When I first started my campaign of “Do It Now,” we had 83 days left in the year, and now we are down to 66 days. Time indeed flies, and as you get older, it seems to go even faster, lol. I recently celebrated a close friend’s 60th birthday; we met 29 years ago. I have watched both of her sons become outstanding young men. We were saying, where has all the time gone. Time waits for no one, and if we are not fulfilling our purpose, then the chances are, we are living someone’s dream and not ours.
If you ask, most people have a dream, and they can tell you. Some will share their vision and admit they do not know how to achieve the objective. I was there once, but since taking the journey as a Speaker and Trainer, the road has become more transparent. Over the next four weeks, I will share some nuggets from “Put Your Dream to the Test,” by John Maxwell on Morning Tea with Regina, Inspiration, and Encouragement, on Thoughtful Tuesday, and Thankful Thursday on Facebook Live at 7:30 am. Please join me you don’t want to miss it.
When I was a young girl, I would have a fleeting dream of speaking in front of a broad audience. I sense that it was international. My evidence of being called to speak was when I would listen to Pastor’s preach or speaker’s speech on topics that inspired and encouraged, I would soak it up. I would see myself on stage. I also played like a preacher with the spoon as my mic, and my friends were my audiences. I love God and encouraging and inspiring others to live on purpose.
As I grew older, I would attempt a speaking and training path but run into some obstacles. Some of those obstacles were my self-limiting beliefs, and others were people trying to stop me from moving forward. My mentor, Dr. Frederick G. Sampson, used to say if you want to kill your dream, tell somebody. It is unfortunate but true.
Here is a definition by John Maxwell, “a dream is an inspiring picture of the future that energizes your mind, will, and emotions, empowering you to do everything you can to achieve it. A genuine dream is a picture and a blueprint of a person’s purpose and potential.”
Here are two common reasons why people have difficulty stepping into their purpose:
Some People Lack the Confidence Needed to Pursue Their Dreams
I used to believe that people couldn’t see when a person lacked confidence. How can they tell? I learned relatively soon that it was not a true belief. Have you ever watched American Idol? The judges critique the singer’s talents on various levels, and one is confident. It was interesting to watch when the judges would critique a singer on confidence; they would say, “you lacked the confidence” and sometimes encouraged the person to try another time. We can lack confidence for various reasons; to name a few: we may not have the knowledge we need or have obtained the necessary skills; we may need someone or a mentor. It can also be the way we talk to ourselves. Whatever it is, we will miss opportunities if we don’t start building our confidence. I build my confidence in speaking aloud affirmations, joining networks to be among other entrepreneurs, and increasing my knowledge on various topics. It hasn’t been easy, but I keep moving forward.
Some People Get in the Habit of Settling for Average
This one is big because so many people have settled for average. People are working every day in jobs they hate, and some can’t wait until they retire. Some have settled for average because of money, job security, or not believing in themselves, or even raising their family.
I love this quote by Columnist Maureen Dowd:
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