Start Here: Doing Hard Things Right Where You Are

Start Here: Doing Hard Things Right Where You Are

Start Here: Doing Hard Things Right Where You Are

Start Here: Doing Hard Things Right Where You Are

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Overview

You want to do hard things.
But you don’t know where to start.
 
You are changing the world around you.
But you are tired and burned out.
 
You feel called to do the extraordinary for God.
But you feel stuck in the ordinary.
 
Do Hard Things inspired thousands of young people around the world to make the most of the teen years. Now Alex and Brett Harris are back and ready to tackle the questions that Do Hard Things inspired: How do I get started? What do I do when I get discouraged? What’s the best way to inspire others? Filled with stories and insights from Alex, Brett, and other real-life rebelutionaries, Start Here is a powerful and practical guide to doing hard things, right where you are.
 
Are you ready to take the next step and blast past mediocrity for the glory of God?
 
START HERE.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781601422712
Publisher: The Crown Publishing Group
Publication date: 03/16/2010
Sold by: Random House
Format: eBook
Pages: 176
File size: 2 MB
Age Range: 14 Years

About the Author

Alex and Brett Harris are the coauthors of the best-selling book Do Hard Things, which they wrote when they were eighteen. Today, the twins speak regularly to audiences of thousands on The Rebelution Tour; maintain a large online community through their blog, TheRebelution.com; and have been featured on CNN, MSNBC, NPR, and in the New York Times. Raised in Portland, Oregon, the brothers currently attend Patrick Henry College in Virginia.

Read an Excerpt

YOU ARE HERE
Opening the door to your own rebelution
 
Simple ideas and unbelievable dreams. First steps and great miracles. Ordinary teenagers and a God who still uses young people to accomplish His big plans.
 
That’s what our first book, Do Hard Things, is all about. Do Hard Things shows how young people can take hold of a more exciting option for their teen years than what society suggests. We wrote the book to counter the Myth of Adolescence, which says the teen years are a time to goof off and have fun before “real life” starts. We invited our peers to choose to do hard things for the glory of God and, in the process, turn the world’s idea of what teens are capable of upside down.
 
We were nineteen when we wrote Do Hard Things, twin brothers who wanted to follow God’s call and challenge our generation. We’re twenty-one now and sophomores in college. We still dream big dreams, still want to follow God completely, and still believe just as strongly that God wants to use our generation to change the world. (And, as you might have guessed, we’re still twin brothers.)
 
Whether or not you’ve read Do Hard Things (we’d recommend it—but, of course, we’re a little biased), this companion book continues the Do Hard Things message and piles on stories, practical suggestions, and detailed how-tos. You can use it either on your own or in a group setting, depending on your situation.
 
In other words, Do Hard Things marked the beginning of a movement. Start Here is your personal field guide to jumping in and getting involved.
 
The Rebelution Movement
The concept of doing hard things actually started as a blog we created when we were sixteen. We called it The Rebelution—a combination of rebellion and revolution to create a whole new word with a whole new meaning. We defined rebelution as “ateenage rebellion against low expectations.” (By the way, the blog still exists. Check it out at TheRebelution.com.)
 
Since Do Hard Things came out, the Rebelution movement has exploded. In the past year, rebelutionary teens have raised tens of thousands of dollars to bring the gospel to and dig wells in Africa, won prestigious film festivals, fought human trafficking in the United States and around the world, and made it on the cover of ESPN The Magazine. Around the world, young people are moving out of their comfort zones—whether that means standing for Christ in a hostile classroom, raising money to build a dormitory for orphans in China, or mending relationships with parents or younger siblings.
 
Maybe you’re part of the Rebelution already, or maybe you just want to find out more. Maybe you’re asking one of the questions we get most frequently from readers: “Where do I start?”
This book is about taking the next step. It includes ideas from us and dozens of other young people on topics like:

• how to stand up for what you believe
• strategies for overcoming stage fright, fund-raising fright,
and phone-calling fright (hint: it gets easier as you go!)
• ways to get going when you feel stuck and keep going
when you feel discouraged
• how to understand God’s will and glorify Him through
your efforts
• God-honoring ways to think, feel, and act after you’ve
completed a big project
 
In short, this is a handbook full of practical steps and real-life stories to encourage and equip you on your journey of doing hard things. We want you to feel as if you’re at one of our conferences, or in a small group of people talking about doing hard things—which you may be!
 
