Tag Archives: 4 Pillars

Awaken That Sleeper Inside You

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What do you think about change?  When that word comes up, what is the first feeling you get?  Is it a feeling of anxiety, curiosity, or even excitement?  Everyone tends to respond to change in any number of different ways.  Some change is good and some bad.  Either way, there is a purpose and reason behind it and it is up to you on how you choose to respond to that change.  I’ve been through a number of changes in life.  This relates to job, schooling, growing family, living location, and more.  Each time a change comes, I’ve had to respond in some way to be able adapt to those changes

Now, what I really want to focus on is a change within yourself, your self conscience, and the real focus of your own life.  Have you ever had the urge to make change happen in your life and you just don’t know how to do it?  You could be sitting back waiting for opportunity, or simply afraid of make the change happen and deal with the results that may come.  This again could relate to your work situation, where you live, how you live, how you worship, or how you relate to your family.  Simply stated, change can cover anything.

Often time that urge to change is a result of circumstances or simply could be a new calling and path that God wants to move you toward.  You feel it calling inside you and you know if have to make a conscience choice of how to respond.  Your response to this could call could make a world of difference in your life.  The ultimate decision, however lies in you to make.

What can happen if you ignore this call?  I’m not a psychic, so I can’t say for sure.  What I do know is that failure to act on something can bring about results that may not be the best.  You may find yourself in a dismal rut and not sure how to get out of it.  You may find yourself absolutely miserable in your daily work and settle into a lifetime of complacency.  Complacency in that you settled and accepted your current reality and no matter the toll it can make on you mentally, spiritually, and physically, and not to mention the toll it can have on those around you.  Not the ideal situation.  If you settle, then that is entirely up to you and there is nothing wrong with that if you are comfortable with.

Frank Herbert wrote, “Without change, something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken.”  If you feel compelled to make change, then maybe that is exactly what you need to do.  There is something sleeping within and when you feel that urge to change, it is trying to awaken.  Why not let it awaken?  You know what that something is?  IT IS YOU!!!  That’s right.  That something sleeping within is who you are and who you were truly meant to be and do.  Why not awaken yourself and make that change happen.

I’m at that crossroads with you and have had to look within myself to figure out what helps me come alive.  For me it is my faith which I grow in each day and secondly above all it is the time I have with my wife and kids.  Getting to maximize my time with them by making needed changes while providing them the life they deserve.

It may be a scary time for you to make those changes.  You may be so uncertain as to what the results may be that it is hard to make that move.  Think on it and definitely pray on it.  If you are not happy where you are.  Something needs to change, but you have to make that change.  Choose to awaken the sleeper within and see how far it take you.

Turning What You Love Doing Into More

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The past couple of weeks have been something incredible to watch.  My beautiful wife, Amber, started up her new venture called Amber Clinton Photography.  I wrote about it some last week.  In just the two weeks since she decided to make this move from a hobby to a business, the response has been phenomenal.  Inquiries from all over and her first official photo session this past weekend.  Amber is quite an amazing woman.  She has sacrificed to be at home and raise our three wonderful children.  She has an amazing heart and when it comes to photography, she has some serious skills.  I could go on and on.  I am so thrilled that she has decided to take advantage of this natural ability and work to do something incredible with it.  This story with Amber will continue to evolve over time and I look forward to what she will be able to do in the future as she grows this business and her knowledge and experience to add onto her already talented artistic eye.

How about any of you out there.  Is there something that you love to do, maybe as just a hobby or something?  Have you ever thought about maybe taking that hobby and doing something more.  Maybe you’ve thought about it, but either just out of fear, naysayers, or time passing by you just never capitalized and tried it out.  If you look back in my blogs, I’ve written about those naysayers and fears.

While choosing to move down uncharted territory to something new can be scary and there is never a reason for you to not try.  There is nothing ever easy about it.   What keeps you from taking advantage of those opportunities and trying something different?  Why let anything keep you from pursuing what it is is you love to do.  If it something that calls to you, then God is likely calling you to it.  Why ignore it?  I have a sign hanging in the foyer of my house that reads, “The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God not protect you.”  If you are letting fear or something else keep you from pursuing your real calling, take heart in knowing that God is there to guide you through it all.

