Facing the fear to go after your dreams in full force is so much easier said than done, right?
You may hear motivational speakers say things like, “Do it scared anyway” or “Face your fear” but that may not make a difference when your fear of failure, the unknown, rejection or being uncomfortable has officially held your dreams hostage.
Well let me tell you a story that may offer a different perspective.
Earlier this year, I had perhaps one of the most significant meetings of my life and it was with my pastor who shepherds a congregation of 35,000+ members and who humbly has reached levels of success that are unprecedented.
During the meeting, I explained that I had suffered some of my greatest disappointments AFTER I took the leap of faith into fulfilling my purpose and realizing the dreams inside of my heart.
He shared this story with me about his earlier days when he was first called out to begin his ministry. He left the comfort of his job in banking to build what he knew in his heart he had been created to do. He explained that in the four years following that decision, he experienced incredible economic hardship.
With a wife and four children to feed, he did what most of us would do. He went looking for a job in banking and was offered a position. While being offered the position, he said that he felt an extreme amount of guilt because in his heart he knew that he was supposed to continue building his ministry. He decided to trust God and declined the position.
And I’m glad that he did.
One day, I sat in the middle of our beautiful and what feels like a million acre church campus, feeling discouraged. I never ever felt like quitting the way I did that day. At that moment, I remembered the conversation I had with my pastor.
I was sitting dead smack in the middle of the benefit of his decision to continue going even when he saw no way out. Because of one decision he made over 30 years ago, myself and millions of others are benefiting today – including you. Yes, you are benefiting from his decision because a good chunk of my teachings are derived from the wisdom that I learned from hours of his teachings.
What if he would have went against his heart and took that job? Would this church even be here today? Will he have had to the opportunity to minister to and mentor elected officials, including mayors and past presidents? Would I even be the woman I am today? How many lives would not have been transformed?
It all came into perspective for me.
I knew that someone would either suffer or benefit from my decision to quit. There is someone who 30 years from now will be impacted by my decision to quit or move forward. I made the choice to keep going.
Why? Because fulfilling your dreams isn’t about you. Someone else is going to benefit from your choice to take off the gloves and fight for your dreams. You might be the one to break the cycle of poverty in your family. Someone 15 years from now will benefit from reading that book of yours. Your decision to become a therapist may break the chains of abuse in someone else’s family. Your decision to commit to that start-up will inspire millions of girls around the world to follow their dreams.
The epicenter of your legacy is accepting your life’s assignment. Those dreams have been assigned to you and only you can realize them, yes, only you. You have been designed for that mission and all you have experienced will come together to help you achieve that assignment. Your pain will be the stepping stone to your destiny.
I cannot bear to think that someone else may suffer because of my own selfishness, fear or lack of faith and neither should you.
Commit to your dreams, someone is waiting for you.
XOXO,
Maria I. Melendez
@embraceherlegacy
P.S. – If you don’t know where to start then download my Goal- Setting Success Series Bootcamp, I will guide you step-by-step!
