“Letting go does not mean giving up… it means moving on.” Anonymous
Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired of where you are? If you have come to a crossroads in life, tired of business as usual and fed up with the status quo, then enough is enough.
It is time to do things differently. It is time to break free of a stagnant routine and start living the life God designed you to live.
If you are serious about making positive changes, then join me in implementing the following five steps to forever change your life’s direction. Let’s begin the journey.
1. Seek God for direction. God created every person with a specific purpose in mind. No one else in the world can live out your purpose, but you. Therefore, it is vitally important that you seek God for direction.
If you are like me, you may have wasted valuable time following the wrong directions from inaccurate resources and misguided individuals. You can end the insanity by going in a different direction.
I admonish you to listen to God for directions. Whatever He tells you to do, do it without hesitation. When you do, you are guaranteed to get the right results.
2. Start where you are. Stop waiting for the perfect situations. Stop waiting for the right moment. Stop waiting for the economy and job market to get better. I have learned from experience that you can miss great opportunities waiting for the ideal situations.
If you know what you need to do, start where you are and take the appropriate steps to execute your plan. Don’t worry about trying to get people to support your efforts. Don’t let fear box you into corner. Don’t have an anxiety attack because the task ahead seems impossible.
Begin taking small steps to get you where you need to be. Your small steps may not mean much to others or may even look insignificant to you, but they are the steps you must take to get you moving in the right direction.
3. Stop making excuses. Many people cannot move forward in life because they have bound themselves to a list of excuses. They say things like, “I don’t have enough time, I don’t believe God can use me, I don’t have the appropriate education or experience, I don’t have enough money and the list goes on and on”.
You don’t know what you can accomplish until you do it. It doesn’t matter if it hasn’t been done before, do it anyway. If no one will go with you, go by yourself. If you don’t get encouragement from others, encourage yourself.
When you decide to stop making excuses and move forward, you will begin to accomplish things in your life that you never imagined was possible.
4. Simply be yourself. You cannot afford to exhaust time trying to change others opinion about you. If you are trying to be who you are not end the madness. Relinquish pursuing things that only bring temporary satisfaction because you will only frustrate and burn yourself out.
You are an original! You are not a carbon copy of anyone. God created you with a specific purpose that only you can live. If you are not your authentic self, you and those connected to you will miss out.
No one in the world can beat you, being you. God uniquely designed you with gifts and talents that are specifically fashioned for you to make an impact in the world. How can you express them if you are not yourself?
5. Spring into action. If you have spent more time talking about what you are going to do than doing it, shut your mouth. Don’t exhaust more energy talking about your dreams and desires. Don’t say another word about what you can do until you take action. Better yet, let your actions speak louder than your words.
Please know that when you take action, opposition and obstacles will show up. They will be relentless, unforgiving and ruthless.They want to see you live an unproductive, boring and fruitless vision.
They will come at you daily with discouraging words and pessimistic conversations to flood your mind with negative thoughts to hinder your progress. However, if you have a focused plan, a progressive mindset and determined action, you can succeed.
If you are sick and tired of being sick and tired of where you are in life, then it is time to take the necessary actions to go in another direction. You don’t have to wait for something magical to happen or a special formula to set you free.
Apply these five steps and you will experience a difference in your daily life that others will notice and will even leave you amazed at your progress.
Question: What steps do you need to take to break free from a stagnant routine? Leave a comment.
floyd says
Man. I love your enthusiasm, Bernard! You have a gift, my friend. I’m encouraged and inspired by you. Thanks.
Bernard Haynes says
Thanks, Floyd. You encourage me with your inspiring stories.
TCAvey says
Great post, really like #5.
Life is not easy. Pursing dreams, even the ones God gives, isn’t easy.
Anything worth having is worth fighting for. And we make time for what is important to us.
One thing that helps me stay focus in being grounded in God. He helps give me energy, insight, perspective, and correction when I need it. His Word is a lamp unto my feet. I’m lost without Him.
Bernard Haynes says
TC, thanks for your input. Life is not easy, but God’s Word helps us navigate the rough times. His Word is a lamp unto my feet.
Barb Raveling says
Go, Bernard!! I feel fired up after reading that post to go out and change the world!! Or at least myself! 🙂 I loved your first point. I’m finally learning that writing isn’t like doing math – you can’t just do it and expect the same results every day. Some days you spend the whole day and nothing goes right and other days things just go smooth as silk. It’s the creative process.
I’m learning to keep going back to God on those days when nothing is going right so He can adjust my mind and my attitude. It’s so much nicer to write in peace and joy, even when things are going badly. As always, I’m grateful for your encouraging and motivating posts!
Bernard Haynes says
Thanks Barb. You are doing a wonderful job with your writing. You are blessing a lot of people with your blog and books. Continue to push through even when things are not going well.
Barb Raveling says
Thanks, Bernard. I’m pushing. 🙂 I’m discovering that writing is a lot like being a stay-at-home mom with little kids. you have good days and bad days. So on those bad days, you just need to remember, “A good day is coming!”
Chris Bailey says
Hi Bernard,
I especially love #2. I personal think that too many people carry the past into the present, and instead of living in the moment and starting fresh every day, they get weighed down instead of moving forward.
Great list–keep up the great writing my friend!
Bernard Haynes says
Thanks Chris. You gave a powerful insight, “Don’t carry the past into your present.’
David Rupert says
I like the idea of just being yourself. Too long I’ve used my own lack of skills as an excuse. What this does is limit God and his ability to move and work.
Bernard Haynes says
David, thanks for commenting. I did the same thing for years.
Dan Black says
I’ve had to become more intentional about taking small and daily steps toward my desired future. My life is busy between work and family so try to write or work on a project a little each day. Great thoughts!
Bernard Haynes says
Dan, thanks for your input. That is the way to do it. Taking daily small steps add up to living out your vision.
Bernard Haynes says
Mark, thanks for commenting.