We can’t become new versions of ourselves if we don’t let the old version go. The old version is probably comfortable and trying something new is well…scary. Here’s the thing though – It’s a good kind of scary. It’s the kinda scary that makes your ambitions come to life.
I love this t-shirt I have – “If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.” That’s exactly what this is about. Challenging you to become who you want to be.
Bob Goff puts it best in his book, “God endowed each of us with something unique. The trick is to figure out what your thing is and how you’re going to get it in play. Some people make careers out of these things, and a lot of people spend their whole lives trying to figure out what they are. We’re moving targets. You are not who you used to be, and thankfully I’m not either. Our desires and interests can and should change and be revised along the way.”
Learning from our past is what helps us make better decisions now. It’s those capabilities that we learned that we can put to use towards our ambition.
Here is the challenge that Bob gives us:
One of the hardest things to believe about God is that He loves you completely and unconditionally. Do you have trouble with this? Is there anything lurking in your heart that says you have to change, be better, or do something different to earn God’s love? How would a complete and enduring belief in God’s love change your life and fuel your dream? What we do with our days will eventually become how we’re known and remembered. If you looked at everything on an average Tuesday, what would it say about your faith? Fear is a part of all our lives.
Even the most fearless among us have to stare it down and decide to act anyway. On a scale of one to ten—with one being “very little” and ten being “all the time”—how much does fear have a hold of your life?
Knowing your talents is a great starting point for thinking about your dream. Write down ten things about yourself that feel like your innate talents. Maybe you’re naturally friendly or optimistic. Maybe you are great at geometry or have a heart for homeless people. Things like this may not seem like “talents” as our culture defines them. They’re so innate to who you are that they just feel like second nature. But they are your talents. Make a list and give yourself a high five. Oh, and if you’re having trouble coming up with ten things, just ask a few people in your life what they think your talents are to give you some hints. My bet is that you’ll have a list a lot longer than ten things. Some people think their talents are the only thing making up their identity. They lean heavily on them for success or approval. Do you think you’ve given your talents and gifts too much weight in your sense of self-worth? How could overreliance on your talents give you a “false positive” that you’re moving in the direction of your dream?
I decided to let this earlier ambition serve my next ambition. You can do the same.
We can’t be the new version of us if we’re stuck being an old version, and we’re going to need to change some things that have worked in our past in order to make way for our future. Cut those past capabilities and ambitions loose or put them in service to the new ambitions you’re chasing.