Purpose over pressure

On this episode of You Have a Dream: Living with Purpose, Coach Brandy discuss how to  overcome the pressure you sometimes feel when living intentionally.  
www.FOH.org

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:20

Hi, Coach Brandy here. Somewhere inside you, there is a dream that refuses to let go. A quiet whisper from God reminding you that your life has purpose. This is You Have a Dream Living with Purpose Podcast. Welcome back, peeps. I'm Life Coach Brandy, and this is season six of You Have a Dream Living with Purpose. We're calling this one Purpose in Progress because Purpose isn't a destination, it's a journey. So it's not about having it all figured out. It's about learning to love yourself and your growth right where you are. Today we'll talk about finding peace in the progress. So sometimes we look at others and think they've already arrived. But purpose unfolds one small act of faith at a time. Every waiting season has its reasons. So finding purpose in progress means shifting your focus from the final destination to valuing every small step. By embracing this process, you remove the pressure of perfection, cultivates resilience through daily challenges, and build sustainable habits that foster deep meaningful personal growth. When we embrace the process, it will reduce anxiety. When you stop fixating solely on the end result, everyday delays or obstacles stop feeling like failures. You need to build sustainable habits, and hopefully, as you've been watching this season, you are building those sustainable habits by journaling daily, by having time with God daily, praying daily, getting into scripture daily, and then looking at your goal, your dream, and taking small steps because remember, God loves motion, even if it's small. So as we've built those sustainable habits, this creates long-term success and it's driven by constant daily efforts rather than short, intense bursts of motivations. It also prepares you for growth. Every challenge, mistake, and setback teaches valuable lessons that shape you into the person capable of handling your future successes. So like I said, you know, in last season we said we plant and then we have to water the seed and we have to nurture the seed. So that's that's what it's that's what it's saying. So you fall in love with the journey. If you only love the outcome, you will grow to resent the process. Instead, find active fulfillment in showing up and doing the work daily. Because like I've said, God's not going to hand it to you on a silver platter. You have to work for it. Kind of like your job. You have I mean, we have to have jobs to be able to feed ourselves, have a place to live, have a car so we can get to and from our job. We have to put in the effort to make our dream a reality. Because, like I said, it's not going to give be given to us on a silver platter. So you're going to redefine success as progress. So perfection is an illusion that causes stress. Focus on moving forward, even if your steps are small and quiet. Celebrate your wins. Acknowledge your incremental achievements. This will build confidence and create a positive cycle of motivation. Document your journey. Document your journey. Track your goals and milestones in a planner or in your journal so you can look back at how far you've come even on those tough days. Because there's going to be tough days. Life is not easy. I don't know who told us it was going to be easy, but it hasn't been. Break down your goals, make them small and achievable. Um, I use um with my students SMART goals that's sustainable, uh, measurable, achievable, realistic, and there's uh a time limit. So you can you can say, I I want to do this in this amount of time. Is it achievable? Is it measurable? Is it um in the amount of time, is that uh really achievable, or do we need to take lower steps? So divide large goals, overwhelming goals, into smaller, manageable tasks to maintain momentum. Continue the journey forward. So, oh goodness, practice your self-compassion, treat yourself with kindness, accept where you are without judgment, and remember that personal growth is a lifetime journey. So it's gonna be your whole life that you're gonna continue to grow. So, and that that's really important, you guys, because not everything's not everything happens just in the snap of a finger, like I said. It's it's it takes time, but like if your goal is about you know opening your own business, mine is achieving um numbers in my podcast, to be completely honest. If I'm being humble, I'm I am trying to make this a job. Um so right now I do have a full-time job, and I love my full-time job, and I do this on the weekends or in the evenings, so I I I pretty much work two jobs. I work probably 80 hours a week, 40 to 50 at my real job, and then the evenings, I work probably four or five hours each evening, and then Saturday is when I'm refining the podcast and writing my notes like I have, and so that's what I do on Saturdays. Now, football season is gonna be a little different because I go I watch the Sooners, I have to watch the Sooners, and that's the only game that I watch, so it's not gonna be like that, but it'll I'll just have to retweak how um it looks during football season. Now we're coming up on summer, but at my job we really don't have a summer. We work, um, we get two weeks off the last week of June and the first week of July, and we come back right after the 4th of July, and then we start getting ready for the next year. Uh from we get out June 1st, so June till that last week, we're finalizing all of our grades and doing everything that we need to do for our students. So I I'm not like your regular normal public school teacher because I don't get the summer off. I have to prepare for my students. And um in July we start meeting with our students and planning the year for them because we we do do individual, um