My Biggest Enemy

The post is by Sabeth Kapahu.

“You are your biggest enemy when it comes to big ideas!” I heard this statement recently and knew it summed up why I love the Hello Mornings Academy. At any given moment it feels like I have a thousand ideas running through my head. If left alone they are numbing... but when given practical tools and Godly encouragement they move me forward in faith and obedience. 

This is what the Academy has provided. The mission statement workshop, habit building guides, productivity course, community events and other resources have helped me to focus my big ideas on my individual call. If I don’t learn to focus on the big ideas that matter the most in my current season, I will become victim to the smallest idea that nags the most often.

A lot has changed in our world since I first started the Academy. Change affects everything. Back then my Move Time looked like running on the treadmill four times a week; now my Move Time looks like calf raises while I take my toddler to the bathroom, and squats whenever I can. At first, missing those miles felt like failure. But, I realized I would only fail if I didn’t choose to accept what was out of my control, and shift my habits towards a realistic outcome. One thing I love about the Academy is that even though life changes, the content remains applicable. Because of the foundational habits I learned, I can adapt for the day ahead of me with purpose and grace.

Recently I listened to a former Navy Seal sharing about a parachute collision he survived. He described the view as he spiraled downward at over 100 miles an hour. Ground, chute, ground, chute , ground, chute...etc. 

Although I cannot fathom what that was like, I can resonate with uncontrollable feelings of downward spiraling chaos. It begins in my mind and then moves into my emotions when the overwhelm, fatigue, stress, deadlines, and unmet expectations that come with life as a woman, wife, and mother meet in a violent storm of self doubt. Sometimes it’s swift and alarming, other times it’s painfully slow;  but every time it begins with my ideas. 

When these spiraling moments occur, it has become much easier to level out and regain “control,” because I can fall back on my training. Through established habits I can be re-grounded in whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise. (Philippians 4:8)

Before I started Academy I often felt guilty for not being who I thought I should be. I was lying to myself and others about who and what I was satisfying myself with...chocolate, social media, false affirmation, the comfort of chaos, etc. My intentions didn’t match my actions. My actions fell prey to whims. 

Participating in the Academy has trained my heart and mind to process through my thousands of ideas and prioritize with God what matters most, instead of being numbed by their magnitude. Please don’t get me wrong, it is not easy, or perfect, but it’s a process that has a name, and continues to be a daily surrender to His unfailing love. 

My days are far from perfect and more often than I’d like to admit my emotions get the best of me. But I am reaping the fruits of reading my mission statement daily, setting S.M.A.R.T goals, and building daily habits. I will get as much out my day as I put into it; but what I put into it has eternal value at every turn.

Being in the Academy is like having a life coach on your sideline, and a community of cheerleaders surrounding you. There is no stone left unturned when it comes to the intention to equip us to love the Lord with our heart, soul, mind and strength. (Matthew 22:37) We can have victory over the enemy of our “big ideas,” and receive an abundance of grace for the journey.

Sabeth Kapahu is a wife, mom x4, writer, podcaster, and community builder.  Her podcast Invited Back with Sabeth Kapahu is a place to find solidarity even in the spaces of marriage and motherhood that feel unseen. She loves running, exploring outdoors, and encouraging others through authentic conversation. Join her journey:

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