Courage: The Key to Unlocking Your Future

Well, we are officially crossing over into the second quarter of 2023. Can you believe it? Honestly, the last three months have moved extremely fast and this quarter has been filled with challenges in my personal and professional life. However, the lessons that I am learning in this season are invaluable and empowering me to evolve into a better version of myself. I hope these insights will give you the courage to press for more and to pursue more in every area of your life.

1. You have to take the leap. Trust me, you will always have people in your life telling you what you cannot do and what you cannot have. In my experience, I have learned that you can either listen to the critics or you can dare to take the leap and manifest the change that you want to see in your life. From personal experience, I know that nothing changes unless you change it. Many of the people that are telling you what you cannot do have settled for mediocrity and they have not pursued what they were born for. As a result, they have settled for limits and they want to use their limits to define what is possible for your life. At some point, you will have to make the decision to leave the familiar shore and dare to pursue the great unknown. As I am being challenged to take new leaps of faith in my life, I am learning more and more to silence the lying voice of fear. If you never go after what you want, you will spend a lifetime regretting the possibilities of what your life could become. So make 2023 the year that you make a non-negotiable decision to take the leap and to pursue a bigger life. The leap is your way of telling yourself that you are not going to live a life of limitations. The leap is choosing your future over the convenience of your present. Ultimately, taking the leap is daring to face your fears and embrace your future.
2. Be willing to say goodbye to relationships that do not support your growth. You’ve heard me say before that every new dimension will demand a different you. Well, I want to expand on that concept and tell you that every new realm will demand different relationships. Every single time I have gone to the next level in my life I have had to say goodbye to certain relationships. Why is that? It is not that they were bad people or that they even did anything to me. The reality is that I just outgrew those relationships. I discovered that they did not want much out of life and I wanted more. Also, I realized that they were comfortable being mediocre when I craved mastery. From over three decades of experience, I can tell you that there are some people you will have to detach from in order to be developed. Some people are a barrier to you becoming who you were born to be. Love people but never allow them to limit your potential. Some people come into your life only for a season. When you try to expand expired relationships the result is always heartbreak and disappointment.
3. You have to choose yourself first. One of the things that I have been guilty of is putting the needs and desires of other people above my own. However, one day I found myself really upset and bitter and I could not understand why. Then I realized that I had given so much of myself to helping other people realize their dreams that I had neglected my own dreams in the process. While I am not saying that it is anything wrong with helping other people manifest their dreams, what I am saying is that you cannot afford to abandon your dreams in the process. I had to work through that bitterness and take responsibility for my own actions. From that day forward, I made a decision that I would choose myself first. I would never pour so much energy into the dreams of others that I failed to prioritize my own dreams. Also, I made an agreement with myself that I would never again feel guilty for pursuing my dreams. You may be a recovering people pleaser like I am. For the sake of peace and fulfillment, stop living your life to please other people while you are miserable and unhappy. Make your dreams a priority and understand that you deserve to live your greatest life.
4. Make courage a pillar in your life. As I told you, the first few months of 2023 have been anything but easy. These first three months of the year have been very challenging for me. However, I know that you do not grow without challenges. I’ve made a decision that I will not live a single day of my life without courage. Essentially, courage is not the absence of fear or trepidation. Courage is the full assurance of faith and unwavering trust. Every season and every cycle of your life will demand courage. If you are really ready to embrace the next level, then let me tell you that it is impossible to get there without courage. Every major life crisis and every life change will demand courage. Courage is not something that you build in easy seasons. Courage is a muscle that is only developed through obstacles and opposition. As you overcome challenges and defy the odds, you will find the muscle of courage getting stronger in your life. Stop praying for an easy life and develop the strength to endure a challenging life. Challenges build courage and courage is what ultimately develops champions.