Too often we hope for and even expect things to just happen in our lives. We get caught up in the hype of a spoken word, a self-help book, or even a song. But when all these things come to an end after the short time period that they last, then what?

Are you one who has read so many self-help and inspiring books, you’ve lost count, yet your life seems to be going nowhere? Are you one who always cannot wait to sit and listen to that most prominent speaker as he/she inspires everybody under the sound of his or her voice? Are you one who repeatedly gets so full from listening to a song that tells you it’s your season, it’s your time, yet your season just doesn’t quite look the way you hoped it would? If so, perhaps you keep forgetting to take the next step after all the hype.

One of the most deceiving emotions is that of being caught up in the hype. Hype is typically only temporary and works the adrenaline on a much higher level than that which is considered normal. Coming down off of hype may sometimes even cause you to experience a more damaging sense of defeat because of the underlying expectations that come along with a moment of hype. We might all be successful at our craft if the hype could somehow just stick around on its own every moment of every day but the truth is it doesn’t. So how do we keep the momentum going so that we can incorporate these hyped moments and feelings into our daily lives and live with that same energy on a consistent basis?

There are no easy answers. There is no magic wand. It takes effort.

It takes effort; yet making an effort is often times no easy task. Anytime you’re required to make an effort to do something likely means changes will need to occur. If you really think about it, it really doesn’t make a lot of sense to become so deeply engaged in an inspiring session and then go about doing the exact same things you’ve done before. The acts of reading a book, listening to a speaker, and being inspired by a song will not change you. It’s what you do afterwards that determines the change. Many of us have spent entirely too much time doing nothing after the hype. Our intentions are often to ‘start tomorrow’ but for some reason that tomorrow never takes place. Why? Because the effort was never put in. The excuses will find their place. The time will somehow get lost. But the effort never gets its chance.

Just as our parents made us do things while growing up, that responsibility becomes our own as adults. Somebody should still be making us do the responsible things and that somebody becomes us. Just as children who are often let off the hook of being responsible end up living less than desirable lives, so will we as adults experience the same when we let ourselves off the hook of making the effort to take the necessary steps in reaching our goals and fulfilling our purpose. As painful as it may sometimes seem, as tired as you may sometimes feel, and as deep the hole may seem that you’re in, nothing will change for the better in life, if an effort is not made. If we don’t get up and push ourselves even when we can’t see our way, nothing is going to happen. Just as everything we do becomes habit, so does making an effort become a habit.

We must understand that there is much work to be done after we’ve had our moments of hype. But if we continue to just hope things will happen in our lives, we’re in for a rude awakening. Making an effort to take what we’ve learned from a book, from a speaker, or from a song, is what it will take to see any real changes in our lives. When will you take the next step?

Get up, stop making excuses, and let’s actually begin making an effort.

 

Tawana R. Powell

Author of Life Fulfilled: The Ultimate Goal (Amazon.com)