I was listening to some music tonight and the song “voice of truth” came on. I thought to myself, I hope we’re all focusing and listening to the right things. As the year begins to speed by, let’s listen for the voice of truth. Listen for the voice that says you can make it; the voice that says you can do all things; that says now there is therefore no condemnation. Let us continue to seek out and listen to the voice that says we’re a chosen generation when other voices say we’re nothing.

We all have childhood dreams and hopes that grew or did not grow with us into adulthood. They are deep within our hearts and they’re confirmed or denied by our daily experiences. For some it is to build a world class business, while for another it is to be a parent. Someone wants to be married, while another wants an opportunity to go to school. No matter how small or big, my hope today is that you will be encouraged to continue to believe, because your dreams will come to pass.

I’ll give us a few guiding lights for the year below:
1.     Never ever give up. Quitting is something we shouldn’t do. Take a holiday if you have to, rest from the noise if it’s important but pick it up again and run with your vision.

2.     Do not trust everyone with your dream. Not everyone can handle the craziness of your thoughts and ideas. I was sharing something the other day with someone I respect and look up to. My dreams “frightened” her so much she tried to talk me out of it. I was disappointed and of course a little discouraged. Not just because of what was said or done but because of who said it. Remember, people will not always try to stop you or talk you out of it because of hate. Ironically sometimes it is because they love you and they don’t want to see you get hurt. Many will doubt your capacity to deliver and if they already have broken dreams themselves, they unconsciously transfer the fear of failure to you by their words and actions. Don’t buy it.

3.     Find your support system. A mentor, an organisation, family, whatever! Just make sure there is something/someone that refuels you whenever your faith gauge in low. Ensure that your support system is one that truly understands your dreams and isn’t intimidated by it. Trust me, the strongest among us also have moments of extreme weakness and insecurity. We all can make use of some encouragement from time to time. There are tons of resources and interest groups online if you don’t know anyone in person.

4.     Put action to your faith. Study, make new friends with similar interests, improve yourself. By all means don’t stop working on what you believe. Favour happens when opportunity means preparation. Many of the people we consider lucky are only product of hard work. The media had fooled us for so long. They paint this fiery tale of celebrities and wealthy people without telling us what they do when the lights are out and the cameras stops rolling. At the peak of their careers, Michael Phelps swims 50 miles per week and Roger Federer trains 7 hours seven days of the week. Over night successes are people who all through the years have labored in the field of their passion. You must use your days of obscurity as opportunity for growth and sharpening of your skills.

May this year be kind to us all!