Do it afraid
A little over a year ago I had an incredible experience of hearing God guiding me to move from New Jersey to California. I was unemployed and was in a tight spot for my finances. I thought this was incredibly insane. Lol I keep it real. I was living with my parents and moving across the country without any friends or family to rely on over there was SCARY!
I am a planner by profession and I like to be able to have a bit of control of some outcomes. I wanted to plan as much as possible, but I was required to leave my plans and trust God. The reality is we cannot control everything in our lives. There are so many outside forces that impact our plans. Trying to control everything is not a good thing, this I know. God has been stretching me in that area! I had to move to California without a job, a place to live, or a concrete plan.
Some people tried to talk me out of it, some wanted me to plan more, and others were supportive. There were VERY few people that knew about me moving across the country; including family members! This was not necessarily personal, but something God had instructed me to do. I am grateful I didn’t tell a lot of people, because some people’s lack of faith would have filled my head with more doubt. I had faith in God that if he was making me do this ove that he had to provide. I was afraid, but I did it anyway. I didn’t want to be disobedient, but if you take the “faith aspect” away… I didn't want to be in my 60’s thinking back “man I wish I would have moved. I wish I would have taken the chance even if it didn’t work out.” I didn’t want to live in regret.
Whether you believe in God, are new to faith, or don’t believe at all there is one thing we all have in common. Life will present us with opportunities that will raise some fear within us. New business ventures, a relationship, family, moving, starting anything new, etc. Will you live in fear and never see what you are made of? These last 7 months have shown me different facets of what is within me. There are versions of me that I have not seen in years because I was letting the negative controlling voice in my head hold me back. This year I was tired of hearing that voice. She needed to SHUT UP!
I was constantly faced with things I was afraid of. Not having a concrete place to live for a couple months, my mother getting co-vid, and way more things that I will share at a later time. Although, there were bad things that I faced that brought up fear, there were also positive things. This year I moved to my dream state. I had a business idea I wanted to create for a long time. My business partner and I got together and launched a planner. I was really afraid of doing it because what if it wasn’t successful? Then, my friend asked me to lead her Bible study group! Holy Moly….what!? I was afraid that-I didn’t know enough about the Bible to lead? Would people want to listen to me-what would I say? What would people think of me? What if I stutter the whole time? Hello, Moses complex. It ended up being great-not my words but those who attended.
You know what all those things have in common? The “what ifs” and that they are attached to fear. The what ifs do not always happen, but even IF they do it is better to have taken a chance than letting every negative thought run your life. Who runs the show in your brain?! You can miss out on many blessings, people, and experiences if you stay in your comfort zone.
It is not easy pushing past them, but you have to start with some steps in that direction.
Now you may say "Stephanie HOW do I do that?!"
Here are some things to help you in that process:
-Have wise counsel and support systems around you. The people around you can speak life or death into you.
-Keep your sharing to a minimum. Have a mentor, therapist, or trusted friends or family members that share your beliefs & moral standards. Not everyone will be happy for you leveling up. Be mindful of how people react with your “happy news.” This includes anyone. Everyone goes through stuff or have their own so they cannot always share in your joy when you need it. Do not retreat into your shell, I am just telling you this so you prepare mentally on what you can face and that you still NEED to move forward. Whether they are supportive or not.
-Write out what you are afraid of and what possible things can happen from said decision. Look at it from an outside perspective as if it were your friend doing it.
-Find the root of why you are afraid. Does it connect to an old event? Does it connect to the value of what people may think of you? Fear of failure?
-Relying on God for guidance. Reading the Bible, praying, and fasting.Do not go ahead of his timing and rush. its tempting to be impulsive, but let him be your guide.
-It is the right time or if you are letting fear holding you back
-Is this decision going to harm you or others? Re-evaluate
-Combat the negative thoughts with more positive ones. Someone said to me “don’t talk to my friend like that” and that really changed my perspective. Would you let someone talk to you that way or someone you really love? Probably not. SOOOOOO let’s work on that. I say lets, because I am still growing too :)
-Stop thinking you have to arrive at a level of knowledge or experience to start everything or to be able to make an impact. When you were in 3rd grade you impacted people, so you can impact people at the level you are at!
Alright friends last but not least… TAKE THAT PLUNGE.
You can settle at any level you want. Live this life. You only get one of them.
Let’s crush that fear!! We’ve got this!
The Inner Glow Up
-Stephanie
G E T I N T O U C H The Inner Glow Up IG: theinnerglowup Email: theinnerglowup@gmail.com