Richard Bach is quoted as saying “You are always free to change your mind and choose a different future, or a different past.”  Why not take advantage of that freedom that we all have and build something more. Build something that you define and nobody else. It is a part of realizing your God given purpose.  It does not matter if you are in a career that you have in for years and years or if it has been your education track.  If something else calls you that really speaks to you, then go for it.  It will open your perspective on life and will help you to further come alive and get away from where everyone else thinks you should be you be.  Don’t let other define that for you.

Let The Spirit Work Through You

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Do you ever recognize that feeling that God is using you for a purpose?  That feeling comes where you feel like you are being called to something bigger than you have ever faced before.  It is quite a feeling and many of us meet that calling in different ways.  Some embrace it and let the Spirit guide them while others chose to maybe stay on the sideline and not act.  That choice can come from fear of the unknown or lack of faith in where you are being guided.

There are also those times where you may feel that you are not being guided or you are just not sure what it is God wants you to do.  These feelings may come in times of uncertainty.  Maybe career disappointments, challenges with your family, or any of a number of other things.  Maybe you were pursuing a career opportunity you hoped and prayed would pan out.  Then at the end it does not pan out and you are left wondering what next.  My brother Rob, said something to me yesterday that was pretty powerful.  We recognize God’s hand during those joyous times, but we often fail to realize that even in those times of what may be disappointment, it is really the God’s hand sheltering you.  Maybe protecting you from what may not be a good road or maybe he is just not ready for you to move just yet.  Believe me, when He is ready for you to move, He will move you.

Life presents so many challenges and also so many reasons to celebrate.  We were created for God’s purpose, so the best thing that any of us can do is to get out of our own way and let His Spirit work through us.  We allow that to take place and we will be guided to where we were meant to be.  It may be a bumpy road.  It may be filled with many trials, but you will be that much stronger for it in the end.  St. Francis of Assisi is quoted as saying, “If God can work through me, He can work through anyone.”  That’s just another example of how important each of us are.  We all have part to play if we just let the Spirit work.  The Holy Spirit is always here to guide us.  Paul said in Romans 8:26, “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.”

So what stops you from opening up to God’s plan and letting Him work through you.  It may not always be evident, but He is always at work in our lives.  I’ve seen in through my family and friends and in my overall outlook of life and faith.  If you close off from God’s purpose for you, how can you ever expect t come alive fully.  Our spiritual growth is the foundation of who we are.  Without it, nothing will matter.

SpiritofPower

Time to Unleash Our Potential

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Greetings to everyone!  I hope everyone has had a great summer as we get to that time of year where the kiddos starting heading back to school.  It’s amazing to me how early that starts.  Two of mine already started last week and my oldest later this week.  It’s been quite a summer for me.  A time where I have been very busy with family and work, but also had the opportunity to get away and spend some time relaxing at the beach.

With everything going on, I have not spent much time on my writing as I would have liked to.  The blog has been very quite since early June.  I found myself steering away from my own writing at times.  It gets easy for life to get in the way and not focus on things the way they need to be.  The last two months, 4 Pillars has been in the back of my mind, but has not taken the focus it needs.  I still very much believe in what I have written.  I think there is a way that each of us can focus on all areas of our life in order to really come alive and become the person that God has called  to become.

My wonderful bride took an awesome step this week and started work on a business venture of her in photography.  The start-up of Amber Clinton Photography has begun and I could not be more proud of her to be going after something that she truly loves to do and make it her own.  The response has already been great because of the great work she has done with this as a hobby.  I’m excited to see where she is able to take it over time.

Her push to make this happen has had me reflecting a great deal on myself and the work I started here at 4 Pillar Living toward the end of last year and the first half of 2012.  I truly be believe that God has called me to do something big hear as well through sharing my own testimony to life and what I believe is what we all need in order to come alive.  I’ve put all o this aside for too long now and it is time to get myself back on track through my writing and bring 4 Pillar Living a step further.  I can’t go backwards any more.  Charles Simmons said, “Never go backward. Attempt, and do it with all your might. Determination is power.”

