NOW EVEN THOUGH WE KNOW THAT LIFE IS NOT EASY AND REALITY TELLS US THAT THERE WILL BE HARDSHIPS AND STRUGGLES AS WE BEGIN MOVE FROM OUR VISION TO REALITY- ARE YOU READY TO WRITE IT DOWN IN A VISION STATEMENT AND COMMIT TO IT.
HOW DID THAT FEEL? MAKE YOU A LITTLE NERVOUS. HOW MANY OF YOU WHEN YOU TALKED TO YOUR NEIGHBOR USED “A BUT” OR “AN EXCUSE” AFTER YOU SAID IT. WHO’S IN CHARGE WHEN THIS HAPPENS? WHEN YOU HAVE A DREAM A VISION AND YOU WANT TO OBTAIN THE REALITY. LIFE STEPS IN AND TRIES TO TAKE CONTROL. MAYBE THAT ALREADY HAPPENED WHICH IS WHY YOU ARE HERE TODAY. OFTEN THE LIFE I REFER TO IS FRAUGHT WITH ISSUES AND STRESSES THAT CAUSE US TO DERAIL OUR DREAMS AND KEEP US FROM OUR REALITY.
SO LETS TALK ABOUT WHAT IS UNCOMFORTABLE? LETS TALK ABOUT ISSUES. DRAW ON THE FLIPCHART THE IMAGE OF THE DREAM REALITY. THIS DOESN’T LOOK TO BAD… POINT TO THE DREAM AND I JUST HAVE TO GET TO THE REALITY. PIECE OF CAKE? NOW YOU KNOW THAT THE DREAM TO REALITY WILL TAKE ACTION AND PLANNING, BUT IT WILL ALSO TAKE A CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO RID ONESELF OF ALL OF THE STUFF THAT GETS IN OUR WAY…. WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DEAL WITH, DISCARD AND CHANGE THE STUFF THAT LIVES HERE (IN THE MIDDLE) REMEMBER THE CLOSER YOU MOVE TO YOUR REALITY THE BUSIER THE DEVIL BECOMES. AS DR. SUZANNE JOHNSON COOK SAYS, “WHEN GOD GETS TO BLESSING THE DEVIL GETS TO MESSING” REWIRTE YOUR VISION AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE AND THEN TAKE A FEW MOMENTS AND WRITE DOWN YOUR ISSUES THAT YOU KNOW OR THINK WILL KEEP YOU FROM YOUR VISION STAGE TO YOUR REALITY. YOU WILL NOTICE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PAPER IS SOLUTIONS. THEY WILL BECOME YOUR ACTION STATEMENTS OR GOALS THIS IS TO KEEP YOU FOCUSED. ONCE YOU ARE ABLE TO COME UP WITH A SOLUTION YOU CAN BEGIN WORKING ON A PLAN OF ACTION A WAY TO TURN YOUR NEGATIVE (ISSUES) INTO A POSITIVE (SOLUTION) WHICH WILL BRING YOU CLOSER TO YOUR REALITY.
ONCE YOU HAVE IDENTIFIED YOUR VISION, LISTED YOUR GIFTS; ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR ISSUES AND COMMITMENT TO SOLUTIONS, YOU ARE READY FOR THE ROADMAP… THIS IS GOING TO HELP YOU GET TO WHERE YOU WANT TO BE, WITH PRAYER, FAITH AND TRUST IN GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. YOU HAVE CREATED A SERIES OF ISSUES AND COMMITMENT STATEMENTS, NOW YOU HAVE A TOOL THAT WILL HELP YOU MAP OUT HOW YOU WILL ATTAIN THAT COMMITMENT STATEMENT THAT GOAL. MAKE SURE YOUR STEPS ARE REALISTIC, SIMPLE, TIMELY, MEASURABLE, AND ATTAINABLE. LETS TAKE A MOMENT AND TRY ONE TOGETHER. DOES ANYONE WANT TO GIVE ME A COMMITMENT STATEMENT?