09 Jan Moxie Chat: Kristi Bridges * Task-Focused. Weird. Sometimes Kind.

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Today’s moxie chat guest is Kristi Bridges.

Kristi Bridges is a songwriter, author, writing coach, podcaster, corporate trainer, and the host of the 1 Moment Wiser daily devotional on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. It’s her mission to help people live wisely, avoid regret, and connect with their Creator. God uses a variety of voices to reach us, so she created the Share Your Wisdom Wisely Devotional Book Writing Experience to help others launch their own books, and the It’s About Time series of writing workshops with novelist Sarah Soon.

Last year, she guided 11 remarkable people in writing their stories for her latest devotional, Option Ocean – Navigating the Sea of Possibility, featuring yours truly.

Without further ado, here’s Kristi.

1. How do you define SUCCESS?

I FEEL successful when people are impressed by me. Words of affirmation are my love language, but I’ve learned that’s not a reliable gauge at all. It’s like checking my tires to see if I have enough gas. When we do that, we end up forlorn on the side of the road, instead of where we need to be.

It’s not wrong to check with your audience, it’s just incomplete. I’d be silly if I didn’t look for some feedback, but I can’t expect to fill my tank with the responses of others, because then one negative comment wrecks my day. Instead, I look for signs I’m making an impact, and I check with myself to see if I’m living at God’s pace and going in the direction God is leading. Then, I can filter feedback and keep the constructive bits.

At my job teaching securities, we’re continuously evaluated based on impact. Did the students learn the important stuff? Are they empowered to handle the unexpected and inspired to continue growing? In my own business, I gauge success the same way, but on a broader scale. Do my readers and viewers have new perspective and the faith to handle new challenges? Does a client’s story sizzle with power, after I’ve helped them refine it? What about me? Am I inspired or am I crushed by self-imposed pressure? Your chapter in Option Ocean reminds me to make sure I’m talking to myself with kindness. I am successful when I’m living at a sustainable pace, moving my body, caring for my relationships, and teaching.

2. Share the THREE WORDS that describe you BEST and why!

Task-focused, weird, and sometimes kind. A friend once said, “You’re the weirdest girl I know.” He also called me the kindest, both of which were the sweetest compliments I’ve ever received. I’m very grateful for a mom who taught her kids to be comfortable with our own uniqueness. “Be yourself,” she said. “Everyone else is already taken.”

3. What is your favorite #soultank filling activity?

Singing, dancing, swimming, hiking, biking – That could be one thing, right? I could seriously do them all in one day! I looooooove singing along with great musicians, and God has blessed me with several. I get absolutely high from the outdoors. There’s so much to learn about how God thinks. Several years ago, my favorite band, Goliath Down, went on hiatus. My dad had passed away. My grandparents were in the nursing home. I was feeling lost. I hiked a lot, taking pictures of mushrooms, lichen and moss, and discovered God’s not afraid of endings. He uses the shell of a fallen tree to create an entire ecosystem for new life and new beauty. I ended up creating a coffee table book called Yes, Please! With Sprinkles! using those pictures and ideas.

4. What does MOXIE mean to you?

For me, Moxie means I can walk into any room and know I’m supposed to be there and good things are going to happen. Well ok, any room except a cafeteria. I avoid lunchrooms at all cost. I spent a month in 6th grade exchanging insults with a girl at the other end of the lunch table, until one day, I ran out of the room crying. After that, I went to 5 high schools, where there was always someone who wanted to pick a fight because I was new. I learned to be anyplace else during lunch. But in 10th grade, I met a cheerleader who taught me first not to judge people because they’re popular, and second that Moxie wasn’t about wearing a chip on my shoulder and playing tough. Because of her and other beautiful, moxilicious people in my life, I learned that wherever I am, I can be both honest and compassionate with myself. I can celebrate and lift others up, without feeling like I’m not enough.

By the way, I loved your conversation with Portia Allen, and the fact that she is a total extrovert but recognized that her husband and son recharge through alone time. So often in my life, I’ve tried to remake myself to be more like someone else who seemed to have it more together. Other times, people have tried to fit me into the mold they expected, based on my bubbly personality or my ability to sing. As I’ve learned more about what fills me, and as I’ve learned more about the people I love who are very different from me, life has gotten so much happier. It’s made a HUGE difference in my marriage. For years, I thought he should be more like me, because of course I was perfect Then we watched Mark Gungor’s Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage and took his Flag Pages test. I was like, WHOA! You’re SUPPOSED to be like this? OH, I see it now! He has blossomed, and I appreciate him more every day now.

5. What is the one word guiding you right now?

Story! I might be a Dr. Who alien that feeds on people’s stories – num-num-num! But seriously, it’s human nature. We thrive on real-life stories. They teach us, bring us comfort and help us find perspective. I was raised by guinea pigs. Actually, I was raised by wonderful people, but they were transparent, willing to share their own stories so I could learn from their mistakes and share in their triumphs. I write devotions, and the Bible is the perfect model for how true stories can change billions of lives. In the last couple of years, I’ve created courses, presented workshops and done a book collaboration, to help people write their own stories and their family’s stories. This year, I’m not stopping!

Story is my word, and it’s bringing me so much joy.

BONUS: Do you have something launching soon? Anything special you want to talk about on the show?

Yes! I’ve had a lot of requests to help people create engaging presentations and classes. With that in mind, I’m launching an eBook called Successful Workshops are SASSY! By the end of the eBook, the reader will have designed an engaging, effective workshop people will rave about.

Email info@1MomentWiser.com with the subject “eBook for a Lioness” to preorder and get a free bonus – a copy of my Virtual Training Pro video. Please note that this is a preorder. You’ll receive the eBook and bonus later this summer.

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