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Have you withheld living your vision because you are waiting for someone to give you permission to pursue it? What can you do right now to move from where you are to where you desire to go?
I must admit, I forfeited years of living my vision because I was waiting for someone to give me permission. I wanted the right person to agree with me and consign on my vision. I delayed my vision because I was putting it in the hands of others.
No matter how much I believe my vision would bless other, I continually made the excuse I can’t go forward because I needed another person’s approval. It was a never-ending quest to find the right person’s stamp of approval.
After years of failure to find the right person, I finally realized that this person did not exist. I wasted time trying to get permission for someone to approve me. I finally stopped making excuses and gave myself permission to pursue my vision. I stopped giving into fear and started taking action o living out my vision.
The idea of taking a risk and stepping out in faith was paralyzing. It was easy to quote scriptures like, “I walk by faith and not by sight’, but my obstacles and opposition were still present. I sought wise counsel from scriptures; others and I read the success stories of great men like George Washington Carver, King David and Martin Luther King, Jr.
The one common denominator that permeated my mind was that these men gave themselves permission to live their vision.
They didn’t wait for everyone’s support or approval. They didn’t surrender to the defeated and discouraging voices around them. They didn’t give into the negative inner thoughts that attacked their minds. They focused their mind and centered their actions on what needed to be done.
I began to shift from asking permission from others to making choices that were right for me. It led to a total turnaround in my life. I began to see my vision more clearly because I removed the thoughts of getting someone’s approval from my view. I’ve not completely overcome this problem, I still find myself seeking the approval of others or spending too much time worrying about what others think of me.
Are you waiting for someone to tell you it’s okay to write your book, leave a dead end job, begin a family or give you permission to start that business you have been dreaming about? I’m here to tell you, you’ll be waiting for a long time to get others approval. Most people are not concerned with your situations because they are dealing with their own situations.
Stop reading and declare, ‘I give myself permission to pursue my vision’. You are not promised to live the next minute or the rest of today – let alone tomorrow, so you might as well live your vision.
Don’t disqualify or downplay your vision. We have the tendency to do this when we are worried it won’t work out. We can become overwhelmed with fear because we are afraid of failing in front of others. We may feel inadequate because we feel as if we don’t know what we are doing.
We all have encountered these feelings from time to time, including people who we regard as being very successful. But when you downplay your vision, you do yourself and those connected to you a disservice.
Creating a meaningful life and pursuing your vision takes time and effort. But you’re worth the effort. Now is the time to give yourself permission to move towards your unique vision.
Listed below are four truths you need to give yourself permission to pursue your vision. You may be surprised by how much you can do once you really get going.
You can only be you.
If you are trying to be who someone else wants you to be, give up the madness. You were created to be your unique self. If people laugh at you for living your uniqueness, laugh back at them for being like everyone else.
Judy Garland once said, “Always be a first-rate version of yourself instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.” Let this statement marinate in your heart and mind. Really think about the significance of why you were designed.
He did not create you to be an imitator, but an originator. You were not created to walk in someone else’s shoes. The only shoes you can occupy are your own. Don’t worry about measuring up to someone else, if you are then you are not truly living, you are merely existing and wasting time.
Your vision is worth it.
Living your vision is a courageous journey. You cannot become who you desire to be by continuing to wait for others permission. If you are passionate about something, pursue it, no matter what anyone else thinks.
Turn a deaf ear when people tell you that you can’t fulfill your vision. The only place where your vision and goals are impossible is inside your head. Once you’ve envisioned it, you’re halfway there. Now it is time to move forward and follow through.
Allow your dreams to be bigger than your fears and your actions louder than your words. Follow your vision regardless of what others say or don’t say. At the end of the day it’s you who has to live with your decisions, not anyone else.
Knowledge without action is dead.
The number one damaging thing I constantly see holding men back is their own apprehension to take action with the knowledge they already have. They believe they need additional knowledge, skills, experience and training before they can take advantage of their vision.
They falsely believe that more knowledge gives them permission to pursue their vision. Acquiring knowledge is great, but without action it is a dead proposition. What good is it to know how to implement your vision, but never do? You’ve got to take baby steps. You’ve got to act on what you know. You’ve got to give yourself permission.
Because you acquire more knowledge doesn’t mean you’re growing; growth happens when you implement what you know and your life begins to change in the right direction.
Choose to live your best.
You miss 100% of the shots you never take. You miss living a great life waiting for the right people to choose you. You forfeit personal and family growth if you choose to live in a comfort zone.
You must make a choice to live your life by faith or your life will never change. Fight through the fear, worry and unfamiliar and enjoy your journey. You cannot change what happened yesterday. You only have control over today so you might as well choose to live your best.
Experience what life has to offer. Try out that new restaurant. Travel to a different place. Change the color schemes in your home. Link up with some new people. New experiences help you grow and they make life interesting. Make an effort to try new things and break free of stale routines.
Don’t let the thought of trying something new hold you hostage. Give yourself permission to experience new and exciting things. You only have one life and you might as well choose to live your best.
You don’t have to wait for someone to pick you. Pick yourself. Your family, friends and others connected to you are waiting for you to give yourself permission to live your vision. You have inside of you the potential to be a trail-blazer, a trendsetter and a real difference-maker. The only thing that is stopping you is you. Declare out loud to the world that today you give yourself permission to pursue your vision.
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
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