10/09/2026
Football season has become a favorite around here. š Between watching our boys do something they love, cheering from the sidelines, and all the little life lessons that seem to come with it, thereās just something special about this season of life.
One of our boys was recently told he was in a position battle for one of his favorite positions on the football field. And in fairness, one he is dang good at. Weāve talked about it quite a bit since. Because while I understand exactly what his coaches mean by a āposition battle,ā thereās something I really want our boys to understand about competition, and honestly, about life. The person beside you doesnāt have to become your competition.
I want our boys to understand that someone else being incredibly gifted at something doesnāt take away from their own gifts. That someone else receiving an opportunity they hoped for doesnāt make them any less capable. I want them to be confident in who they are, to recognize the gifts theyāve been given, and to work hard at developing them. To be disciplined, coachable, humble, and willing to put in the work even when nobody is watching. And to be able to genuinely celebrate the person beside them along the way.
Because whether in small business, chasing dreams, on football fields, or simply in life, there will always be someone else doing something differently. Someone growing faster. Someone stronger. Someone getting the opportunity you wanted. Someone taking a completely different path toward something that looks a lot like what youāre working toward. But their path doesnāt change yours. And goodness, I think thereās so much freedom in understanding that.
As a small business owner, I never set out for this little shoppe to become such a significant part of our familyās provision. But only by the grace of God, it is. And with that comes weight. A responsibility I donāt take lightly. Because this little shoppe isnāt just something Iāve created that I love. Itās something that helps provide for the people I love most. And with that, I know how easily responsibility can turn into pressure if the posture of my heart isnāt in the right place. Which is why Iāve become so intentional about where I fix my heart and my eyes - On the direction I believe Iām called to steer this little shoppe. On the purpose behind what we do. On the people we have the privilege of loving and serving. On the opportunities right in front of us and the responsibility to steward them well. Not because I donāt recognize what others are doing, but because I genuinely believe thereās room to celebrate their gifts, their growth, their opportunities, and their successes without ever questioning the value of whatās been entrusted to me. No comparison. No competition. Just a heart fixed on purpose.
And maybe thatās what I hope our boy carries with him onto that football field.
You can want that position. You can work your tail off for it. You can believe with everything in you that youāre capable of doing it well. And you can still cheer for the kid standing beside you. Because someone elseās ability doesnāt diminish yours. Their success doesnāt require your failure. And their journey was never meant to be the measuring stick for your own. I donāt want our boys growing up believing they have to be better than someone else to be successful. I want them to understand the importance of becoming the very best version of who they were created to be. And I hope they see us living that out, too. In our work. In our dreams. In the way we love and serve others. In the way we celebrate people who are walking paths that look different from our own.
Because at the end of the day, I donāt believe weāre called to outdo one another. Weāre called to be faithful with what weāve been given. To keep our hearts in the right place, our eyes fixed on our purpose, and our hands faithfully tending to whatās been entrusted to us.
And maybe, wherever you find yourself today, you need to hear that too. Whatever youāre building, whatever youāre working toward, whatever season youāre walking through - please donāt let someone elseās journey cause you to question the beauty or significance of your own. Thereās room for their gifts and yours. Their dreams and yours. Their successes and yours. You donāt have to be further along. You donāt have to do it like someone else. And you certainly donāt have to diminish what youāve been given simply because someone else has been given something different.
What youāve been entrusted with matters, sweet friend. The way you steward it matters. And the heart you carry while doing it matters. So keep showing up. Keep doing the good work in front of you. Keep celebrating the people beside you. And keep your eyes fixed on what matters most. Thereās so much freedom in realizing that someone elseās success was never meant to be the measure of your own. š¤
With love
From, Amanda
