The Confidence To Go All In

Introduction: 

Welcome my friend!

Actually, there's nowhere else I'd rather be on this first Friday of the year than here with you. To start off from where we left the last one, with the same good vibes and camaraderie.

Truly, the gift of a new year is now upon us and has come with it the opportunity for a mental reset; to assess ourselves on the basis of what worked, what hasn't, and the things to improve on, as we look to set and achieve new goals that'll better our lives. 

However, this isn't the first time that we'll be starting a new year with this level of optimism, motivation and drive, only to see them all fizzle out in the first few days or weeks. 

When this happens it's usually for one or more of the following reasons: a lack of the discipline required to dump bad habits, a demoralizing loss or failure, self doubt, lack of the skills required to step up our game, the unwillingness to learn them, and so on. 

Over the years these factors have held us back from maximizing our potential as we've ended those years with less than we could.

Consequently, we've arrived at this one with no clear goals, afraid that like the years before, it may not have much in store for us; so rather than have expectations and end in disappointment, we're better off “going with the flow”.

If this is you, then God has led you straight into this conversation to speak to your heart, reassure you, and then direct you to the path of success. 

Discussion: 

The biggest enemy of a man is fear, which in itself is an acknowledgement of our own shortcomings and limitations. 

With the start of a new year, it's not uncommon for us to experience some level of anxiousness about what the future holds for us and how we can navigate through it especially when we consider the following factors;

▪︎ Our New Age

The fear of getting old is a real thing, especially when we compare what we've achieved with what we thought we would at that age, and have come out short. 

A demoralizing realization that sees us question ourselves and our abilities to rise from there. 

For others, it's the fear of having to end up alone having accepted the societal time frame for finding a partner and resigning to the lie that their chances are now slimmer with this new age. 

Yet there are those who fear getting older means getting weaker and may mean they'll be unable to engage in some of their pleasurable activities or eat or drink some of their favourites, because of the more damaging impact it can have on the health of an older person. 

Once these fears creep in, we begin to feel anxious of every new day, looking for harmful activities to distract our minds from these thoughts instead of appreciating the opportunity it is and giving it our best shot. 

 ▪︎ The Magnitude Of Our Goals

As we grow, we begin to set bigger goals having now been confronted by more responsibilities and because of this we can get really scared. 

The thought of starting a business, relocating to another place, switching careers, getting married and other such major events can make us afraid because we don't know how we'd succeed at them or what can come out from them. 

So rather than being excited for the accomplishments that they are once we get them right, we find ourselves dwelling mostly on the consequences if we fail. 

▪︎ The Quality Of Our Opportunities 

When we feel that we don't have enough opportunities to meet our big goals we begin to panic. 

Most of us set unrealistic goals that can be described as daydreaming at best because we lack the means to achieve them and because we know this deep within us, we feel the pressure of falling short, long before we eventually do. 

It's important to set goals that commensurate our skills and abilities, and we should be ready to do more if we want more from life, rather than folding our arms and wondering where and how things would change. 

The moment we're ready to step up, we begin to see ourselves leveling up.

▪︎ Our Outstanding Problems 

The turn of a year doesn't mean those that we owe have forgiven us of our huge debts and this sometimes can be a hindrance to moving forward as we lack the mental clarity to concentrate without being affected by these thoughts. 

Some of our fears arise because we can't see a way out of the difficult situations we've put ourselves in, including relationships with people who we've made promises to, but can no longer fulfill them because they're not aligned with who we've transformed into in order to make progress. 

Breaking out from covenants and associations that no longer push us forward can present a huge obstacle to our goals and this fear can leave us downhearted and confused. 

Also, we can find ourselves afraid of failing to meet up to the high standards of excellence or quality of life that we've set for ourselves if for any reason things go against us unprecedentedly. 

■ Replacing Fear With Faith 

The biggest consequence of our fear is doubt which ultimately leads us to failure, as in a self fulfilling prophecy. 

When we doubt our ability to succeed, we're left unmotivated to give our best because we don't see the need to do so.

If we can't grasp how more effort and perseverance can influence the outcome we walk away on the first sight of an obstacle because we already see ourselves as incapable of surmounting it. 

On the other hand, faith in God gives us confidence because we're able to rest on his promise of coming through for us, knowing that all our dreams, desires and imaginations have been put in our hearts by him because he wants more from and for us. 

It's this confidence that allows us to approach life with determination, focus and commitment knowing that we're not wasting our time but patiently waiting for our time after he has tried and tested us to build our character and capacity to hold onto his blessings. 

Summary: 

As believers we're able to go all out to face life without fear because we know that our success is guaranteed in our relationship with God. 

As we spend more time with him, he begins to refine us into excellence, giving us the discernment to make the right decisions and actions that set us on the path of accomplishments, success and fulfillment. 

What an awesome privilege it is to know that his grace upholds us and provides us with all our needs as long they're aligned in his perfect will for us. 

A reassuring feeling that puts all doubts to rest. 

Master Apprentice.

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