Life has a way of delivering hard blows you never see coming. It can be the death of a loved one, sickness, job loss, difficulty in marriage, an identity issue, faith crisis or unfulfilled dream. When “it” happens, you begin to see the gap between what life is and what you thought it would be. Now, you can respond by hating the world, blaming others, succumbing to depression or engaging in self-destructive behavior.
Or…when life sucker punches you…instead of getting mad (even downright indignant), you can get EVAHN! You can choose to believe that the stuff you’re dealing with is only an indicator of where you have been, not a predictor of where you’re going.
Getting EVAHN is not a spiteful plot to identify and destroy the enemies of your state of happiness. It is simply an acrostic– emphasizing five key principles for successfully overcoming challenges and navigating new paths in life. Work the principles and they will work for you!
Evaluate where you are
You can’t move from where you are, if you don’t know where you are! If you don’t learn to critically reflect, define reality, face the truth, unmask and uncover…you will move, but only to familiar places. If need be, get the help of a life coach or counselor to analyze the thoughts decisions, and behaviors from the past that guided you to the present. It is only then that you will be able to make the necessary changes or corrections to move into the future.
Visualize where you want to go
When you evaluate your life, you are confronted with reality. Reality can beat you into accepting things as they are or it can push you to pursue a desired future. So…close your eyes and imagine your life at its best. See yourself how you are and where you are, but imagine the possibilities of what you can become and where you can go. Then, open your eyes and write what you see. This “vision” becomes the blueprint to build a strategic life plan.
Act strategically and intentionally (with accountability)
Most of you have heard the biblical principle, “Faith without works is dead.” That means you can dream all day. But, if you don’t wake up and get going, the day (opportunity) will simply pass you by. So, I encourage you to have big vision. But, I implore you to act to make that vision a reality. Develop a strategic plan that includes realistic goals, corresponding activities and deadlines for delivery. Then, execute that plan on a daily basis with intention and some form of accountability.
Hope with courage and conviction
This may sound a little hokey—even super spiritual, but this is just as important as any of the other principles. Hope is the confident expectation that what you visualize for your life will happen. It is important, because you can pray and plan and act, but there will inevitably be a “drought” season. And in that season, if you are not convinced the rain will come, you will likely get distracted, discouraged and ultimately doubt the vision altogether. Hope is the buffer against defeat. It fosters resilience, produces steadfastness and causes you to passionately run the race in spite of the hurdles.
Name the wins
Hope feels good. But, there will come a time when you don’t want to feel good, you want to see results. The good news is, when you engage in evaluation, strategic visioning, planning and intentional action; you will produce results. The principles do not fail. The problem is, you can either 1) Get so caught up in the process of doing or 2) Be so fixed on how the outcome should be packaged and delivered, that you fail to recognize goal achievement. That is why you must take time to name each success and celebrate each win. Doing so causes you to see the glass half full and be grateful for how far you’ve come. It keeps you connected to the big picture and reminds you that any significant vision is achieved one day at a time—one decision and action at a time.