Choose to Press On 🎯

Your life has barely started, don't limit the endless opportunities available to you and through you.

Sep 23, 2023

💌 Today’s newsletter is a little different, it’s a pick me up for anyone who has been really down lately, let’s call this a heart to heart conversation. I hope this meets you where you are. 🤍

Confronting Fear of the Future

As we navigate various phases in life, often times when we’re about to step into a new chapter we start of with high hopes, expectations and so on. It could be a new job, business idea or even further education. We have huge dreams and limitless aspirations. We proceed to take steps towards what we envision but sometimes life doesn't go as planned. It could be a rejection, failure, receiving unexpected responses etc. Then these cirumstances taint our vision and our landscapes don’t seem as clear anymore. We may start to feel incapable, tired, frustrated and even heartbroken as we’ve invested so much time, effort and sacrifice yet our expectations are unmet. So what next?

In moments like this it’s important we give ourselves time to process what has happened. I don’t believe in sweeping everything under the carpet and trying to move on as though nothing has happened. It’s important we are honest with ourselves on where we are on our journeys. Cry for as long as you need to, speak to family and friends. Don’t be afraid to ask God the hard questions like why? Why did you allow this happen? I believe it’s in moments like this that we allow ourselves draw closer to God. But even in the midst of the tears and conversations, please remember that it’s not over. Don’t limit how far you can and will go, due to your present circumstances, it’s not fair on yourself. If you’re searching for a sign to persevere this is it.

Reframing

Trying again can be daunting especially when we think of how much time, energy and sacrifice we put in. I know the rejection may have hurt, the setback may have hit so hard that it feels like you are a thousand steps behind, but can we choose to reframe? This is certainly not to discount what is happening in the present moment, but more so, remembering we can choose to view situations from another angle. How about viewing the setback as a set-up? A chance for recaliberation, restrategising, and acknowledging the capacity we have built for our efforts. I love the verse Proverbs 4:18

‘The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining brighter and brighter until the perfect day’

It reminds me that no matter how dark situations in life may seem, our paths will only shine brighter and brighter. Something may happen and we may feel as though we are in a pit. But it’s important we reconcile our perspective with God’s word, this is how we gain understanding in situations we find ourselves in. We exchange our thoughts and feelings for God’s truth. So when our minds are screaming there is nothing to look forward to, this is the end, we choose to retort declaring that all things are working together for our good. We remind ourselves that God has a plan for us, He has plans to give us hope and a future. So no matter how hard a situation may be, God is still faithful. In down moments, I look at God’s trackrecord in my life. From how He gave me opportunities only He could attest to, to how He’s lifted me from my lowest of lows, and has continually made a way for me where there seems to be no way. Recounting these testimonies to myself which have spanned across different points in time in my life, remind me of God’s character- He is unchanging. The same God yesterday and today. So no matter what I face, I remember that God who has started a good work in my life, will be faithful to complete it.

I love these quotes SO much! There are truly things that are unexplainable. They’re excerpts from the book ‘Divine Disruption’, I’ve linked it at the end of the post. It’s such a beautiful read on navigating hard times such as grief and disappointment.

To you who has been questioning your future, I’m here to remind you that your future is indeed bright. No matter what you have been through, no circumstance is too hard for God to create a turn-around.

Working through Disappointment

What then happens when you understand that you have such a bright life ahead of you but you’re still hurt from previous experiences? In moments like this, I choose to forge on. Our feelings are fleeting, they will pass too. I trust God that over time, I will heal and become stronger in those areas that hurt. But even as I work through the discomfort, I choose to not put a hold on my future because of yesterday’s pain. We don’t want to be so stuck in our past that we fail to see the new beginnings and life standing right in front of us. We are full of life, stories change daily and we determine the narrative we want our lives to tell. Do we want to be people who chose to continue in spite of the disappointment? Or do we want to stay stuck? I’ve chosen the latter and I hope you do too. As I type this, I remember the Israelites in the Bible as God was leading them to the promised land. A possible 11 day journey turned to one of 40 years as they kept on complaining on the present yet God was leading them to their place of eventual rest. When I think on this story I remind myself that rest truly is promised. So much is happening behind the scenes that you’re unaware of. Remember, you cannot be in a battle forever, all battles come to an end.

Sometimes we go through things for those coming behind us. Excerpt from ‘Divine Disruption’.

‘ What if people didn’t feel so trapped by their fear of rejection? If a person who fears rejection were suddenly unafraid of it, what might she be capable of? ‘

Jia Jiang

The Power of the Mind

It’s also important to speak on the importance of renewed mindsets when we are navigating hard times. Proverbs 23:7 says ‘as a man thinketh so is he’. It goes to show that our thoughts determine who we become. If we spend our time mentally rehearsing failing for example, our actions will begin to line up with that outcome and lead to those results. I’ve found that the most effective way for me to improve on my mindset is through reading the Bible and countering all lies with what the Bible says. It’s certainly not an overnight process, but as I mentioned in my last newsletter, slow and steady wins the race. I’m currently reading Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer and she speaks on the power of little by little. By this she means, remembering that mental transformation is a process. There’ll be days where you feel like you’ve made so much progress and other days where it feels like you’re back to square one. The important thing is that you keep going daily.

I know as the year is slowly coming to and end, (emphasis on slowly) and you may be reflecting on how it’s been for you. You may actually be quiet disappointed with how it’s panned out so far. Perhaps you got passed for promotion, your business idea didn’t materialise as you thought or you’re navigating a failed relationship. It’s okay. It’s okay to not have had the most perfect year. But I’ll like to remind you though, it’s not over yet. I’m not saying eveything will change immediately, but as long as you are here, you can experience a turnaround.

Continuing through it All

This turnaround could look like revisiting that business plan you had set aside for months. It could be setting healthier and higher standards for your relationships and booking that coaching call for re-strategising your career. It could be painful too, you may need to tend to wounds you thought you had healed from but in reality you are still bleeding. Only you truly know what this turnaround looks like for you, but a turnaround is a choice to begin again. It’s flipping a page in a book and choosing to keep reading it without knowing how it will end but reading intently trusting that the end will be good for you.

No situation is a lost case, turns overs are still possible.

So even as we wrap up this newsletter, here are some journalling prompts to ask yourself if you’re currently navigating unmet expectations.

Prompts 🦋

Why does this setback hurt so much?
What were your expectations rooted in?
How can you take steps to move forward from this?

I hope this met you were you are, here are some reminders to hold unto as we wrap up:

Your life has barely started, don’t limit the endless opportunities available to you and through you.
Don’t allow yesterday’s pain cause you to put your future on hold. There’s a new beginning standing right in front of you.
All things are working together for your good, you’ll see it soon enough. Reality is only waiting to catch up with what is already set in stone.
Choose to press on, your future is guranteed.