I plan to take that determination further and keep up my writing.  I still have a book a book in progress also.  I had hoped to be further along in it by now, but now is the time to get it back in focus.  I hope that it is something you all will support me on.  I have a lot to say and I plan to get it all out over time.  The first half of 2013 was an amazing ride with this venture moving and now I look forward to the next steps that it will bring to everyone

Let’s all unleash our full God given potential.  We were created for a purpose and it now time to realize that purpose!

Isn’t The Lord Simply Amazing?!?!?

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We’ve all heard that term, “The Lord works in mysterious ways.”  It’s amazing just how true and real that statement is.  I’ve learned throughout my life that He works in ways we just don’t see coming often times.  Maybe its through a tragedy.  Often times we may wonder what God is doing when something bad happens.  What I have learned though, is that those things happen in order to give us a chance to return to Him and glorify Him more.  It also allows us to gain strong glimpses of His goodness when he moves others to work.

My family and I received a wonderful view of this in the past couple of days.  My son, Brandon, was diagnosed as a Type 1 Diabetic this past fall.  Obviously, with all of that comes added costs of buying insulin, monitors, test strips, and doctor follow-ups.  It was certainly a challenging time frame for the family and most certainly my son as he has learned to live this new life as diabetic.  He has adjusted to this so much better than I could have ever hoped though and does not let it run his life.  In fact, he was named by our local Children’s Healthcare system as their Comeback Athlete of the Month and now is being voted on for Athlete of the Year.  He is a competitive travel baseball player and did not let it stop him at all.

With that said, this week, at our doorstep, there was delivered a whole host of diabetic supplies.  A new monitor, test strips, needles, and more and will be replenished every three months at no cost to us.  Someone, somewhere put our name in to this Christian Foundation that is now supplying these supplies on going.  I can’t even begin to tell you what an amazing blessing that was to our family.  To know that a substantial portion of this permanent cost is now covered is simply amazing.

This was just further proof of God’s amazing and mysterious work.  It is quite evident that His Spirit moved through someone to do something that we never saw coming and was a tremendous blessing to our family.  We are so grateful to this mysterious person and recognize that this was God’s work.

If you ever have a doubt that God is not at work in your lives.  Think again.  He is very much there through every aspect of our lives.  He has a purpose for everything He does and that we encounter in life.  Challenges come to Glorify Him and wonderful things happen to Glorify Him.  It all comes back to God.  Don’t lose site of the Lord and take time to speak to Him through prayer.  he will intervene in your life.  Many times in ways you never see coming.  He is always there and I am so thankful to have a God that loves us that much and whose glory shines down everyday in our lives.

Don’t Jump!!!!

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Last week, I wrote about the idea of settling into a complacent life versus going after what it is you were placed here to do.  Often times, life can take us on a journey that brings us opportunities and obstacles and then we have to decide how best to navigate through each one.  With so many circumstances molding our path through life, many times we find ourselves settling.  Settling into a life and/or career that is safe but at the same time sucks away every aspect of who we are.   Something comes along that looks like opportunity and what do we do?  We jump right on in not thinking of where it may lead us.

All I have to say to that is, Don’t Jump!!!  Don’t let the circumstances of your life dictate your path and force you into things are not you.  I have learned this from my own experiences in life.  If you choose to jump right on in all that happens is you become trapped.  You become trapped by a career that you do not love.  You get trapped in a life that does not have meaning and purpose.  You lose track of who you are spiritually.  You lose connection with those that you love.

In essence, you get pulled away from being who you truly are.  Just say you are a job that you just do not enjoy anymore, but do not get out of.  What that will start to do is pull at every aspect of your being.  You may become frustrated and without even meaning to, that frustration starts to carry over to other parts of your life.  This is no way to live.  Believe me, I have been there.

