experiences different churches have to offer all over the country. I find a coffee shop or cafe and write in my journal. I have devotions. I take everything out of my suitcases and make my hotel feel like my own. I even have little signs and snow globes I'll set out. At my assignment in Las Vegas, I bought a Santa Christmas pillow and some Christmas decorations just so I could have the Christmas spirit in my hotel room. This normalcy brings me the consistency I need. It keeps me grounded. Good change IS hard. But it also IS exciting, wonderful and causes you to grow in ways you would not have experienced otherwise. Embrace the change and all the sadness it brings. Then, embrace all the happiness. There is one thing I can always count on to never change. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 13:8 that, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." How comforting is it to know that Jesus will never change? When everything else around me is chaotic, I know that my God is not. What peace that brings. I am so grateful for the change. Good and bad. It is so hard but if life never changed, we would all be quite boring now wouldn't we? -M P.S. I decided to share some of my favorite pictures of Penelope, enjoy! So I thought I'd begin this blog by sharing why I am fascinated by a life of fearlessness and where this idea even began.
When I was trying to decide if I should pursue a career with Chick-fil-A, I had a development coach that I was speaking to. She was someone that my Operator spoke with on a regular basis. He was gracious enough to share her amazing talents with me. The conversations I had with her and continue to have with her are always so refreshing. One of my friends called her my "pocket elf" as I refer back to what she has said for so many scenarios in my life. She has wisdom and questions that speak directly to my heart. A question that was truly life changing for me was the simple question of "what gives you energy and what drains you?" She told me that I should write down items that fell into each of those categories as I experienced them. This was a challenge she gave me right before I left for New York City as a trainer for Chick-fil-A. It was during the trip in New York City that I realized I wanted to pursue the Leadership Development Program and that I wanted to be an Operator for Chick-fil-A. New York City was a city like no other. I described it to my family as if I were in another world. I will never forget the moment that I came up onto the street from the subway below. The buildings towered around me and my jaw literally dropped. I felt a city that was very much alive. People milling about everywhere. The sun was setting and the lights were coming on. It was thrilling. I knew that the moment I was experiencing was giving me energy. Fast forward through training the new team members, eating dollar pizza, walking miles and miles throughout the city, shopping, being followed by a stranger, encountering subway dancing, seeing "cat rats" and knowing which homeless people were on which corner and I had my list of items that gave me energy and items that drained me. To sum up my list, I realized that monotony drained me and ever changing situations gave me energy. The Leadership Development Program would be fulfilling because nothing is ever the same. We experience unique situations on the regular and the travel alone would make for an interesting life. This led me to the realization that as an Operator no day will ever be the same. I would be experiencing a changing economy, changing team members, changing guests, a growing and changing Chick-fil-A that I would have to learn to navigate. I would not have to work a 9-5 desk job like the majority of America. I stumbled across the quote: "Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire" before I was accepted into the program. This quote became my life motto. It is something that I now live by. It goes with the question of what drains you and what gives you energy. I even have a tattoo on my back that says "be fearless.". I am learning to live a life of fearlessness. Of letting go and letting God take control. When I got back from New York I went to church the following Sunday. The pastor just so happened to be speaking about surrendering to God's plans for our lives. He made a powerful statement that convicted me. He said, "you can have control or you can have faith, but you cannot have both." Wow. I knew that God was telling me to have faith. To pursue this dream. I am so happy I did. This past year has allowed me to grow more than I ever could have imagined. I have learned to communicate better. To have patience. To face challenges head on. And to grow closer to Christ. Some days are harder than others. Living on the road is not always glamorous or easy. I miss my family all the time. I make mistakes and fall short every day. However, I am pursuing what sets my soul on fire. Imagining being a Chick-fil-A Operator sets my soul on fire. The thought of being a female business owner who can someday have a successful empire sets my soul on fire. Knowing that I am pursuing God's purpose for my life sets my soul on fire. What a fulfilling life God has blessed me with. "Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire." -M |
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