Looking back at my younger days and
imagining how much more I could have achieved if I was less afraid, twice as
confident, and less of a “people pleaser”, as I am now; I sometimes want to
turn back the hands of time. And don’t dare tell me that God’s time is the
best, because Heaven also helps those who help themselves. The good thing is
that I eventually did something with my talent and I am looking for new
frontiers to dominate. Writing on Fear, American evangelist, Matthew Hagee in
his book, Shaken Not Shattered observes that “Our lives are truly dictated by
the decisions we choose to make or refuse to make. All too soon fear is the
driving force that determines our path….the sure fire way to fail is to do
nothing.”
I remember growing up terribly unsure of
myself; I lived in perpetual fear of putting a foot wrong. My friends from way back used to wonder why I
opted out of athletics when I could have - possibly - gone places. The truth
is, I never gave myself the chance to find out how good I could have been
because I doubted my abilities. When you doubt your abilities, one
insignificant excuse is reason enough to quit.
So with a little muscle pull during one of the National games in Jos, I
took a bail out. I could have returned to the games but I chose not to and that
was it. But I always manage to comfort myself saying, that was probably not
what God wanted me to do. Poor God! The excuses we make using His name! When we
fail due to lack of faith we say, it’s probably how God planned it.
It is easy for us to overlook our
potential, and be blind to all the opportunities around us especially if it
also happens that someone said we were not good enough. Peoples’ opinions of us
tend to count far much more than they should, which I’d say is a pity. It’s
even worse when people are battling with esteem issues. People with a high dose
of confidence tend to stick it out, regardless of all the naysayers around
them. I had to find my frontier and take
it. Of course I had to battle my esteem issues. Now I rule my world, run my
race as I jolly well please, and I realise that once people know that you are
extremely sure of yourself, they are less likely to offer unsolicited advice
which could just be a malicious set up.
Says Matthew Hagee again; “Make your
decisions from a position of confidence and certainty. You were not created to
live in fear; you were born to take action. If you are going to succeed in
life, make the decision to be successful, and refuse all other options. You
were not created to live in fear; you were born to take action. Your choices may not always produce the
results you desire, but if you resolve to continue rather than quit, then every
decision you make will be a stepping stone toward future successes.”
“The sure fire way to fail is to do nothing.”
In 11 years of publishing Genevieve, last
year was one of our most challenging. It was as if all the demons were let
loose the minute we happily announced that we had survived a decade of
publishing. Failure stared us in the face and we quaked. I thought, ‘THIS IS
IT’ and didn’t see how we could get back on track. At a stage I was actually
relieved that I could go back to living a normal life (doing what?) but the
thought of being listed as another failed entrepreneur in publishing jolted me
and I began to resist the sinking of faith and instead embraced its rekindling.
Getting back on track was easier with the right attitude and belief to help
cast out those demons.
When fear threatens your confidence, fight
back with an overdose of faith. And when you find your frontier TAKE IT! DON’T
LET GO.
And as we say in Nigeria; YOU ARE MORE THAN
THAT! So rule your fear, don’t let it rule you.
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