So what do you?  First, it begins with your own mental attitude.  You have the ability to let those circumstances control you and make your life miserable or chose not to.  Dale Carnegie said, “Happiness doesn’t depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude.”  You have that ability to create your happiness and change your circumstance.  Don’t just jump in blindly and let your circumstances control you.  You control it.  None of us are going to glide through life without making mistakes or the wrong choices.  How we react and learn from from those choices and mistakes helps to define who we are and where we end up.

God granted each of us with the free will to make decisions about our life and circumstances.  He is always there to guide us through it all if we trust in Him, but we have to make those choices ourselves.  Leo Buscaglia said, “Your talent is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God.”  When you are trying to determine what it is you really want to do with your life, take an inventory of your talents and also of your passions. Once you figure that out, go out and do what it you are passionate about using the talents you have.  You also glorify God in this way.

If you are at the crossroads of decision, Don’t Jump!  Don’t settle for complacency.  You were created for much more than a complacent life.  Take advantage of the talents God blessed you with.  Get out there and do what brings you passion and what truly has purpose and meaning to you.  Don’t jump into a life or career that contradicts who you are. You can never come alive this way.

I’m Fine, How About You?

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Each and every one of us encounter those daily greetings, whether in the office or passing by folks you know or may not know in any setting.  “How are you today?” and the reply usually, “I’m fine, and you?”   We encounter that on a daily basis, but I often wonder, how many of those people are truly “fine.”  How many instead, get up each day dreading what is to come.  Dreading the work day and that commute into to earn that next paycheck.  Dreading to just to get out and encounter others and meet that days challenges.  This may seem like such a simple thing, but I often wonder how much of it is just politeness and courtesy versus a true and genuine look into how someone is doing.

Thinking of this, I start reflecting on a short movie/documentary that my brother, Rob, introduced me two a few month’s back.  This film is called, “I’m Fine Thanks.”  The film is narrated and directed by a gentleman named Grant Peele.  Grant and his crew set out on a journey across the United States to meet people to meet people and discover how these people stepped away from their ordinary lives, lives that they once thought were the right and proper way to live and now most of them live a life that they are truly happy with as they stepped away and found a calling away from the norm.  Even Grant, who had been in Real Estate for years, because he thought is was the right path finally stepped away to do something that he has always dreamed of doing, which is to make films.

The ultimate goal of this film was to document people that had settled into complacency, but ultimately, found that many of those people stepped back and found a way back to living the life they love.  I’m not talking about a life of riches.  I’m talking about loving what they do or moving to simplistic living or setting off for adventures that they once thought were just far fetched dreams.  What’s so remarkable is that many of their stories sound so much like people we all encounter day after day and even ourselves.  Have you ever questioned your direction in life or if you have made for yourself a life of complacency versus truly going for what lights a fire in you and what it is you were meant to do?  I certainly have.

Our lives take so many different directions and often times we settle into a life of complacency and settle for that “normal” career.  Often times, even when we find that we have a fears of making those life changes toward a life we truly dream to live.  There may be negative connotations from others who say you can’t do that.  My answer to all of those people is to give me one good reason why not.  Who says that your life has to follow the script that others set for you.  Trust me, I have and am down this path but I know now that I and we all have to take the steps and have the courage to step away change our lives.

When I think about this more, I look at my kids.  Often times we ask our children what they want to be when they grow-up. When we were kids, we all faced those same questions and our answers were so huge.  As kids, we have great dreams and passions, but often times, not all the time, people lose site of that.  Many people love what they do, don’t get me wrong.  But all too often there are many of us that question if there is more.  My wife and I always tell our kids to purse the life that they want and work their tales off to reach their dreams.   Why can’t we do that even as adults?  Why can’t we pursue those real dreams.

The fact of the matter is that, we all can.  We do not ever have to settle for the complacent life that may have crept up on us.  We can ALL change to live a life that makes us happy that drives a fire in us and makes us light up when we get up in the morning.  So we all have choice.  Choose to continue down this path we have or make the changes that are needed to live life.  This is a huge step to coming alive.  When you reach that point, that is when that greeting can become truly genuine.  You can answer that you are in fact doing great.  Not just fine, but great!  If there is something burning within you that says this is not the life I wanted, this is not the career I was meant to have, I feel like I am not alive, and I am not fine, then you have a choice to make.  Stay complacent, or change and come alive!

