Five Critical Challenges That Can Cause You to Forfeit Your Vision 

by Bernard Haynes 

“The hero is the man who lets no obstacle prevent him from pursuing the values he has chosen.”   Andrew Bernstein

Have you ever had to face a challenge that made you feel incapable and inefficient? Have you ever encountered a challenge that made you want to quit? Your challenges want you to give up on your future because of your yesterday. They want you to trust your flesh instead of trusting God’s lead. They want you to believe that God ha

s forgotten you in the midst of your troubles.

I believe that there are five critical challenges that will cause you to forfeit your vision. This is not an exhaustive list, but I have seen these repeated over and over again in my life and in the life of others. If we can gain victory over these five critical challenges then we will see our visions prosper.

1.  Perpetual Procrastination – Everyone procrastinates sometimes, but some people have made it a perpetual habit. They have allowed procrastination to stall their progress and negatively affect their performance. It causes unnecessary stress and anxiety. It leads to frustration and inaction. Perpetual procrastinators love to talk about what they are going to someday do, but they never take action

Please be encouraged, procrastination can be overcome. It will take a committed and consistent effort to transform from a procrastinator to a person of immediate action.

2.  Past Pains – A past pain can keep you from moving towards your vision. The pain can be so prominent in your mind that you cannot let it go. It keeps telling you what you can and cannot do. It keeps reminding you of the past instead of your future promise. You have to come to the conclusion that a past pain must be dealt with because it will affect your today in a negative manner.

The question that I have been asked countless times is, “How do I deal with the pain of my past.”  I tell people, you deal with it by: being honest with yourself, surrendering your issues to God, seeking forgiveness and taking full responsibility for dealing with your past.

3.  Persistent Pressures – Dealing with persistent pressures is not fun. They can come from outside forces that we cannot control or they can come from the internal battles that confront us daily. We want them to go away like a piercing tooth ache, but just wishing it away will not bring positive results. We must deal with our persistent pressures.

Just like earthly diamonds are formed when enough pressure is produced ninety miles under the earth’s surface, along with temperatures of 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit. It is said without these particular conditions, diamonds cannot be formed. I believe without some intense pressures in your life, you cannot become the illustrious diamond God created you to be.

4.  Pessimistic Perceptions – We live in a society that is bombarded by pessimism. The twenty-four hour news media constantly feed us negative news daily. We are surrounded by people that think and speak negatively. We can all experience difficult situations that can leave us with a very pessimistic perception of life.

Overcoming a pessimistic perception is sometimes easier said than done. No matter what your personal circumstances may be, it’s not unusual to feel as if the world is somehow conspiring against you. Financial struggles, family issues, job uncertainty, societal turmoil and the list goes on can leave even the most optimistic person battling negative thoughts.  

In light of this, it’s imperative that we find ways to change our pessimistic perceptions into empowering thoughts that leads to confident talk that produces effective actions. Overcoming pessimism is not a one-time process, but it is a continuous conditioning of your mind to focus your thoughts in more positive and productive ways.

5.  Perceived Perfection- If you believe that everything has to be perfect before you make your move, think again. Many individuals have hindered their progress because they believe that everything has to be perfect. They continually squander valuable time dotting the “I’s and crossing the “T”s, but never completing a task.

They have to read another book to have the right jargon. They have to take another class to get the right understanding. They have to get the right person to approve their material before they launch out. Do not get me wrong, you should strive to do things in an excellent way, but trying to have everything perfect can become an unhealthy obsession.

Trust me, it’s okay not to be perfect, because “being perfect” is not real. It’s just wishful thinking. It does not exist. Okay, I forgot there have been a few perfect games in baseball and Baylor women college basketball team just completed a perfect 40-0 season. Besides a few exceptions, striving for a false perfectionism can distract you from being the real you; being who you really are, saying what you believe, wearing what you like and doing what you really want to do.