We all want to lead extraordinary lives filled with purpose, freedom, and connection. Most will never achieve that, held back by doubt, complacency, and fear. I sometimes wish Scripture spelled out more clearly what we are supposed to do. What exactly are these good works that God prepared in advance for us to do? Is it possible that some of them are specific to us personally and not just to us as Christians?
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10
For years, I nurtured this idea before taking action: I wanted to create an after-school academy in Mozambique that would help raise children out of poverty – rather than just alleviating their poverty – through Christian mentorship, computer literacy, and English language communication skills.
I sat on this dream for years before I started the Ascend Academy with the help of friends who shared the vision.
What kept me from taking action were the same three surface reasons that keep most of us from doing so.
- Generalized stress: a broad sense that we are overwhelmed, barely able to keep up with Point A (where we are), and emotionally unable to take action toward Point B (where we want to go).
- Unfavorable circumstances. The circumstances are not ideal, and “now is not a good time” to start pursuing the life we want.
- Lack of resources: Money, time, and connections. The classic (and flawed) thought process is “When I have … then I will…”
This is precisely how our dreams die. The courageous few pursuing their dreams know something the rest of us ignore. Every once in a while, we are reminded of that dream and get inspiration from a seminar, sermon, book, or a post like this, but inspiration only goes so far. The world changers we admire, whose seminars we attend, and whose books we read – they all know these simple truths: Stress never disappears, circumstances are never favorable, and resources are always lacking.
I recorded this episode of Headspace to share how surprisingly easy it is to overcome these three most common obstacles (or excuses? – I’m not judging; I’ve been there and done exactly that).
We developed a personalized assessment across the seven most important dimensions of life that I use for my clients but would like to make accessible to you. The results look something like this. You can learn your score here.
As we fully realize our Point A, there is nothing more rewarding than learning Point B—the “good works” God has in store for us.
It took years, time, and money to get Ascend Academy started. It was stressful; the circumstances were never right, and resources are still needed today. But Ascend Academy is changing lives. You can learn more about Ascend here.
I’m hosting a free webinar on “Finding and Living Your Calling” on May 25th. Only a few spots are still available, so claim yours here or join a waiting list if they are all filled.
Watch this video and tell me what new videos you’d like me to create. To get free new content like this every week in your inbox, join our 10k+ subscribers here.
Christian Ray Flores is an entrepreneur, evangelist, and coach living in Austin, TX. You can follow him on social media here.
