Another Achiever is Going Rogue! Here’s the story of Christy Wright, an author I first heard on the Inspired to Action podcast. And y’all, she is no nonsense. That’s when I thought, “She’s my people!” Christy is the creator of Business Boutique, a Certified Business Coach, and a Ramsey Personality. Christy loves equipping women with the knowledge and steps they need to successfully run and grow a business. She’s also spoken at women’s and business conferences as well as to Fortune 500 companies. She even hosts her own podcast y’all!
How did you move away from performing for your worth and toward receiving grace?
To be honest, I don’t know that I fully have. I am wired as an “Achiever” type, and I struggle with this daily. I would love to flip a switch and always live in grace but I don’t know that that is possible. This is something I have to work on every day. When I work hard and I reap what I sow, it’s easy for me to feel like I am worthy of love because of what I accomplished. Staying rooted in Scripture is the only thing that keeps me grounded and reminds me that “success” and “failure” are events, not identities. And there’s not an event in the world that can affect my worth as a child of God.
What would you say to encourage the woman who isolates herself from feeling her hurt and pain by being busy, by looking for outside recognition, by always trying harder?
I would say that being busy, seeking recognition and trying harder are not evil. Those things are not bad things. It’s the motivation behind them that can be a sign something is going on at the heart level. If you’re staying busy to escape your life because you’re unhappy, or you seek the approval from others because you don’t know your inherent worth, or you try harder because you want to earn God’s love, then there’s a deeper issue going on that you need to press into. The prodigal son is a fantastic example of this in Scripture. The father adored his son even when he’d been ungrateful, taken his inheritance early and squandered all of it. What the son did or didn’t do had no effect on his Father’s love for him and the same is true for God’s love for you.
How has God helped you trust His grace and love for you?
I know God. I know his character and who He is. I have years of examples of his faithfulness in my life, and I have the truth of His Word in the Bible. I don’t have to wonder if He loves me and forgives me because He’s proven to me time and time again who He is. And who He is is unchanging.
What counsel would you give to the woman who wants to leave behind the life of hustling, efficiency, and busyness for a life of rest and grace?
Again, I disagree that hustling and efficiency and busyness are bad. I think working hard and helping people and making a difference are good things. But if your motivation is to gain the approval of others, they will disappoint you and you will feel empty. However, when you do your work as “unto the Lord” I think God blesses your efforts, He keeps you energized and you stay fulfilled. I believe that your efforts matter immensely here on Earth and for eternity.
We aren’t accustomed to unconditional love because we’re more familiar with checklists, performing, comparing, etc. What has helped you receive grace?
God shows me through examples in my own life, moments where He teaches me and also through Scripture. When my heart or head get ahead of Him, He quickly pulls me back in line to remind me who is in charge. For example, leading up to our first Business Boutique event, I was freaking out and panicking that I couldn’t do it. I was full of fear and terrified of what God was calling me to do. In the midst of my panic, God stopped me in my tracks and said to me, “Christy, you are freaking out because you think this is your event. This is not your event. This is My event and I will be the One to pull it off.” When I think I am in charge, God is quick to put me in my place and remind me that there is a God and it’s not me.
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