I can’t do this!  I can’t do this!  I’m going to look like a boy! (cue the waterworks)

I was living my nightmare and I didn’t think I could go through with it.  I, Kim Osborne, was getting…..my hair cut! (cue evil music: dunt dunt duuuuuuhhhhh)

 

I wasn’t cutting it because I wanted a new cute hair cut, or because it was summer and I wanted cooler, carefree hair.  Nope!  I was getting my hair cut because I literally had NO choice.

 

I tried everything to get out of my hair cut.  I’m talking multiple reschedules, deliberations about other options, and even tears (dramatic, I know).  It didn’t work, I still HAD to cut my hair.

 

Before you play me a song on the smallest fiddle ever and tell me “It’s just hair.  Suck it up buttercup,” let me tell you WHY I had to make the Big Chop.

 

Last April, I sat up after eating lunch and felt a little dizzy.  As the week went on, I realized that the feeling was worsening and beginning to feel different.  I had all kinds of pressure in my head and my earring were literally starting to ring.

 

You guessed it!  I had been experiencing my first migraine without knowing it. 

 

Days, turned into months, and months into over a year and a half of the same pain.  All day.  Every day.  I tried over 10 different medications, drug infusions, and even shots put in my head and neck (Yes, it felt like it you think it did. OUCH!).  Unfortunately, after each treatment, I would go right back to having the migraines sometimes before ever even getting home!

 

The last straw was my body started changing.  On top of the pain, I had swelling in my arms and legs, stomach pains, and my hair began thinning and breaking.

 

So that, my friends, is why I HAD to have a “Big Chop”, and boy was I unhappy about it!  I continued to struggle and fight with it.  Finally, after putting up with all my drama, my beautician (Hey Katrina!) said something while I was crying that touched me.  She said,

 

“Kim, we always want God to just fix our problem, but how will we know what the problem was if he always just fixes it for us?  Sometimes, we need to go through the effects of the problem, so we can realize what the root of the problem was.  That way, if the problem comes up again, we can recognize it and do something about it; not wait until it’s too far gone that we have to make a drastic change to fix it.” 

 

Honey Hush!  She hit me exactly where I needed it!  I’d been ignoring the root of my problem for far too long and it took something this drastic to recognize it.

 

My “Big Chop”, wasn’t my PROBLEM.  It was  actually my “Big Chance” for my PURPOSE!

 

The “Chop” signified that it was time to let some things go.  I could never be healthy hanging on to something that was already dead.  I had to start making some “chops” for the better.

 

Chop #1: I “chopped” off a lot of food that I loved.  Some of my favorite “comfort” foods were making my body extremely UNcomfortable. It was time for them to go.  (snip, snip)

 

Chop #2: As I mentioned before, I left my teaching job of 12 years.  It was a great job with many wonderful memories, but it just didn’t have my heart.  I wasn’t passionate about it the way I know I should be about a place that I’m going to be at 8+ hours every day. (cut, cut)

 

Chop #3: I realized that I had a lot of unanswered questions on my mind that I’d been stressing over for almost two years.  I finally decided to let those things go, and let God take control of the outcome. (chop, chop)

 

Dead ends aren’t healthy.  They literally are what they are called: a dead end that keeps us from what we really want.  Why try to hang on to something we know isn’t right for us?  Can I get an Amen!?!

 

Do you have any of your own “dead ends”?  Jobs you know you need to leave?  Toxic relationships you need to get out of?  Unhealthy habits you need to rid?

 

I’m telling you now, it may be time to give them the “Big Chop” so that you can live a fuller, healthier, more purposeful life that puts you in your best light.

 

My hair didn’t look good with all the dead ends and neither does your life.

 

Don’t be like me.  Don’t wait until the “Big Chops” of life are a necessity.  Listen to your heart and follow it daily.  Only then will you really get the healthiness that you deserve.  The second the food, job, problems and hair came off, my spirit, soul and body instantly let thanked me.  Let me tell you a little secret in case you were wondering.

 

It’s time.  It’s gonna be okay.  It’s your BIG CHANCE, so take it! 

 

Think Thank Assignment

Take a minute and reflect on your own situation.  Tell me, what steps are you going to take to get rid of your “dead ends” so that you can live a more purpose-filled life?  Will you diet?  Are you going to change any habits?  Let’s talk!  No matter what, I’m going to pray that God help you remove what ever it is that will keep you out of His purpose.  I’ll pray for you, and I ask that you pray for me to keep the “dead ends” away.  As always, Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!

 

XOXO,

Kim