Based on the fact that you’re reading this is an indication that you have a dream and an inkling to pursue it. Know that your desire alone sets you apart from the masses who have yet to connect, or reconnect , with their dream. There is however a minority – those who actually pursue their dreams and goals. In the Strangest Secret, Earl Nigtingale explained that “A success is anyone who is realizing a worthy predetermined ideal, because that’s what he or she decided to do … deliberately. But only one out of 20 does that!” His definition of success as the progressive realization of a worthy ideal is perhaps the best definition that we have adopted. That dream, that goal, that paradigm has to be something greater than yourself, with a distinctive value that can be added to others’ benefit. Most important, success isn’t the prototype, but the progression towards it, the discipline, behaviors, and principles acquired and mastered during the process. Understanding that success (also referred to as prosperity) is merely a byproduct to faithfulness, we seek to become master students first, and enhance what we learn by serving and teaching others. We firmly believe that our dreams were purposefully placed within us, waiting on the moment we recognize them, and commit to building them. Consider these standards in your pursuit toward success.
Have a desire that will push you to action. If you’ve ever been in a position where you lacked fulfillment with what you’re currently doing, that’s actually the hunger pains of desire. Your appetite will cause you to take action in satisfying your desire. It’s important to note that at this point, you have no idea what the work is or that you’re even being called to do something. Seek mentorship. The moment you make the decision to act on your dream, seek wise counsel. You will need the expertise and wisdom of someone who has what you’re attempting to pursue. Wise counsel will help you in the discernment of your dream – guiding you to determine the difference between what’s right, what’s good, and what should be avoided. Submit to gain clarity and peace. Yielding to the desire and dream within you will allow it to become more precise. Embrace the challenges that it proposes so that you’ll dismiss personal justifications, fear, and doubts. Those restrictions are saturated with reason and logic, wrapped in emotions and insecurities, and leaves little to no room for understanding. Wrestling with these things are binding in a process that should naturally flow. Set the right expectations to avoid mismanaging resources. It’s important to note that resources pertain to anything that is used during your development – time, money, people, knowledge base, the experience of others, etc. An illustration for this concept could be likened to the ball player that has finally been called into the game to play. The player is so excited by the opportunity that he/she doesn’t take time to fully listen to the play that’s being given. The coach can give clear instructions because he/she has insight on the whole game, opponents, team players, and the ability of player; however, the player’s eagerness to play has now hindered his/her comprehension for execution. Once the game is in play, performance is extemporized, support is lost (you’re playing solo), possession is lost (you’ve become responsive to external factors), and a timeout has been called (you have to be reinstructed or loose the opportunity to play). In scripture, the parable of the talents gives a great illustration of how understanding God’s expectations and properly acting on them allows for a greater return. When we are faithful over a few things, we will be put in charge of more. Commit to the work to receive guidance. Once you’ve wholeheartedly committed to doing whatever is necessary to fulfill your goal, your thoughts are clear. It’s as if the picture of your goal has been etched in your mind so vividly, you are subconsciously drawn to ideas that will ultimately lead you to your desired outcome. Doing so eliminates the desire to take shortcuts, compels you to persist beyond failed attempts, and maintain a code of ethics in all that you do. The journey itself will not be easy, but every resource and provision that you’ll need has already been put in place. Picture being on a scavenger hunt through the wilderness – you’re equipped with a compass, small flashlights to be worn on your shoes, and every idea is the thing that leads you to the next clue. You have to activate your faith to keep moving North, because that’s where your dream is. Create a mastermind alliance to complete the work. The dream that you’re seeking to fulfill has to be completed with a harmonious spirit. Every person that has achieved the ranks of success understood the value of partnership . The growth, support, balance and encouragement given within the alliance fosters an environment that guards against failure and builds intimacy and a perpetuating eagerness to fulfill the work. The fidelity, solidarity, and edification given within the relationship will become apparent to others, causing them to follow you, find value in your work, and ultimately be inspired to pursue their own dreams. Identify your fears and challenges as distractions. An integral part of setting goals is identifying potential challenges. In most cases, the greatest challenges are internal, providing false images of what often never comes to life. Once you identify your fears, immediately dismiss them, and never give them energy. You become what you think about, so focus on what you want to happen. When negative things do arise, and they will, you have the choice of giving those things power, ignoring them, or using them to fuel a positive reaction. Remove strongholds. There are countless things that attempt to monopolize our efforts when pursuing a worthwhile goal. You will have to experience periods of isolation from people and environments that are not conducive to the development of your dream. Also crucially important is eradicating behaviors, habits, and thoughts that build themselves up against what you know to be true about your dreams and goals. A word of caution is that there will be great resistance and disappointments in this area; however, you must adopt the attitude that it is necessary and will be worth it in the end. Affirm what you believe. Get comfortable with speaking exactly what you want. Words have power- the power to manifest what you are believing for. Speaking the right things has a way of confirming what you picture. The repetition of written, visual, and verbal affirmations has an amazing way of tapping into your psyche, propelling you to better thoughts and ideas. Discipline yourself in all areas. Jim Rohn coined the phrase, “work on yourself harder than you do your business.” In any case, your business can be relative to any area that you wish to achieve success in – businesses, relationships, personal goals, and services. Cultivating yourself in spirit, mind, and body perpetuates an increased desire to reach your goals, and set new ones. Disciplining yourself is the expression of faithfulness necessary for any dream to come to life.
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