Start Where You Are

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Start Where You Are

You have had a dream burning inside of you for a long time. A business you want to start. A book you want to write. A change in your career.  Ending a relationship that no longer fulfills. Traveling the world. Yet the dream lies dormant. When you think about it, there is a sense of disappointment and even frustration because it has lingered for so long, and nothing seems to be putting you any closer to seeing it manifested in your life. Inside, you wonder, what’s the use of dreaming when nothing ever comes to pass?

Beloved, all is not lost. That dream you have is still there because it waits to be fulfilled. More than you want to see the fruition of that desire, feel the tangible results of your hard work, the dream in you pushes you along, wanting, needing to reach the masses. You see, dream fulfillment isn’t just about you or I. There are countless others who benefit when your dream becomes a reality. Even if it is only to give someone else hope to dream or an additional push to keep going to make their own dreams come true. Your dream fulfilled has the power to change lives.

Trouble is, the reason you have not gotten where you want to be yet is due to a level of inactivity. In your mind you have erected seemingly insurmountable walls. As you look around your life you see the obstacles that are in the way of you doing what you want to do. You are working so much and have very little time. You are a single parent with too much responsibility and pressure to add one more thing to your already full plate. You are too young, too old, too thin, too fat, too short, too tall. You’re married, divorced, single. You don’t have enough money. What’s interesting, Beloved, is all of those can be blockers to dream fulfillment only if you let it. There is always something you can be doing, right now, to push you farther along the path.

It’s important to know that manifesting dreams doesn’t just happen. It takes work. Sometimes lots of it.  It takes determination, drive, and a willingness to chart a course. It also takes a level of honesty and authenticity. Authentic living is honest living. It is being willing to sit down in front of the mirror and take a real assessment of who you are, where you are, what you need, what you need to work on in order to get yourself where you want to go.

Never allow yourself to feel as if there is nothing that you can’t do. Right now, in this moment, no matter how dreary things may seem, there is something you can do about getting closer to your dreams. Right now, I encourage you to do the following things:

1.     Make a list of everything you want to accomplish. It doesn’t matter how miniscule or grand your list is. The point is to see it written down. A dream is just a dream until you write it down. Then it becomes a goal. Something measurable, obtainable. Feel free to be as practical and grandiose as you want. You can even write down the things that seem impossible. Once it is written, it becomes easier to locate yourself.

2.     Locate yourself. Now that you have your dreams written down, it is easier to see where you are in relation to what is on your list. As you look at the list, what is the item on there that burns the brightest inside of you? That is the one to focus on first. Write down what you feel are all the obstacles that are standing in the way of you doing that thing.

3.     Get your confession straight. Even though what stands before you may seem impossible to accomplish, Beloved, let me remind you that any journey starts with putting one foot in front of the other. Once you get started, it’s no time at all before you are making big strides and covering significant distance. One of the ways to do this is to take every item on the list that seems like an obstacle and turn it into a positive confession. Example, if you feel that you have no support, your confession becomes “I have all the support I need. The entire universe supports me. I am successful.” Our tongues are like a rudder, a tiny instrument that holds the power to take a large ship in any direction. The rudder of our lives is our tongue. It can lead you into the life you’ve always wanted or away from the life you’ve always wanted. It’s up to you. Choose to make your words line up with what you desire, not what you don’t desire.

4.     Write the vision. Once you have decided where you want to go and what you want to do, make yourself an actual goal list. Build your confession around that list. You’ll want to place it where it will be visible to you, so that you can see it, think on it, and remind yourself daily what you are working towards. Writing the vision becomes an absolutely necessary part of the process because there will be times while you are on the journey when you may feel frustrated, discouraged, angry, and like throwing in the towel. These are the times you will need to reinforce your faith.

5.     Do the work. It’s important to know that the path from A to B is a winding one. While you are working on the physical steps to manifesting your dreams, you will simultaneously be working on the internal blockers that will interfere with what you’re trying to do. There are mindsets and old patterns and behaviors that have to be destroyed and rebuilt in order to equip you to stay in the new place you are going. You can’t take old mindsets and dysfunctional behaviors with you and think that you will be successful once you reach the place of destiny fulfillment. The old stuff will cause it all to fall at your feet. In order to prevent that, be willing to do the work.

6.     Start where you are. Beloved, there are no perfect set of circumstances. Many times people are sitting around waiting on one thing or another to ‘right’ itself before they get started. This is a waste of precious time. There is always something that can be done right now, in whatever circumstances you find yourself. Don’t despise your day of small beginnings. If all you have is five dollars to invest in your dream, invest the five and be glad that you were able to start. If you keep adding to it, before too long you’ll see a sizeable nest egg waiting for you. If you only have a few minutes, give what you can. Do some research. Clean out your space. Write the program. Learn the business. Take a class. The point is, there is always something you can be doing right now that is in line with getting you to manifest your dreams.

7.     Know that you are worth it. Life is for the living. Your life is a gift. It is a gift on borrowed time though, so don’t waste it. Each day look in the mirror and remind yourself that you are worth the effort it will take to make your dreams come true.

Be encouraged, Beloved, nothing worthwhile that we see was manifested in a day. It takes time. The time and journey are for your benefit to prepare you for where you are going. Take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves to you. As you begin to work the process, the people around you will change as you attract more likeminded individuals. You’re on your way. Keep going. It’s going to be great!

Changing lives one word at a time...Tumika Patrice Cain

Originally published in Fresh Lifestyle Magazine, March 2017

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Tumika Patrice Cain is an award-winning author, media personality, and motivational speaker. Through her imprint, Inkscriptions Publishing & Media Group, she provides high quality, affordable, mentor-based publishing services to indie authors, as well as inspired, empowering messages of hope and abundance through her media outlets. Her works can be found in many publications, including Fresh Lifestyle Magazine. To learn more about Tumika, her books, and her services visit the following websites. http://www.TumikaPatrice.com and http://www.InkscriptionsPMG.com