” I gave up!”  After months and months of trying I just couldn’t take it anymore.  Sound familiar?  I tried, really I did try.  No one noticed.  I am not really sure that no one cared.  Then it resounded within me that something had to be done.  What should I do with all of this information I had obtained?  I was on overload and my mind felt like mush.

Today, in just one of my email accounts I searched one person’s name and had over 557 emails since July of 2014.  This didn’t count all the replies.  Each email contained ideas on how to make more money by doing this or that.  Each email had a link, a success story, and yet another method.  I finished spending a few hours online trying to see how I could do it again.

Learning is valuable.  However, there comes a point in which you have to start applying all that knowledge and do something about it.  

Two stories come to mind in regards to this point.  Last year I had a co-worker and great friend who froze right in the middle of trying to pursue their dream career.  Thousands of hours and money of course and they froze.  The pressure became so great that the thought of another semester of college made this person sick.  Information overload caused them to tilt.

The second story is very personal.  At the age of 9 I knew I wanted to write books.  When I was in Bible College the idea came to me for my very first book.  I had the outline and could even see myself helping train others with it.  The only problem I had was, ” I gave up.”  I kept those thoughts and ideas to myself and the outline stayed in the folder I tucked it into.

Life happened and before I knew it the desire to write had faded away, or so I thought.  In a short period of time, my entire life turned upside down.  My family was no longer a family and 1 of our 5 was gone to another place.  I had written the rough draft of my book right before this happened.  After completing it, life happened again, but this time it was my wife who was gone to another place.  When that happens no book seems valuable.  I set it aside and gave up.

True to my own word:

Learning is valuable.  However, there comes a point in which you have to start applying all that knowledge and do something about it.   

I found that I had come to the point where I had to apply what I knew and do something with it.

Here are 5 steps that I took to overcome, “I Gave Up!”

• Dig Deep:  Look back to what was in you before LIFE seemed to define you.  It is there, you just have to peel back the layers. The deeper you dig into what is on the inside of you the more you will realize what has been set aside or buried.
• Dust off the dirt:  I know what you are thinking, that is easier said than done and you are right!  It is always easier to say something than it is to do it.  However, when you have identified what it was that you buried, it has to be dusted off.  I took the finished rough draft of my first book and sent it to editors I knew.
• Don’t Delay: I started this blog post today.  I was tired of gathering information and decided to do what I like, and that is to write.  Rather it makes me any money today or not.  I GAVE UP delaying.  You have to start.
• Deepen Your Faith: For me, Faith in God is my key.  Hebrews 13:5 says, ” …For He Himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  This verse is an anchor to my soul.  It is deep within me.  No matter the outcome, God is Faithful.  Faith is defined as the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)  Rather your faith is in God or not, FAITH is a spiritual principle anyone can put into practice. How can you deepen you faith?  Start hoping for things you can’t see. My family may not be together, but it hasn’t stopped me from being one.
• Do Something:  Today I set out to find a way to make more money.  I looked at emails, followed links, and even revisited three mentors websites.  Then I visited my website and this blog. I almost started to change up the way my website and blog looked and then, ” I GAVE UP.”  I quit trying to learn and started this posting.

The 5 things I just mentioned didn’t just happen today.  They are principles I have practiced anytime my mind feels like mush. Their things I do, when I need to do something.

I challenge you today to start doing what you already know to do and watch it make things change.

Shawn