All the questions in the pages that follow come from people just like you, collected on our website and through personal conversations. We’ll do our best to answer them with stories and insights from our own lives. We’re traveling alongside you in this adventure—and we want to share with you what God has been teaching us these past few years.
 
But just like Do Hard Things, this book isn’t about us. It’s about the incredible, seemingly impossible things God is doing in our generation. That’s why in Start Here you’ll find dozens of true stories from rebelutionaries who are making a difference in their homes, at their schools, and around the world. We love sharing other young people’s stories because they challenge us as well—and remind us that we’re not alone. We also love the way real-life stories provide a glimpse of the diverse ways God wants to use each of us to do hard things for Him.
 
Toward the end of the book, we’ll be sharing the stories of two rebelutionaries in particular: Ana Zimmerman and John Moore. As you’ll see, Ana and John took on very different hard things, each with the purpose of glorifying God and helping others.
 
At the age of fifteen, Ana raised more than six thousand dollars and organized an event called Love the Least in her hometown.  The event introduced her community to the work of Abort73, an organization that exists to show the injustice of abortion.
 
With a group of fellow teens, John Moore wrote, produced, and directed his own feature film at the age of nineteen—and went on to win the $101,000 grand prize at the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival.
 
John and Ana faced many of the same hurdles and questions you’re encountering. Their stories provide an in-depth look at the beginning, middle, and end of the “do hard things” process. We think you’ll be encouraged and inspired.

Pursuing Faithfulness, Not Success
As thousands of young people around the world are discovering, doing hard things is the most satisfying, thrilling way to live some of the best years of our lives.
 
So where do you start? As you’ll find in the pages that follow, the answer is: right where you are. Being a rebelutionary means committing to doing even ordinary things extraordinarily well. As each of us is faithful in that, God will be faithful to prepare us
for whatever calling He has for us.
 
For some of us, that calling will be big in the world’s eyes, and for some of us it will be small. Whether it is big or small, God will be glorified—and the world will be changed by a generation that gives up seeking worldly success to pursue a life of faithfulness.
 
That’s when the ordinary becomes extraordinary. And that’s what this book is about.
 
Ready to start?

Table of Contents

1 You Are Here: Opening the door to your own rebelution 1

2 Getting Started: What that first step looks like 6

I'm ready to get started—on something! What should I do now?

How can I tell the difference between good hard things in general and good hard things I should be doing?

What if I just want to join other people in what they are doing?

Do small hard things really count?

I know God wants me to do something with this idea, but I'm not ready for it now. What can I do to get ready for doing this hard thing later?

3 When You Have a Great Idea: Practical help for making it work 25

What kind of planning do I need to do before I launch this thing?

I want to obey my parents, and I also want to make my own decisions about the hard things I do. Can those two things go together?

How do I ask people to support my cause?

What are some ideas for getting my church to participate?

I'm not big on bake sales. How can I raise money for my project?

How can I get my friends involved in a group effort?

4 Side Effects May Occur: Handling the changes that come with doing hard things 48

What's the best way to handle the affirmation I receive for doing hard things?

My dream is bigger than my schedule! How do I manage my time now that I'm a rebelutionary?

What should I do when people want to interview me?

5 Matters of First Importance: Keeping God in focus every step of the way 63

I want God to be at the center of every hard thing I do. What does that look like?

How do I keep my motivation for doing hard things pure?

Sometimes doing hard things actually distracts me from God. What should I do?

6 When the Doing Gets Tough: Keeping on in the middle of hard things 75

I want to see this through, but I feel overwhelmed. How do I keep up my enthusiasm?

What if I try to do something hard and it doesn't work out? Does that mean I didn't hear God right?

I'm doing hard things, but nothing feels different. What should I do?

7 The Guts Factor: How to move against the crowd—and why 87

Am I missing out on anything because I'm not doing the “normal” things teens do?

Can doing hard things be fun?

How do I let my friends know I've changed?

What if doing hard things makes me unpopular?

How should rebelutionaries relate to pop culture—like TV, music, movies, books, and the Internet?

8 Now What?: When doing is done 105

Is it all right to feel proud after doing a hard thing?

How do I keep from falling back into my old ways of thinking and acting?

What should I do when I'm done with a hard thing? Is it okay to take a break?

9 Putting It All Together: Two stories that will answer all your questions (or at least give you some great ideas) 120

10 Making It Rain 136

Appendix: 100 Hard Things 139

Discussion Questions 145

Notes 157

Acknowledgments 161

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