individual, individualize, we make it individualized for each student. So it's it's just it's wonderful, it's fulfilling, and I absolutely love it. So, like I said, I'm I I went off there for a little bit, but I just wanted to let you guys know that I am trying to make this my full-time job, and I need your help. That's why I've asked you to share, follow, share it with your friends so they can be on this journey with all of us, with B and U. And so I'm gonna get back to purpose and progress. When you trust the process, you stop striving and start flowing. You stop asking, when will I get there? And start asking, what am I learning here? So keep asking yourself, what's growing in me while I'm waiting. So this is the the the gift of becoming is you know, like it's the gift of becoming your true authentic self and your best self. So progress often feels slow because it's deep. The roots are growing before the fruit shows. That's why you can't compare your process to someone else's highlight reel. God's timing is perfect. You don't have to chase what's already assigned to you, you just have to prepare for it. So the gift of becoming highlights the life's purpose, isn't reaching that final destination. I'm gonna, this is really important. It's not the final destination, it's the journey that you go on to get there that you should appreciate. Instead, it's the journey itself, embracing continuous growth, lessons, and transformation you experience as you become the best version of yourself. Life is a work in progress. Um, you don't you don't have to be perfect, remember? We've talked about that. You don't have to be perfect to make progress. Every mistake, every triumph, and pivot is a crucial part of your ongoing transformation. The gift of becoming the discomfort and pressure you feel during periods of change aren't punishments. They are the necessarily necessary privileges of growing in this lifetime. You are continuously evolving. I know I'm not the same person I was 10 years ago or even 20 years ago, or even high school. I mean, I there's bits of me that are the same, but I believe that I've grown as a person to um I know that I've been working on empathy where you can understand what you try to put yourself in that person's shoes. So and it's it that's a growth process, and so you know, and I've divorced, and so I know I'm not the same. I kind of have hardened my heart a few towards men, not to everybody, just if romantically, nothing, no, no, there's a no-go. I mean, if God puts it in my path and I speak to God and He's saying yes, that's that's then I'll listen. But right now, I'm focusing on me and doing what I love, and I love bringing this to you, and I love helping people with being the person they really truly want to be. And so as as we do this, I want it to be more intentional so you pay attention and you go, Okay, I need to be more intentional this way, like your daily check-ins, you need to be intentional about it, or journaling, be intentional about it, so you can see the growth as you go back through your journal and save your journals. I have like I want to say 15 of them, and so you can save those and you can look back at how much you've grown and how you are still working towards your true authentic self, and you know, if you dream of opening your own business, that is possible. Anything's possible as long as you put your mind to it and have a plan, have goals. You need to do this, this, this, this. That way, you can live your dream. So aligning movement with purpose, true progress involves using your natural talents and inherit gifts to not just get ahead, but to improve your community and helping others along the way. So now we're gonna move on to finding peace in the process. So, how do we find peace in the process um instead of worrying about being perfect? And I I'm kind of one of those people that I feel like my work has to be perfect. I like to um exceed expectations, excuse me. I like to exceed expectations on like my annual review, and I know that I won't, so I'm okay with that, but I I want to, that's what I'm always working towards. I want to exceed expectations in every realm of my job because I want to do it very well, and yes, I'm not perfect, I I know that, but as long as I'm taking the steps to try to get to meet uh exceeds expectations, I know my students are getting the best teacher, and I know that I am being the best version of myself to be their teacher and have them learn everything they need to learn. So when you're finding peace in the process, this means um untie untying your happiness from a distant finish line. You can be happy right here in the moment. You don't have to have whatever's out there to be happy, you should enjoy the journey and find joy in every day, and that and you'll live a happier life and not just you know, you can't be happy until you finish get to the finish line, right? So I can use me as an example, like when I was younger, all of my friends were all married and having children, and I was not married, I was not in a relationship, and I did a stupid young person thing, and a guy showed interest in me and said, Hey, let's get married, and I did, and then I had a baby. Now I don't regret my children, but had I not been in a rush of the peer pressure of getting married like all my friends, because I was the only single one. I don't know, it you make mistakes as you're young and you learn from them. So, yes, I did learn from that mistake, but I would not um change having my girls. I mean, I wouldn't. But then, you know, so we divorced, and so when I was 26, I met the perfect man. Or so I thought. There's no perfect woman. You have to overlook their flaws because you know, you have flaws that they have to overlook. Anyhow, let's let's go back to. So, your just your happiness is not out there, it's right here in the journey. You're not you're not gonna be extremely