Lunch With A Friend Exposes How Fear Cripples Us

By Tanya Wilson

Have you ever run into someone from your past and found they were still in the same place in their lives that you left them years ago? That happened to me recently while visiting my home state. While settling into a neighborhood coffee shop, I happened to look up and coming through the door was a blast from my past.

I was very happy to see my friend and they looked great. We quickly settled in at the table and started talking the afternoon away. There was so much to catch up on I didn’t realize it had been so many years since we had seen each other. The sad thing is that about an hour into the conversation, I realized that the same dreams that they shared with me over 20 years ago, were the same dreams they were sharing in that moment. The unfortunate thing was, the dream had not moved into action.

My friend is incredibly talented and the vision that they shared with me in the coffee shop was just as amazing as it was the first time I heard it. I couldn’t help asking; why things had not taken shape with so much time having passed. The response was pretty common and ones that we all have to beware of in order to not fall in the trap of procrastination and just plain being stuck.

The fear of failure, the concern around what other people might think, laziness and negative self talk are some of the common things that can stop us in our tracks.

Our visions come with provision, we must embrace that. Nothing will ever get accomplished just talking about what we want to do, if it is not inclusive of an actionable plan. We must be intentional in reaching the goals that we have for our dreams, we must seek out like minded individuals that we can trust to serve in valuable capacities to include accountability. But even in setting all of those things in motion, we must take a step!

I love the parable found in Luke 14:15-24! A great banquet had been prepared, many were invited, but none were in attendance because of all the things they found more important. When I think of that story and I insert things I’ve seen take place today; I think about meetings and luncheons where people are invited, networking could happen, dreams could be moved along; yet, everything else going on becomes more important and we miss out.

Think about your own life! Is there something on the cutting room floor that has yet to be moved forward? Remember, everything that you need, you already have. When we hold ourselves accountable and we encourage ourselves, the sky is the limit as we walk into our greatness.

Tanya is an inspirational speaker and writer living in Charlotte. You can friend her on Facebook or email her at tw360you@aol.com. Read more by Tanya Wilson:

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