People say life is a marathon and I couldn’t agree more. Every time you accomplish a goal or reach a new level in your dreams you cross a finish line.
When you take the time to celebrate your wins along the way, you create more joy and happiness in your life. Also, who doesn’t love a little pat on the back?!?
Take the time to wish yourself a job well done and then get setup for the next race because there are so many finish lines for you to run through!
Getting to the root of who you are and what you’re capable of will change you. Period. Full stop.
You can’t tap into the very thing that will allow you to operate at your best without making some changes. Living into your essence will make you quit some things, leave some things, pick up new things and ultimately be who you are truly called to be.
This work requires access to the Holy Spirit though. The Spirit will lead you and guide you. Prune you and nurture you. Strip you and rebuild you.
So be aware and beware. Do not start this process if you aren’t ready to change.
But if you’re ready, go ahead… Cue the Transformation!!!
The great hymn writer, Beyoncé, sang so gracefully, “Step out your estimate, Step in your essence and know that you’re excellent, Rise…”
Today I want you to think about what it means to step into your essence. Essence is the quality that defines you. It is “the most significant element, quality, or aspect of a thing or person.” Your essence is your “ultimate nature…opposed to [your] existence.”
What is within you? What is so deeply defining you? When you find and connect to your essence, you will in fact “step out of your estimate” and you will RISE above what you thought you could be and into your highest self.
Once you have all the feedback you need, it’s time to get inspired.
You’ve been working your plan. You’ve been hitting the BASICS. You’ve been living with and attitude of gratitude and displaying your God-given Joy.
But now…
You’ve got to get inspired.
The possibilities are endless, so take a moment to think about all of the things you’ll be able to do once you reach your GOALS…and then let that inspiration ignite a fire within you to keep pushing.
When you are in community with people individually and corporately chasing after your goals, you need someone to tell you what’s up.
Not someone who is going to criticize your every move, but someone who has your back and will lovingly but sternly let you know that you should try a different approach. You can call these people accountability partners, colleagues, business partners, friends and/or family. They just need to be someone you trust with a level of expertise in the area or just good ole wisdom for your journey.
Ready your heart and mind so you can Cue the Feedback!
What are the markers of growth in your life? Do you depend on measuring up to others or do you wait on others to let you know they see a change in you?
Both of these can be a marker of success and change but truthfully, the only person that will know how far you came will be you.
Only you can know what it took to get you to this point.
Keep track of your growth. Not so you can brag to anyone who will listen, but so you can remind yourself of all the things you overcame in the midst of all of the bad.
You ever get down? You ever feel like things in your plan aren’t working out?
That’s normal. You may not find happiness in working the BASICS every day.
Here’s the thing: Happiness is cool, but there’s a deeper contentment that you can find when you submit your will to God.
It’s called JOY.
Joy is the spiritual assurance that God has you. And thus, you’re outward expression is praise and gratitude despite whatever may be happening around you.
If you’ve lost your JOY it can be hard to focus on what is to come. To find it again, study God’s promises, remind yourself of the times God has brought you out before and pray to God for restoration.
The BASICS can get boring. Doing the same thing over and over again can get underwhelming.
That’s why you have to make sure that your plan aligns with your passion!
If your plan is based on a goal that you’re not passionate about, you might as well quit now. There has to be something driving you, pushing you to not get weary in your well doing!
The real blessing of success is that it doesn’t always take grand gestures to reach it.
Here’s what I mean.
Success comes when you wake up everyday and complete the basics. The basics are the foundation of success. They are simple steps that will eventually build you a staircase to the goals and dreams you have been trying to reach.
The building blocks of the basics are as follows:
B – Believe – Believe that it’s possible first. If you don’t believe that it’s possible then you will fight against yourself from the very start.
A – Attitude of Gratitude – Be thankful every day that you wake up and have another chance to at your goals
S – Strategize – Every goal deserves a plan. There will be times that you are able to fly by the seat of your pants. But when you sit down and strategize, it gets rid of most of the guesswork and the chaos that comes with along with trying to figure things out as you go.
I – Intentionality – Do every thing with the intentionality. 90% of what you do should be focused on your goals. Every task, action and thought must be intentionally focused on how it will get you to the desired goal or dream.
C – Courage – Along with Intentionality, Courage must ooze from every step you take. It takes courage to step out on faith. It takes courage to ask for help. It takes courage to wake up everyday to repeat the BASICS when other people in your life start to criticize you or completely stop talking to you. Have Courage! Be Courageous!
S – Strive/Seek – But strive first for the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well Matthew 6:33 NRSV or But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and God’s righteousness and all these things will be added unto you Matthew 6:33 KJV. This one should be first really. Before you start looking to get anything else, strive after God and God’s will for your life. If God’s kingdom reigns supreme in your life…there will be no limit to what you can do or where you can go.
Typically, people have a tendency to put the plan down, to stop working and to start their weekend early.
Here’s the thing, Friday’s are not a time to ease up. The grind requires that we stay focused on our goals. The grind says that everyday is an opportunity to wake up and do something good. The grind should remind you that today is just as good as any day to get the work done.
BUT if we are only focused on the grind…we will lose.
Lose what?
Our minds possibly. Our hope that things will come to pass. Our passion.
That’s why the grind requires faith. Faith pushes us to a thing. When we activate our faith in conjunction to the grind, we can move mountains. When we have faith in God we are able to wake up most days and say…
“God, you got this!” “God, I trust you to turn my grind into a favorable outcome!” “God, my faith is in You, so pour out your promises on me!”
Faith without works is dead, so works without faith have to be empty actions.
We celebrated and cued the confetti… We planned so we cued the grind… But we will have nothing to celebrate and the plan will be null and void if we don’t
Vocalist | Creator | Proclaimer 