We talk a lot about the journey to success and the beauty in becoming, but what do you do when you arrive? Does the journey end or do you launch a new vision? Do you set a new goal or revel in the one you just achieved? These are a few of the questions I started thinking about as my dreams gradually became a thriving reality and I was no longer hoping for the day that change would come but I was actually living it
True Story:
This whole thing blows my mind because just a few years ago I was growing impatient with myself and deeply desiring to live the dreams that I held in my heart, but I was totally frustrated. Although I knew I could do anything I wanted and possibly be successful, I kept talking myself out of it…and this went on for YEARS! I would watch Youtube videos with inspiring stories about people who had done incredible things in the world and then go to bed dreaming of one day writing my own inspiring life story. But I didn’t have the courage to actually go for it. So here’s the first lesson I want to share
Lesson One: Being Courageous Is A Choice
Nelson Mandela famously said, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” In our society, we label brave people as being fearless, but in reality, every human experiences fear.
Some are afraid of dogs while others are afraid of sharks. Some people need night lights with others need a cuddle buddy aka a spouse or partner. So the difference is not in the level of fear that we feel because we’re all afraid of something. The difference is what we do when we feel afraid. Do we…
- Retreat/Run away
- Hide
- Over react
- Under perform
- Overthink
- Self-sabotage
- And the list goes on
My biggest chapters of progress happened when I became more self-aware and got proactive about improving my patterns and habitual responses to fear. Instead of allowing it to change my mind or redirect my plans, I would run through the discomfort straight toward my goal and once I was on the other side I’d look back minutes later and say, ” Well, that really wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be”.
With every decision, I was building my courage without even trying to. At no time did I consciously say to myself, “I want to be more courageous”, but intuitively I was becoming courageous. This is why a wise man named F.W. Boreham said, “We make our decisions, and then our decisions turn around and make us”
Because the decision we make today have a lasting impact on our life. They create who we become in the future, determine how we show up in the world, and ultimately shapes the destiny we experience. Choosing to be courageous can feel intimidating and that’s why most people never think about it (myself included), but I can guarantee you that there is already a part of your life where show up courageously and people admire you for it.
Think about it. If you were to see a child being physically abused right in front of you how would you respond? If you saw someone drowning in a pool and you were the only one that could help them, what would you do? If you were trapped in a room with a poisonous snake how would you respond?
I know that you would not sit back and just be passive about letting at least one if not all of these things happen so what’s preventing you from having the same tenacity with your goals?
Lesson Two: Work Your Plan
For a long time, I had a general idea for how I was going to execute my goals but when it came to the step-by-step process I had no clue and I gotta be honest with you. This is what kept me stuck in dreamland for longer than I needed. The idea of my goals was SO BIG that I felt it would take too long, require too much work, and I didn’t want to put in all of that commitment.
I didn’t realize that having a plan no real plan would shorten my learning curve, keep me motivated and on track, and get me to my goals faster. And it’s kind of funny because we all read the John Maxwell books about personal leadership, and Steven Covey’s Habits of Highly Successful People, so we know we need a plan, but when it comes to actually mapping one out we don’t trust it.
We question whether we’re making the right plan, how effective it’ll be, how long it’ll take, and whether it will actually work! Because we don’t know! We’ve never achieved this goal before and we want to minimize failure as much as possible. Can I get an amen!?
So here’s my biggest lesson here. Instead of being overly concerned about trying to get it right, don’t you think it’s smarter to just get started with the plan that you have. A plan is better than no plan. Mr. Benjamin Franklin said “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!” and I know you don’t want to do that so plan your work and then work your plan!
Lesson Three: Patience Is A Gift To Yourself
Now let’s talk about lesson #3. It’s probably your least favorite word in the dictionary and contrary to popular belief it benefits you more than anything else. I’m talking about patience! This was something I didn’t enjoy in the beginning because it just felt like things were taking way too long. I had started a business and had 0 sales for a whole year…yeah, I said a YEAR!
Now, did it need to take a whole year? NO! There were definitely things I could have done better and put in place from the beginning to settle into the business world and start generating an income a little sooner but I know our journeys are our training ground so I have no regrets about my process.
Joyce Meyer said, “Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while you wait” and I want to take this a little deeper because our attitude is a direct reflection of our thoughts and the things stirring in our heart. So having a good attitude while waiting is really about having a pure heart, good intentions, and the right focus while we wait. Hit play for more!
Until next time I love you and I mean it! If this helped you in any way share it with a friend! Mwah! Let’s stay connected on the gram!
