There are Eight Bold Decisions that Move Forward, break barriers and always bring positive results. These profit-making decisions for business owners, ministries and workers help determine how soon you make money and how fast you grow. We love to dream about our goals. It’s fun to let creativity soar with hope about your future success. Starting a business or getting a new job or promotion is a tremendous step. Sustaining your new status takes another level of commitment. That’s why it’s important to learn to make smart decisions.
Here are Eight Bold Decisions that Move You Forward whether you are just starting or need to move to a new level.
1. Decide to listen to people who have proven success in your area of business, ministry or work.
One of the easiest ways to get stuck is by assuming you don’t need help. Advice from people who have a proven track record in the area where you seek success is always worth listening to. Find out what they wish they knew before they started. Ask them about mistakes they made and tools they use. When you’re with them, listen and observe instead of doing too much talking. Time is valuable. When a person with a proven success record gives you their time, value their input, be grateful and make the most of the time they give you.
2. Decide to do things you don’t like to do.
Most successful people confess they did not know what success would require. Others say, “If I knew what success would cost (especially for ministry), I would have chosen a different path.” Wow! You don’t want that kind of surprise!
As you approach your ministry and work, prepare your mind to step beyond your comfort zone. Make it an adventure. Welcome new opportunities! Think outside of the box as you consider for-profit and non-profit status. It’s a part of the process and the only path to get what you want. Apart from violating personal and biblical convictions, get rid of the “I will not do that” attitude. Instead, develop and “whatever it takes” mindset.
3. Decide to keep going and constantly refuse to quit.
Consistent focused pressure yields results, eventually. When you continue to place pressure on something, make corrections and press again, you will see changes, even if they are slow. Did God lead you to accomplish a task? If so, stay encouraged, even when setbacks try to dismantle you. Those setbacks are arrows that redirect you. Adjust when needed, get help, rest, then get back up and refuse to quit.
4. Decide to remove your deadlines for success.
The habit of placing deadlines on God ends many plans before reaching the finish line. I wish we understood how God works in all things. The Bible tells us about many of His ways, although why and when He moves is often a mystery.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)
Trust God and his timing. Get rid of your thoughts of how long it should take for God to give you what you want. Commit to successful habits as a lifestyle instead of a temporary experience. Even if your success does not look like you thought, it will still be good and welcome.
5. Decide to deal with anxiety. Give yourself the time you need.
Anxiety is real. It can creep up on you when you least expect. Even leaders struggle with anxiety. If you struggle with anxiety, don’t ignore it. Allow yourself to feel in a healthy, balanced way. Get help to sort out your thoughts and feelings. Make sure you are fighting the right battle. Develop coping habits and spend time with people who help you stay balanced. Then, use the process to become more sensitive to others with compassion and care. People will love that you are real and willing to share your own struggles.
6. Decide to take charge of your own training and education.
Are you waiting for someone to tell you what to do next? What happens if that person never shows up? You don’t have to wait for someone to show up, because there are many training opportunities available on YouTube and through podcasts and training websites like Udemy. Yes, it’s outstanding when someone holds your hand and tells you what to do but that does not always happen. Instead of waiting, go online and find what you need. Move forward and show your skills. Then, when experienced people see what you DO instead of what you talk about doing, they will find you interesting and ready for their resources to help catapult you forward.
7. Decide to reframe your perspective.
This on a priceless ability that gets you out of ruts, keeps you from bitterness and moves you forward. When you are in a battle to live purposefully, be prepared to change the way you see a situation. You thought a certain person would always have your back, but you learn that the relationship was just for a season. You thought a job was a huge blessing, but it feels like a big mistake. Reframe your perspective because a blessing is still a blessing, even if it has challenges. Find the good in every experience. Then use what you learned to move your forward.
8. Decide to connect to the right people.
When you make bold decisions that move you forward, old familiar friends love to give their opinion. It’s understandable if you want to respect a friendship, but the best advice comes from a person who has showed success around your goals. Often, it’s better to refrain from discussion your plans to well-meaning people who offer their opinions about your future. When you create a rhythm with forward momentum, you attract people. Get to know new people. Say, “Yes,” to invitations to events that you normally wouldn’t attend. Be open and inviting as you move forward and make new connections when possible.
In Marketplace Ministry, we are always learning, growing and advancing. However, there is a way for your momentum to take on a life of its own. That’s a sweet place that yields financial rewards. Getting to this place means making bold decisions that move you forward. When it starts in one area of your life, it won’t be hard to transfer what you have learned to other areas and even people. This is the limitless life of fulfillment that makes everything we do worth it.
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