Photo by Galaxie Andrews
Life chat alert…it’s a good one though, I promise! I simply want to tell you this… you are good enough. More than good…exceptional enough to do whatever you’ve got your sights set on! You don’t have to wait until you’re perfect, or for the conditions to change. You can accomplish greatness sooner than you think! Whenever I have conversations with friends about goals for the future, a few consistent phrases pop up. Many sentences on both ends of the conversation start with:
“Well when I get to ___ , then I’ll…”
“Oh I’m not ready for that…maybe once I graduate…”
“I think you have to have ____ for that…”
Trust me, I hear those kinds of sentences all the time, and they come out of my mouth more than I’d like! What we don’t realize when we talk this way is that were literally talking ourselves out of what we deserve, which is greatness and success! I think it’s a natural instinct to downplay our abilities and push our goals down in the process. Maybe they seem too far to reach, maybe no one in our family has ever been able to pull off the feats we dream of. I want to offer up a challenge to all of you, including myself of course! Let’s try to catch that instinct when it flares up and flip it upside down, choosing instead to speak life and encouragement over our goals! When you tell yourself you’re not good enough or ready to reach a goal you’ve been working toward…contradict that concept in your head before making a decision. Sure, there’s basic logic and certain limitations to things we’d like to do. I just want us to look beyond all the reasons we can’t move things forward and decide that in our own brilliant way, we still will. Let me give you three reasons why you should never doubt your ability to do whatever you want!
You Have a Unique Purpose…
Deep in all of our hearts there is a purpose. All of your attributes, accolades and successes line up with it. Every time you take a step out in faith, you are walking in your purpose. The plan may change over time, it might not always be exactly the course you set. But as long as you wake up with dreams and goals, you’ve got a purpose waiting to be fulfilled.
“Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.” ―John F. Kennedy
“I believe that God has put gifts and talents and ability on the inside of every one of us. When you develop that and you believe in yourself and you believe that you’re a person of influence and a person of purpose, I believe you can rise up out of any situation.” – Joel Osteen
What Sets You Apart Is Your Passion…
Your passion for your craft is what makes you distinctly different from others. There could be a million people interested in the same thing as you, and with that comes a million different mindsets and attitudes. You should know that people recognize not only what you do but the love and passion with which you do it! Trust me, that will take you so far toward your dreams!
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. ” -Harriet Tubman
“You just have to find that thing that’s special about you that distinguishes you from all the others, and through true talent, hard work, and passion, anything can happen.” – Dr. Dre
Every Day Brings a New Opportunity to Persevere…
You aren’t going to get every opportunity that you think you want. But every failure can renew your resolve. To get what you want means to persevere without looking around, comparing or judging where anyone else is in their journey. It means that your level of skill, no matter where it is right now, will get stronger based on your ability to push through the tough times!
“Destiny has a lot to do with it, but so do you. You have to persevere, you have to insist.” -Andrea Bocelli
“I hope the millions of people I’ve touched have the optimism and desire to share their goals and hard work and persevere with a positive attitude.” – Michael Jordan