Every Dream Will Be Challenged

By Stephanie Wilson-Coleman

Since the release of the blockbuster movie, The Black Panther, the African American community is buzzing with excitement. People of color, who have been a victim of the "danger of a single story" (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie), are again laughing, cheering and applauding all that we know to be true about who we are. Confidence is returning, and a hope that this movie, in "Wakanda' style, will transform what it means to be black in America. It is a place where women of color are portrayed as brilliant, brave and beautiful. For 134 minutes, women of color were able to step out of the portrayals of weakness and were permitted to assimilate into the brave images playing before them. Black Panther may be seen as only a movie by the majority, however, for African-Americans, women especially, it was a vivid reminder of who we are.

There is no getting around the fact that the Black Panther movie was revolutionary. But every dream will be challenged. This was also evident in the movie.

Metaphysically, we all face the challenge of balancing our desire to live our dreams of success while working to conquer our fears and our failures. In the midst of a high-tech society, we have fallen victim to consumerism and instant gratification, and neither supply the inner power to guide us to the dreams we thirst to achieve.

Luckily, we come powered by a substance more powerful than Vibrarium. We come filled with Spiritual Power; a power that can never be destroyed, and is easily accessible through our "awakening" coupled with a stubborn unwillingness to give up.

Here are a few keys to living your dreams.

1.  Make a Decision - decide what you want and why you want it. Once you know what you want and why you want it, start thinking about how you will feel having accomplished this. Using your five senses, 1) imagine what things are present; 2) what do you hear?; 3) where are you sitting and what is the temperature? 4) is food present? 5) do you smell any odors? Be certain this is what you want and not what someone else thinks you should have.

2. Be Up to The Possibilities - as you allow yourself to think about all the possibilities of how your life will change, various negative emotions, thoughts, and events will appear. Take the time to acknowledge your contribution to the negative event, forgive yourself and any others involved. Declare out loud "all lessons are learned, and blessings are received." Now move on.

3. Keep a Gratitude Journal - writing down what you are grateful for will keep your focused on what is going well in your life and not what is going badly. Be generous with your gratitude. Record the simple things not just the big things Being grateful for your health is wonderful, but so is being grateful for housing, food, water, internet, laughter, etc.

4. Create an Action Plan - write the steps you will need to take to achieve your goals. Also, write down ideas as to how you will overcome any obstacles you think you may face. Your Action Plan will keep you moving toward achieving your goals and ensure you have an action plan for any obstacles. This Action Plan should include goals you would like to accomplish.

5. Take 5 Specific Action Steps Every Day - take five specific actions every day that will bring you closer to your goal. Following this recommendation will help you accomplish more in a shorter period. Some examples are 1) send press releases; 2) write a column; 3) read and respond to email.
These steps will help you achieve your goals and overcome any challenges you may encounter.

Remember, life is too short to drink cheap champagne.

Dream Big! Live the life you've imagined.

Stephanie, a Success Mindset Mentor & New Thought Spiritual Coach, has the uncanny ability to help others break through toxic emotions and heal the residue left from traumatic experiences that are causing them to sabotage their success. She has an insatiable appetite for helping others achieve the impossible. She lives her inspiration as the founder of The Champagne Connection, Inc., the author of 3 books and the Host of the television show "A Sip of Inspiration". Her superpower: Transforming Lives.