This week, I’ve decided to do something many of us entrepreneurs never do. I’ve decided to be honest about my journey to entrepreneurship. Many of us are embarrassed to admit our struggles, but I feel that it is my duty to help the next person coming along. It’s my duty to keep it COMPLETELY real!
In 2014, I decided that just like many of my peers, that I was going to quit my job to follow my dreams. I had been working since I was 15 and a half and this was definitely something new for me but I was determined that I was going to prove everyone wrong and was going to become a successful artist because I had just that much faith.
I told myself that all I needed was faith in God and that faith was enough. I told myself that there was just no way God’s Will was for me to be working in retail management just to leave every single day feeling miserable. This was not God’s desire for me. It couldn’t be. I was His child and I deserved the very best! I didn’t have to go through the things others had to because I was special. I truly believed this with everything in me. And yes, I was special. I still am. But I simply had it all wrong.
Yes, I had these crazy dreams and I knew what I wanted to do with my life, but the dream alone wasn’t enough. I needed a PLAN. As my best friend Aaja of Aaja Corinne The Brand said, “An idea is NOT a plan” and that was just something I did not have. So I found myself trying to sing with no money. I had no money for the studio. I had no money for my bills. I had no money for anything yet alone money to fund my dreams. I was BROKE!
Graciously, I had an amazing boyfriend who was willing to pay the bills as I chased after a dream I was barely prepared to truly sacrifice for, but it cost me a lot. One day I looked up and realized that I didn’t want to be that person anymore. I didn’t want to struggle. I didn’t want to live paycheck to paycheck. I didn’t want to be that women who allowed a guy to fully take care of her financially that wasn’t my husband. I wanted to get back to being independent. I wanted to get back to being able to take care of others and not worried about needing someone to take care of me. I simply wanted to get back to being ME!
It was at that moment that I began to realize that just because God gives you a vision, does not mean He gives it for that particular season. I took the dream and ran with it, rather than waiting on God to lead the way. I didn’t wait for God to open the door. I didn’t listen for that “still small voice.” If you don’t take anything else from this post, remember this… God will never send you anywhere and NOT PROVIDE! Yes, I have been able to pay ALL of my bills on time due to the Grace of God, but it was definitely not an easy journey, not as easy as I know it could have been had I been obedient and moved when He said move.
Keep in mind that not everything God tells you to do will be easy. I am not speaking on the trials and tribulations that come along with this thing we call life. I’m not even speaking on the “process” aka the things God takes us through to build us up to be who we are called to be. I’m speaking specifically on our premature moves. I’m speaking on the decisions we made when we were in our “feelings” rather than in the Will of God!
So what do you do when you feel you’ve made premature moves? I’m glad you asked. It’s quite simply honestly. SEEK GOD! Humble yourself, repent for thinking you could have ever done ANYTHING on your own, and seek God. The great thing about God is that even when we mess up, His Grace is sufficient. All we have to do is acknowledge Him in all that we do, and He will definitely direct our path! Along with that, don’t be so hard on yourself! We all make mistakes. We all have done things that we “felt” were truly the right thing to do, but that’s the beauty about it. Even when we feel that we’ve wasted so much time doing the “wrong” thing, God still can turn it around to work for our good! So keep pushing, and keep pressing. You’ve got this, but most importantly, God’s got you!