Defining Moments: How to Keep Moving Forward

You know the part of the movie where the dramatic music starts to play.

You start cramming handfuls of popcorn in your mouth because it gets so tense. Things start falling apart and another thing goes wrong.
The next decision could change their life forever.

What will they do? Will they give up or will they take the risk to find love, purpose, healing and happiness? This is a defining moment.

We all have defining moments.
Let me tell you about Janet.
Janet is a beautiful and extremely talented woman.

She was a high level executive and had been laid off about a year ago.

She sat across from me in my office and I was coaching her on her new consulting business. We talked about her new website and worked on some new business packages.

Janet had been strung along with empty promises by one company for over 6 months.
In the meantime she started to dream about creating her own business. I could see her face light up as she talked about getting her DBA and creating her website.
She even had her first big client.

I had no problem seeing this woman be super successful in whatever she decided to do.

But a few minutes later the fear hit. She had several big expenses hit her recently, one after another. In a defeated voice she said, "Colleen, I have run out of money.

I'm afraid I am going to lose my house.
" All the hope and energy from a few minutes ago dissipated with the fear. Here is Janet's defining moment.

What will she believe? What's her next move? Is she going to believe in her strengths, desires, and passions or she is going to believe her fears, failures and disappointments. All of us can relate to Janet.

We have had a moment of inspiration.

We decide to move forward in our life and are committed to not settling.
Hope starts to rise up in us and then the obstacles hit.

The doubt and criticism rides in and we end up more discouraged than ever before. A part of us decides to give up and never hope again because it hurts too much.

Defining Moments: How to Keep Moving Forward 1.
What do you want? Go back to what you really want instead of focusing on what you are afraid of. Fear has a way of hijacking your attention.

Janet wants to live out her passion and serve others but fear hijacks her attention.

All she can think about is losing her house.
She is left with no creative energy to move forward with her job.
This applies to our relationships.

You want to have a good relationship with your daughter.

Instead of thinking about all the good aspects of your relationship, the fear hijacks you. One bad episode with your daughter can send you into a 'fear' frenzy.

You are left with questions like, "Is she going to be OK? Am I the worst mother ever?" 2.

It's not about perfection. It's about choosing to move forward.

There is no such thing as perfect mothers or daughters.
All of us have made mistakes. Our mistakes don't have to label us as failures or frauds. When we are exhausted we can crater into hopelessness because we had one bad mother moment. We have a choice when things go wrong. We can choose to move forward. Even our mistakes and failures are useful if you decide to learn from them. You moving past your struggles and fear can encourage someone else.

3.

Expect obstacles When you know what you want and you decide to move forward, expect obstacles. You are going to be challenged.

Don't let the obstacles stop you.

You are on the right path.

The obstacles test us.
Is this what you really want? They test our beliefs.
4.

Go Deep All of us have days where we want to pull the covers over our heads and not get out of bed.
And sometimes we just really need to sleep.
We fall apart because we are exhausted.
Take time to be still and remember who you are.
Listen to your heart. Take time to pray and listen deep within. Remember the light within you. It's there buried underneath the fear.
Tap into your faith and rest in God who holds all things together.

Know God has good gifts for you. There are hidden treasures all around you.

They get buried in fear, shame and our frantic lives.
5.

Get Support There are times when life is too much and you have lost hope.

Reach out to someone who can see the big picture. We all need mentors who have walked before us and know how to navigate us through challenging times. They can help you see the practicalities of moving forward. They can break down something that feels impossible into small doable practical steps.
Where do you want to see change in your life? This could be your defining moment.