Here we are. A year later and the Coronavirus is still on the scene. It continues to wreak havoc in our world. Much attention has been given to the physical effects of this virus. However, in today’s episode, we are going to discuss another side effect that has had a detrimental effect on our life… living in anticipation.
“Once this pandemic is over, I’m going to (insert a list of things that you want to do).” I have heard this sentence numerous times throughout the pandemic. In fact, I have even caught myself saying it a couple of times every now and then in regards to my desire to travel. I want to travel outside the U.S.
Now there’s nothing wrong with saying, “Once this pandemic is over, I’m going to do (insert whatever it is that you want to do), but if the intensity and frequency in how you say this sentence leaves you feeling anxious, impatient or depressed, then you need to examine your mindset.
What you should be saying is, “What am I doing with the time I have right now?” Living a life of anticipation is not healthy. I’m going to let you in on a secret. With the exception of not traveling by plane and wearing masks inside of stores, I did not change a single way in how I lived my life during this pandemic. I might as well be sporting a t-shirt that says #Introvert
I’ve hate crowds. I’ve been a social distancing champ long before this term even became a thing. I love working from home! I have been working from home for several years prior to the pandemic, so I was already accustomed to the commute from my bedroom to my home office. During the height of the pandemic, many of the places that I would normally frequent were closed. Since I’m an incredibly creative person, I was able to devote even more time to channel my creativity into my side hustles.
Like Aloe Blacc says, “We’re here today, gone tomorrow.” I make the most of my time. I’m not going to live my life in fear. Don’t get me wrong, I know the virus is real, but I’m not letting that control my life. Be sure to check out my upcoming Make it Make sense segments on the Hustle in Faith podcast because that’s where I go into deeper details about my Christian faith, health, and random rants about life.
So again the virus is real, I get that, so I will do what I can to take care of myself and the rest is up to God. Either way, I’m good. For me, quality of life will always win over quantity of life. I do my part by maintaining a healthy lifestyle (I don’t drink alcohol or smoke) and I exercise every day. As long as my friends weren’t sick, we had lunch or dinner together either at a restaurant or at one of our houses.
Living in anticipation is NOT healthy. This is not the way that God intended for us to live our lives. You will without a doubt achieve greatness when you stop living in anticipation. Achieving this life all boils down to these three words: purpose, create and serve.
Whenever I hear people who are fortunate enough to work from home constantly complaining about working from home or about being bored it drives me insane. Comments like this indicate two things to me: 1.) These folks have clearly never experienced real adversity in life and therefore, don’t realize how good they have it. 2.) They have spent so much of their life on the go that the thought of being alone scares them because they don’t know how to leverage their free time.
None of the aforementioned happens when you know your purpose. One of my favorite verses is Jer. 29:11. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. If you’re struggling to determine your place in the world, I strongly suggest spending some 1:1 time with God to figure it out. This is exactly how my purpose started to materialize. The more time I spent with God, the more pieces he gave to me to help me solve the puzzle in determining my purpose.
Having a purpose is what makes life exciting. Your desire to make the most of your time is going to increase. I realize that there’s a time and place for everything. I’m very protective of my time. When I’m at work, I’m at work. I enjoy my job and I’m good at what I do, but my happy hour is when I’m able to focus on my passion projects. After work is my time to unwind and work towards the goals that God put in my heart.
Here’s the thing, once you figure out what your purpose is, you’ll notice an increase in obstacles that will appear out of nowhere attempting to prevent you from having time to achieve your goal.
We only have so many hours in a day. Take time to evaluate your schedule. How badly do you really want to achieve your goal?
If there are people or activities that are holding you back then you need to reduce and/or remove those distractions from your life. If you’re constantly putting yourself in situations where you’re not able to live out your purpose, you’re going to be miserable. Without a doubt, your level of happiness will increase due to what your purpose leads you to create.
Everyone has the potential to create a product or service that will benefit others. What prevents the majority of us from manifesting those ideas is often due to a lack of confidence, skills, or improper use of our time. When you’re properly using your gift of creativity you’re going to LOVE solving problems.
I’ve got more ideas than I have time or the money to implement all the ideas that I have. Therefore, I’ve really stepped up my ability to discern which ideas are the ones that I can truly devote time and resources to in order to ensure that the endeavor is worth my time. When you know what your purpose is you’re going to spend a large majority of your time actively working towards making your purpose manifest into reality.
If you lack a certain skill you’re going to do what it takes to attain it or connect with those who already possess it. For example, my background is marketing and communications with a special emphasis on market research. Yet, I’m a techie at heart. So a good portion of my free time was spent learning how to teach myself how to build websites, record videos, and audio. Now I’m in the process of signing up for a course to teach myself how to build mobile apps. Be sure to check out the Starengu website because I share a lot of resources that will definitely point you in the right direction.
When you know your purpose, nothing will stop you from attaining your goal. Putting God first will place you in a position to have the resources and time you need to make your dream become a reality. When you’re working on your passion you will be way too busy working on your goal to allow your circumstances to distract you. There have been plenty of instances throughout my life where I’ve stayed up until 2 or 3 am working on one of my side hustle projects because I lost track of time. When you do something you love it really doesn’t feel like work. You know when you’re really close to success when your purpose places you in a position to serve others.
Whatever purpose God places your heart will in some way shape or form serve someone else. For example, I know my purpose is to create inspiring content that motivates others to pursue their dreams. It’s why created this podcast and the Hustle in Faith podcast. My content creation services like my voice-over work help others bring their stories to life. I’ve got a lot more ideas and projects that I’m working towards making sure that they manifest as well.
KevOnStage is an excellent example of what I’m talking about. He’s a comedian that I’ve been following for a long time. He took his love of making people laugh and bringing joy into their lives to a whole new level by creating the KevOnStage app.
The majority of the content on the major TV networks that showcase Black people tends to be traumatic or if it isn’t traumatic we’re relegated to the role of a sidekick. KevOnStage wanted to change that narrative. He took his love of making others laugh, his purpose, and created the KevOnStage app. The content on this app has been so refreshing. It really is a channel that truly allows me a chance to relax and laugh. This app fills the gap of a place that one could go to for some lighthearted content that will make you laugh and see stories that you can actually relate to.
I love to create content (especially educational content) so when I see other content creators achieve their dreams, especially Black content creators, it’s incredibly inspiring and motivates me to keep going.
The Coronavirus is a storm that no one saw coming. For a year, we’ve essentially been stuck at home seeking shelter from this storm. When this storm has passed, what will be crossed off your list?
Thanks so much for listening to today’s episode. I’m confident that my side hustle of helping others to invest in themselves via my youtube channel, podcast, and most importantly my online courses can be of assistance to you.
If you enjoy Starengu’s podcast, please consider becoming a supporter by donating (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Starengu) to help offset the cost of producing this show. 🙂
Remember, if you’re everything to everyone then you risk being no one. You never know who you may inspire. See you in the next episode!
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