How do you feel when a strange, crazy and outstanding idea pops into your head? Elated right? Yeah! I know that feeling but the funny thing or rather the confusing part of ideas is differentiating which one comes from God and aligns with your purpose. It is one thing to be alive and another to live out the purpose God has for you. I’ll take you through very important steps you need to follow to live out your purpose and fulfill your dreams. It is high time you get intentional and start working towards them because Jesus is coming soon and you don’t want to be the ungrateful servant who did not invest or make use of his/her talent.

• Do not deny your dreams. Denial of one’s dreams come in two ways: ‘allowing fear to destabilize or control the dream’ and ‘making a huge mockery of the dream by running away from it’. In the parable of the talents, the servant given one talent did not invest and wield it for the master because of fear. He was afraid of the master’s ‘partly strict personality’ forgetting that if he had made an effort no matter how insignificant, the master will equally reward him. He didn’t have a close relationship with the master. Inasmuch as he was just an ordinary servant and under normal circumstances shouldn’t come close to the master, he should have studied him properly to see beyond what others (outsiders) think of him. He was his boss for God’s sake! Now, here’s my point. The other servants given more talents invested it because they really took time to study their master and knew there would be a reward waiting for them no matter how strict he seemed. Sometimes, we think we do God a favour by denying our dreams or running away from them because they are too weighty No! when you do this, you lose your peace because you know what? No man on this earth lives without a passion. Your passion and dreams are your driving force and gives you the strength to continue with life even if the storms of life are against you.
• Don’t allow anybody to get in your way: Even your parents, not to say that they don’t love and want the very best for you but sometimes God stirs up something on the inside that only you can understand. People try to dim other people’s light because they do not see what you are seeing. When God gives you a dream or idea, he expands it in your imagination and gives you an in-depth understanding of the future of that dream. At that point, you no longer see the way man sees but the way God sees and trust me, in most cases, only you can understand it no matter how crazy it looks or sounds. Do not entertain negativity and side talks. The Lord will surely give you the strength to work on that dream by his grace.

‘Even your parents and loved ones, not to say that they don’t love and want the very best for you but sometimes, God stirs up something on the inside that only you can understand. Be careful who you share your dreams with’

                                                                                                                            Sarah Jakes Roberts

• Get motivated by following achievers: This is so true because no matter the immediate excitement that comes with gradual and continuous revelation of your purpose by God, there will be times you’ll feel less motivated and frustrated because you have a lot you want to do in your head but you don’t know where and how to start. The dream God gave you has people that have been through it, in it and working towards your similar dream. Find them and listen to them. Social media has made everything so easy and it all boils down to who you follow on social media. Do they inspire and add value to your life or do they drain you?
• Take actions: Of course, you have to step up. The actions are quite easy. Write down those Dreams-Research on your Dreams-Focus, intensify and persevere. I think these steps are self-explanatory. Writing down your dreams is so important. It strengthens your focus and enables you to set aside the fantasies you have in your head and work towards the realistic ones. Research? Yes! I call this ‘the feasibility study’. God understands this principle. That was why he told Joshua to send some men to spy on Jericho so they’ll know what to expect. On another occasion, he instructed Moses to send some men to the promised land to prove it really exists. Your dream has a promised land. Research and get a glimpse of it.
• Say no to alternatives: Giving room to alternatives will make you lose focus and divide your attention. Don’t go halfway in. Go all in and give it your all.
• Set a deadline: You should have a book where you write your goals either short or long-term goals with an attached deadline. This will give you precision and eliminate procrastination. Trust me, it works. I must add, that self-discipline is needed to stick to a personal deadline but I strongly believe that passion is consuming. The more you delay, the more you get burnt. So, set a deadline. Take note not to mount pressure on yourself at the same time.

‘Passion is consuming. The more you delay working towards it, the more you get burnt. Set a deadline’

• Make adjustments where necessary: By this, I’m referring to your life. You have friends that don’t motivate you? Cut them off. You spend most of your time on irrelevant things? Readjust and discipline yourself. You allow people’s opinion to dictate your actions and feelings? Renew your mind with God’s word. It’s time to get serious!
• Believe it’s achievable: Your beliefs and convictions affect your output. If you believe you can’t make it, you won’t make it and if you believe you can make it, you will make it. It is that simple. It is the law of attraction and no one escapes it.
• Be mindful of who you share your dreams with: Well, I understand your passion or dreams can be very exciting to share but not everybody is a keeper of that dream. Let’s look at it this way; if Joseph had not shared that dream with his brothers, he would not have been sold into Egypt. The only keeper of that dream was Jacob because he had an in-depth understanding of it. It might shock you to know that in some cases, your parents and loved ones might not be keepers of your dream and in turn discourage you. Share those dreams if you need guidance to who you are led to. The manifestation of the dream will speak for itself.

I hope this post helps you to take and make the right decisions. Follow God and eschew evil. I’ll love to know your thoughts in the comment section.

Shalom.