The First Step

By Kwesi Benjamin

Have you ever felt stuck? Have you ever felt like you’re in a particular place in your life, career or business for far too long? Do you have great ideas for business, purpose and impacting the lives of others, but somehow you just don’t know what the next step is?

These are questions that we seldom have answers to, due to a multiplicity of reasons. However, what I have learned is that the answer lies in taking the first step and doing something related to what you desire to achieve. There’s something about that step of faith—that step into the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen —that gives fuel to the fire of belief that burns inside of you and I.

A perfect example of this would be when Peter longed to do as Jesus did, and walk on water. After Jesus called him, Peter showed desire and then took a step to fulfill his desire. In taking a first step like Peter, you ought to have a goal or vision that you intend to reach. I imagine that to even take the first step, Peter had to put out every logical reasoning that told him that it is humanly impossible to walk on water, out of his mind. In our lives as well, to take the first step, we sometimes need to battle the thoughts that tell us that we’re not good enough. We need to discount the thoughts that tell us nobody in our family has ever taken that step, or that it is too big for us to do.

Think about that dream that just won’t leave you alone no matter how hard you try, and ask yourself whether it is worth fighting for. Is it worth it to forsake everything that’s holding you back and create something that will live on for generations and be a legacy to others? Think about these questions and arrive at your own answers.

Then, when you decide to pick up that dream and run with it, you must fuel it with belief. You can do this by designing an environment as well as a support framework that will keep that fire of belief burning. Get the right books, motivational audios and videos and talk to people who have been able to achieve what you desire to achieve. Also, get a coach or mentor who you can be accountable to, as well as be guided by. And, do it before it’s too late.

The late Dr Myles Munroe said that the richest place on earth is the graveyard, and that’s because so many people were afraid to take the first step and died with all the potential inside of them. Do not allow fear and doubt cripple you from taking actionable steps that will lead you to fulfill your purpose and mission in life.

For me, getting started and writing this article was a first step, and one that I had been delaying for a very long time. I had thought that I couldn’t do it or wasn’t qualified enough to do it, but here I am launching out into the unknown. Join me as you take the first step on your journey to achieving your goals and dreams, and let's elevate to greatness together.