You are going to be excited…and scared. Once you have decided
to begin moving in an unfamiliar direction you are going to be excited about
the prospect of a new aspect of your life. As you begin to ponder your new
venture and imagine yourself actually doing it, you are going to be thrilled by
the vision. However, at the same time you are going to have a LOT of questions.
“What if I fall flat on my face?” “Can I really do this?” “What will those important
to me think about it?” “Is this really going to be worth the sacrifice?”
I want to encourage you not to ignore the questions, but don’t
be overwhelmed by them either. Face the
reality that there will be moments of failure as you make this journey outside
the box. It is inevitable. But be sure to look at your failures as steps to
learn on that will bring you closer to your goal. The most important thing is
to keep moving toward fulfilling your God-given purpose. Every step, even every failure, is part of
the journey. Just keep stepping!
You are going to feel uncomfortable. None of us remember taking
our first steps. Our brains just can’t hold on to a monumental moment that occurred
when we were so small. However, all of us have seen a baby learning to walk. At
first, she may be tentative about walking on her own and reach constantly for
the hand of an adult. After a while, she lets go of the steadying hand, but
stays nearby a comforting leg or a piece of furniture. It seems to me that toddlers
pretty much skip actually walking once they get comfortable. After they've gained
confidence, they don’t go anywhere without running!
Learn from the babies! You are going to feel unsteady as you
take your first steps. It’s normal. It’s okay to lean on someone who has
traveled the road you are just beginning. It’s wise, in fact. You are going to
fall down. Get back up! I have never seen a baby fall down and decide that they
are going to give up walking for good. They may crawl again for a bit. They may
need a little comforting, but usually they are back on their feet lickety-split
and running toward the next interesting thing their eye catches. When you stumble, evaluate where you
went wrong, determine what you need to learn, get some comfort if necessary and
GET BACK UP! And just for the record: Been there. Done that. I survived and so
can you.
You are going to realize just how much you need to learn. Every
failure is a learning opportunity. You can’t learn to swim unless you are
actually in the water. It looks different once you jump in, but you learn
pretty quickly how to keep afloat. Then you can develop some technique.
In swimming, and so
many other areas of life, you can only learn so much from watching someone else
do it. You can learn some things, but once you have actually tried what you
have only watched, you begin to watch differently. You begin to see what works
and what doesn't Not only that you begin to imagine yourself trying the things
that work. Then next time you get an opportunity you will have more skills in
your arsenal. The important thing is to remember that you will never arrive.
You will always be learning. Once you accept that the journey takes on the continual
joy of learning something new with every step.
Dear friend, you are going to find so much joy in your journey.
Learning something new is exhilarating, once you get past feeling scared and insecure. It’s the journey that is the
important part. Success can be measured in actually taking the first step, not
in how effective that first step turns out to be. There will be others, right?
What are you waiting for? Step outside!
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