You can do new things.

You can do hard things.

I once heard someone say that it’s impossible to pursue something you ultimately believe will fail.

When we have that mindset we make excuses.

We give into anxiety and procrastination.

We become depressed waayyy before we have a real reason to be due to fear of the future.

We suddenly feel an urge to clean the bathroom or clean out our closet all in the hopes of avoiding the new thing we actually desperately want to try.

We feel an election. A conviction. An urging from the Spirit. And yet we can’t bring ourselves to fully pursue it.

We’ve likely had the vision for a while.

We know that it could greatly bless us and our families.

Deep down, we know that we are able and capable, and yet there is still something that stops us.

Unbelief.  That’s ultimately what it always is.

Unbelief is crippling self doubt that yields the exact opposite kind of fruit we hope to enjoy. It yields fruit, for sure. Just not the kind that we hope to see. Instead of apple, we get oranges. Instead of mangoes, we get grapes. Sour grapes.

So, how do we get out of this cycle of unbelief? I have three simple steps to begin to believe in yourself again, and convince yourself that you are worthy of pursuing the new life you want for yourself. You are worthy of evolving. You can do new things.

Step one. Tell yourself the truth.

For whatever reason it’s much easier to believe lies about ourselves. We ruminate on negative things others have told us about ourselves. I want you to write out all the things that are true about you and your skillset.

You get good grades. You are intelligent. You are driven. You understand this new thing. You have something that the world needs. You have something valuable to offer. List out what that valuable thing is. You have a valuable perspective. List out what that valuable perspective is. Your voice is worthy of being shared. In fact we need to hear it.

The more you tell yourself the truth about yourself and your circumstance, the more you realize just how irrational the lies and excuses truly are. Your courage to pursue this new thing is actually rooted in reality. It’s the lies that are pure fantasy. Those things have never been true about you. So we’ll start by telling ourselves the truth.

Step two.  Be a person of integrity.

Be impeccable with your word. That’s one of the four agreements. Build a small circle of people of integrity. These people will check in with you weekly and hold you accountable. They will be on this journey with you because they are starting new things.

Do not invite your pessimistic friend into this journey with you. They, unfortunately, are one of the people that have sown lies into your mind about yourself. We’ll let them experience the fruit of your labor, but we won’t invite them along this journey.

Do not invite your friend that is afraid of change. Unfortunately, they are also hindrances to your growth and progress.

Lastly, do not invite your friend that’s a bit too familiar with you. Maybe they are a sister or a cousin. This is typically someone who believes they know you really well and won’t give you room to evolve and change. Just like the two mentioned before, they are great hindrances to your progress. These people cannot be a part of your circle of integrity.

The circle of integrity are friends who are also pursuing new things, evolving, and courageously stepping toward the life they want and need. They are getting rid of self-sabotaging behaviors just as you are. Invite them on this journey. They are the ones who are worthy of this ride.

Step 3. Believe.

I don’t need you to believe in yourself. Believe in your Creator. Believe that you are God’s handiwork and God has work prepared for you to do in advance in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:10). Often times our unbelief is a reflection of our lack of trust in the One who created us. If you are being called to a new thing, it is because you were created with the capacity to achieve the new thing from the beginning.

It is not hard. It is new.

It is not impossible. It does requires some learning.

It is not scary. It is only unfamiliar.

With all of that in mind, you are still incredibly capable. Identify the limiting beliefs, and believe anyhow. Speak life into yourself. Speak these words.

“I believe that I am capable of this new thing. In fact, I believe that it will be a great success. I believe that it will change the trajectory of my life. I believe that it will impact many. I believe that it will bring glory and honor to God. I believe that what I have is valuable and worth pursuing.

I believe I can do new things even if they seem hard.”

And you will friend. You will.

Until next time.

Go for GOALD. Remember, you’re built for it!

Love,

Mela.