Don’t Wait For Happiness To Come To You

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You know all too often, we hit periods of time where for one reason or another, we just are not happy with ourselves or with the current status of our lives.  It may be circumstances with our work, maybe our career is not going the way we want to go, maybe things are not as happy as they should be in the home with strained relationships with one’s spouse or even children.  Maybe you have lost sight of God in your life because of circumstance and not sure he is playing a roll in your life.  It could be anything.  Many of us, including me ,have come to points where we are just flat our miserable and not sure when things can get better.

When we hit these points of depression and unhappiness we often find ourselves in a more negative state.  It becomes difficult to be positive and your not sure how thing can get better.  Like I said, I am no different.  What in the world do you do with that?  How can you get yourself out that rut and move toward a point where you are happy again with life and your direction?  I certainly had those questions.  About 8-9 years ago, my career was at a point where I was flat miserable everyday.  Nearly 4 years ago, I lost my Dad in a tragic accident and thought, what does anything matter anymore.  I was in bad way mentally, even though most people would not know it.

First over the past couple of years, I chose to walk closer with God each day and that reestablished my relationship with Christ.  Then I realized, no matter what they situation is, I have to make the choice to get myself out of a rut and find the happiness that helps me come alive again.  I have done a lot of reading and a lot of soul searching in recent years.  I’ve quoted Earl Nightingale many times especially from the “Strangest Secret” when he says, “We become what we think about.”  If we set our mines on the negative we will never find the positive.  We have to gear our minds to think toward the positive, to think toward the goals we want, to think toward happiness.  It is all purely mental.  You have to have the  mental toughness to not let circumstance keep you from reaching your potential.

Going back to Earl Nightingale, he also said, “Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don’t wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it’s at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored.”  We have to find what makes us happy.  We cannot wait for it come falling in our laps because it won’t.

I’ve come to realize that our time that God gives us on this Earth is very precious and is gone in the blink of an eye.  Don’t stand by and let it move past not make the most of the time you’re given.  It can be gone in a snap.  Don’t waste your time on the negative.  Things will happen in life.  It is a part of life.  But you need to have the mental toughness to bounce back and move forward with life.  Paul said in Philippians 4:8, “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.  Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”  You have to fix your mind on the positive.  Fix your mind on what is worthy and not where the adversary wants you to go.  Fix your mind on Christ and he most definitely will guide out of the difficulties you face to freedom and happiness.  You have to make that choice and not wait for it come to you.

Is Today The Day That You’ve Waited For?!?!?

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Every morning that I drive to the office, I spend the first part of my drive listening to Bible chapters for that day through my phone and then depending on the day, I will turn on music.  I will either flip through radio stations, turn on a CD, or key up the music on my phone.  It can either be some uplifting praise and worship music, country, rock, or just a variety.  This morning, I through my phone on shuffle and let it play at random. The first song that came up, is one I love that is by Rascal Flatts, called “Feels Like Today.”  You may know this song.  It’s been around for some time.

As I listened to this song it gave me a great uplift and I started thinking about the message in the song about being patient and persistent with going after your goals in life and eventually waking up and realizing that, maybe today is the day that I realize those goals.  I’m sure many of you, as I have, has had those days where you get up and feel like nothing good can come from that day, and then other days where you just want to pop out of bed and think, now this is the day I’ve been waiting for.  While we will always have those days that just are not motivating, I for one, would much rather have those days where I am up, pumped up and ready to role to get toward my goals.  What about you?

Too often, people get caught up in life and a routine that fosters continuous inaction and complacency. This complacency can impact their life, their family, their work, and their spiritual growth.  Dale Carnegie said, “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”  I wrote last week about the fears that we have in life.  What we need in our lives is action.  This build us up to know that we can accomplish anything.  If we stay persistent, we can accomplish our goals and not be sucked by fear and doubt.

