Entering a new season in life can be very exciting and frightening at the same time. A new season can bring with it a plethora of different emotions and thoughts that tend to bombard your mind and spirit constantly. There is also that underlying sense of simply not knowing what’s ahead of you and for you.

Not knowing what’s ahead will either cause you to stay in your comfort of complacency or it will challenge you to push past your fears and enter into a place where something wonderful just might happen.

Nothing great will ever happen in your comfort zone.

You may not have it all figure out. 

You may not have all the answers. 

You may not know what exactly is ahead of you.

You may not know what the outcome will be. 

However, there are several things you can know right now that can help you on your journey if you choose to step out into the unknown. Here are eight things you should know right now.

1. Your future is brighter than you think.

Today is a great day and tomorrow will be greater.  You have potential, passion and promise.  Take the risk, accomplish the goal and enjoy the rewards.  Quit looking at your future through the lens of yesterday’s failures. Expect the best.  Believe the best.  Receive the best.

2. Your past doesn't define you.

There’s a proper place for your past; it’s behind you.  No matter how many mistakes or failures you encounter, right now you have an opportunity for a fresh start.  Get back up and get going.  You got this.

3. Your mistakes can make you wiser.

You can look back at your mistakes as a teaching reference, but don’t camp out there.  Learn from them and make a strong effort to not repeat them.  Let your mistakes become your teacher.  Many successful people are very familiar with failing their way forward.

4. Preparation precedes opportunity.

Get prepared now for your future tomorrow.  See what you are doing now as preparation for where you are headed. 

I’m sure you remember the iconic movie, The Karate Kid, starring Ralph Macchio, who played Daniel, a teenager faced with bullying, and Pat Morita, who played Mr. Miyagi, a janitor at Daniel’s apartment complex. Daniel finds himself being singled out, bullied, and picked on by a group of guys at school. When he retaliates, he quickly finds out that these teenagers are all skilled in karate. 

Later on, Daniel, in an effort to eventually strike back once and for all, tries to convince Mr. Miyagi to teach him the art of self-defense. With much pleading from Daniel, Mr. Miyagi finally agrees to show Daniel how to defend himself through the art of karate.

Now this is where it gets interesting. Daniel’s expectation of being taught karate is much different than Mr. Miyagi’s teaching techniques. To Daniel’s surprise and disappointment, his training consists of doing the following chores for Mr. Miyagi:

Painting the house and fence.
Washing and waxing the cars.
Sanding the floor of his outside deck.

Daniel, although he doesn’t quite understand this, reluctantly does each chore with the expectation that Mr. Miyagi will eventually show him the real techniques once he finishes the chore. As time goes on, Daniel feels like Mr. Miyagi’s personal slave and is ready to throw in the towel and quit. 

In a famous scene where Daniel confronts Mr. Miyagi after finishing a long night of doing chores, Mr. Miyagi, fully confident in his selection of training methods, asks Daniel to show him the karate from the chores that he had done throughout the week. Brilliance explodes in the scene as Daniel uses all of those movements from doing chores to fend off the punches and kicks from Mr. Miyagi.

5. Helping others succeed makes you successful.

Don’t get tunnel vision and only focus on your dream.  Look around you, chances are, there are some people in your own circle of relationships that have a dream too, and they need your help.  A true sign of success is when you take others with you.  If you get tot the top of the ladder of success and you’re all alone, then you’ve done it wrong.  Reach out and help someone today.

6. Your dream today can be your reality tomorrow if you don’t quit.

Don’t ever quit.  Dig down deep to find that inner strength.  You never know, you could be one step away from reaching your destiny.  Keep putting in the time, effort and energy and one day it will all pay off. 

Roger Banister was told it was physically impossible for him to break the three-minute mile. He pressed on and did it anyway. Now today, the three-minute mile is used as a qualifier for some running events. He didn’t let the naysayers persuade him to take up residency in Settleville. He stayed focused and was determined to do the impossible. He trained for the moment. He prepared for the moment. He kept pushing through disappointments. And don’t think for one moment that he accomplished the goal of breaking the three-minute mile the very first time he tried it. 

7. Believing in yourself produces confidence.

I know it might seem weird or awkward but sometimes you just need to look at yourself in the mirror and say, “You Got This”.  Your own voice can be the most encouraging voice or the most discouraging voice to you.  Choose your words wisely.  Encourage yourself.  Inspire yourself.  You should be your own biggest cheerleader. 

Remember, you got this!

8. It’s never too late to make your next days your best days.

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. –Chinese Proverb.  It’s never too late to start forging a brighter future and a better tomorrow.  What are you waiting for?

Too many people buy into the lie that it’s too late or that they have missed the boat and it will never come around again. They simply quit trying because they think they are far too old to go after the goals and dreams from their youth. That couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s not too late now, and it won’t be too late a year from now, as long as you still have breath in your body. It’s never too late. You always have the choice to start right now, wherever you are, and begin to go after those lifelong dreams. 

Here are a few famous people who started their journey later in life and went on to do great things.

• Anna Mary Robertson Moses, also known as Grandma Moses, was a famous artist who started her painting career at the age of seventy-eight. Her paintings have been displayed and sold all around the world; in 2006 one was sold for $1.2 million.
• Henry Ford was forty-five years old when he created the Model T car.
• Have you heard of Julia Child? If you’ve spent any time around the kitchen, then you know she is a famous celebrity chef. She wrote her very first cookbook at the age of fifty, which was the catalyst for her career as a television celebrity chef.

Every new venture requires a huge amount of faith and risk.  It’s important to keep a strong mindset as you venture out into the unknown. Make sure to keep rehearsing these along your journey as they will empower you and encourage you to keep moving forward.