happy at the destination. You will get there and you'll be extremely happy in the way that you've grown and the way that you've reached your goal. Okay, so grounding it into your daily growth. So that's what we're gonna do. We're gonna ground it into your daily growth. Happiness isn't at the end of the tunnel, it's right here. It's right here and now. You're gonna embrace where you are, and that will help reduce anxiety and um discover that your ultimate purpose isn't just the final destination, but it's the resilience you build every single day. Before we continue, it's time to take a dream moment. Take a breath for just a second. Think about the dream that's been placed in your heart. Maybe it's something big, maybe it's something quiet, that only you and God know. But if that dream is still there, it's there for a reason. So keep walking in faith, keep taking the next step, and trust purpose grows one day at a time. Now, let's get back to the episode. Alright, so close your eyes and take a deep breath. Picture yourself walking a path. The destination isn't visible yet, but the light guides every step. Whisper. I'm not behind. I'm becoming real gratitude where you are. Every moment is shaping your purpose. So ask yourself, what is the very next small step I can take? Except where you are now. That doesn't mean you're giving up on your goals. It simply means letting go of what you could have been. And focus on what is. That removes the heavy weight of self-judgment. Because that's that's a lot of what goes into us not moving forward is your self-doubt and that inner critic. Telling me you can't do that. Yes, you can. Don't listen to that negative Nancy in there or negative Nick. So remember your setbacks. They teach us something new, right? Growth often often happens in the background on a gradual curve. Rather than in suddenly. Remember your anchor. This reminds you of your why. Knowing your why, you are putting in the effort that anchors your mind during chaotic or Certain times. So let's take a journal moment. Open your journal and write. What part of my journey am I learning to trust? What progress have I made that I haven't celebrated? How can I honor the season I'm in today? So, my part of my journey that I'm learning to trust is that I will hit or land on the person that needs me. And then the progress that I've made, let's just celebrate it now, because I haven't celebrated yet. I'm at over 200 followers on Facebook. I am so excited for that. On Twitter, no, I'm not on Twitter. On Instagram, I have no followers. On TikTok, I have no followers. On YouTube, I have no followers. But I have over 200 on Facebook. So on Facebook, I'm reaching the people that I need to. My podcast hasn't quite hit that yet. But Facebook is where I do my daily encouraging videos. And so and I've been putting them on TikTok and I've been putting them on YouTube. They're just not finding the people that they need to find. So that's where I'm trusting this journey. And how can I honor the season today that I'm in? I'm creating a podcast and I do it every week. So I'm working and trying to achieve my goal. I'm not just letting it fall to the wayside. I want to do this. I want to teach people. I want to help people, and I want to be a positive light in y'all's life and in your journey. And maybe, you know, just walk alongside of you, just if I'm just on the screen or if you're listening to me on the radio. Or in your headphones. I want to celebrate you and I want to celebrate any successes that you've had. So just reach out to me. You have a dream.com. Or you can go to Facebook at You Have a Dream Living with Purpose. TikTok is Life Coach Brandy, I think. And Instagram is you have a dream living with purpose. And so remember, even slow progress is sacred. So that's I'm I'm going through this with you guys. Even slow progress is sacred. Every small step is proof of your persistence. Write a note of gratitude to your past self for not giving up. So your affirmation this week is I am a work in progress, divinely guided and beautifully becoming. Philippians 1 6 says, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ. So being confident and that you are doing good work, it will carry you to completion until the day of Jesus Christ. So that is perfect for this situation and this season that we're in. Because as long as we put in the work, God will honor our work because He is faithful. So, Pastor Craig, um, I go to life church, so this week's challenge was to pray with somebody every day, and it doesn't have to be long, it can be short. So let us pray together. God, thank you. Thank you for this beautiful day. Thank you for the person that is watching or listening to this today. Bless them to have a good week. Bless them in the areas that they need to be blessed, heal them in the areas they need to be healed, and God just love on them and let them know they are perfectly imperfect because you made them wonderfully, and they are enough. In Jesus' name. Amen. So I want to thank you for joining me today, and this is purpose and progress. Remember, your purpose isn't postponed, it's unfolding. And I'd love to hear what progress you're celebrating this week. Email us at you have a dream. Or share with uh the tag the pound sign, the number, you know, the pound sign, purpose in progress on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok. And if you're ready to take a deeper walk into your purpose journey, I'd love to coach you one-on-one. Email me or DM me to book your coaching session, and let's move forward together with grace, not pressure. You're not behind, you're becoming. Have a great week and be blessed. Before we go, remember this. You have a dream, a dream that matters, a purpose that matters. And when you walk in faith and live with courage, that dream becomes a light for the world to see. Until next time, keep living with purpose. Be blessed.