When it clicks.

I've had this feeling once before. I was thinking how Fall weather is so beautiful and I wanted to go to coffee shops downtown and enjoy them and listen to great music at them and write honest blog posts at them. Then it clicked.

I can be that person.

All too often we envision our lives to be something better than they currently are. I dream of mine to be inspiring, insanely creative, adventurous, and powerful.

A little over a week ago I watched this TED Talk and once again, it clicked.



It's about a guy named Dan Eldon who essentially was a humanitarian in Africa throughout his teenage years, became a photojournalist and was murdered while photographing a bombing in Somalia at the young age of 22. 22!!!!! That is how old I am. Man, it was just so crazy to see someone SO young who had done SOOO much with his life to help the world. It made me think "What in the world am I waiting for?!" When is the future ever going to be the present? When are my hopes and dreams for my life going to become reality?! It all clicked.

I can be that person.

It has always been a desire of mine to go on a mission trip, but I never thought it was something that me, katie hayes, would be able to handle. I mean, if anyone loves the comforts of America, it's me. I admired everyone who went on them, but never thought I'd have the strength. Well God doesn't put something on your heart for no reason. If it's on your heart, and it's good, then it's from Him and He will make a way.

I thought about what opportunities I had to help another country. I knew I had my spring break covered with a trip to Colorado with my parents to vacation and scope out different advertising agencies. I thought about doing something during the summer but the uncertainty of if I would have a job by then made it complicated. As I sat there feeling hopeless, I realized my spring break was not set in stone. No plane tickets were bought. I knew my friend Chuck Wagon (his real name is Kyle) and my other friend Joey along with 18 other students were going on a mission trip to Honduras for Spring Break. I was so excited about the prospect of going that I called Chuck Wagon at 2 in the morning just to get more information.

For the next 5 days I was up and down, definitely yes, definitely no, about going. I was unsure about bringing it up to my parents because I only wanted to bring it up to them if I was 100% sure I wanted to go. Looking back, it is funny how God would not let me be satisfied with turning down the trip. On the days that I had decided I definitely wasn't going, I found myself rationalizing. I found myself making excuses. I found myself unsatisfied. I still kept thinking about the trip because that "no" didn't sit right in my heart.

Ultimately, it took a conversation with Chuck Wagon for me to realize that the trip was going to be challenging, but that I would have trusting friends there with me to help me through it. I also started thinking less about the logistics of the trip and more about my personal reasons for wanting to go. It's not about anything other than showing God's love to the people of Honduras. Serving them and serving Him. Any struggle I face will last 10 days. 10 measly days. I am so grateful for that.

Bottom line is, anytime you find yourself admiring a good trait in someone or something, anytime you crave a change in your lifestyle, know that you CAN be that person. Once it clicks, it's powerful and exciting to see where the change will take you and what you'll learn along the way.