So, is today that day you are waiting for, or do you see a particular goal that you know you want to shoot for?  You can’t stand around and wait for it to happen.  If you do, that train will pass you by.  In the song, “Feels Like Today,” the second verse says:

“You treat life like a picture
But its not a moment frozen in time
It’s not gonna wait
Til you make up your mind, at all…”

This verse says a lot.  Life does not freeze and wait for you to decide what you want to do.  You have to make that choice to get up and move forward and pursue your goals and allow yourself to come alive.  In another Dale Carnegie quote, he said, “Today is life-the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today. Get interested in something. Shake yourself awake. Develop a hobby. Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you. Live today with gusto.”

You have to choose to live for today.  Don’t stand to the side and let life pass by and then find yourself wondering, what in the world happened to my life.  We all have a purpose in life, but we have to choose to get off of our tails and achieve that purpose.  Learn from the past and apply that knowledge to the future, but always live for today.  Don’t waste the gift of life that God has blessed each and everyone of us with.  Make the most of it to make an impact and on this life and even to serve others.  Make today that day that you decide I’m going to do what I am called here to do.  I am not going to wait for life to pass by and wait for something to fall in my lap.  I am going to make things happen.  Begin today!!!

Conquering Fears That Tell You No

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We all have fears in life, don’t we.  There are those things that we encounter that tell us that we cannot do something.  What fears have you encountered?  It could be anything from riding a roller-coaster, flying in a plane, fear of new opportunities, fear of failure, and even, yes, fear of success.  Fear is something that is so stifling, that it can keep you from perusing your dreams and goals and force you down paths that are completely contradictory to anything that you would otherwise do.  Fear can keep you stuck in a job that makes you flat out miserable.  I know many that have been there.  Either they become too secure in their job and its benefits or they just don’t want to risk going on to something new for fear of the unknown.  This fear can suck the spirit out of you and keep you from ever coming alive.

Dr. Charles Stanley had a great quote about fear.  He said, “Fear stifles our thinking and actions. It creates indecisiveness that results in stagnation. I have known talented people who procrastinate indefinitely rather than risk failure. Lost opportunities cause erosion of confidence, and the downward spiral begins.”  Does this sound like you or anyone you know?  The fear can come from a number of areas.  It can be your own psychological fears of moving forward or it could those naysayers that constantly want to tell you that you can’t do this or you shouldn’t do that.  Either way, as Dr. Stanley said, fear stifles your thinking and actions and can result in lost opportunities.

The struggle that must be faced by everyone is how to conquer that fear.  What can you do to brush aside the naysayers and that nagging feeling that keeps you from pursuing the goals you have ahead and what God has intended for you?  Elbert Hubbard stated that “The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing that you will make one.”  We all know there will times where you will not succeed in one venture or another.  If you never try however, for fear of failing, then you have once again let fear overcome you and your goals.

So how do you conquer those fears?  The biggest thing is to put your trust in God that He will lead you through the challenges and toward the path He wants you on.   Psalm 56:3-4 says, “But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.  I praise God for what he has promised.  I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?”  That’s self evident there.  What can anyone or anything do to stop you if you put your trust in God.  He will help you overcome your fears when you trust in Him and let Him take control.

With your trust in God, you can muster the strength to overcome any fear and follow your dreams.  Les Brown stated that “A lot of people do not muster the courage to live their dreams because they are afraid to die.”  Don’t be afraid of where the path goes.  Follow your dreams and goals and follow them without fear.  I have a frame on my wall at home that says “The Will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.”  Know that He is always there.  Don’t be afraid of failure.  Don’t be afraid of success.  Don’t be afraid of the unknown.  Have faith that the path you follow is the one you are meant to be on.  You keep your mind fixed on those goals and they will come to fruition.

So don’t ever let anyone or anything tell you that you can’t follow your passions and dreams.  You can conquer those fears.  I have had my share of those fears over the years of where I may end up.  It is now in God’s hands and he is guiding down the path I was intended to take.  You can do the same thing.  It takes time, so don’t let that stop you either.  Stay focused and you can conquer those fears and come alive!