A Step Already Taken?

March 4, 2012

Dear Friends,

Since 2004, I have been the guest speaker at more than ninety churches in sixteen states. I have been invited to speak at five national conferences. And I have shared my message with dozens of other organizations, as well. On more than once occasion, an appreciative person has asked me if I received some kind of formal training in public speaking. The answer is no. However, fairly early in life I was encouraged to be in some amateur theater productions, which helped me get over my painfully shy nature at the time. In my career as an advertising writer, I was frequently required to present my ideas to small groups of people. And later in life, I was asked to teach an adult class at my church—which I happily did week after week for eight years.

The result of those experiences was this: Once I determined that my next right step as a spiritual author was to promote my book and its message by speaking to as many congregations and organizations as possible, that step was a virtually effortless one for me to take.

Does that mean that all of those prior experiences were divinely orchestrated to make it easier for me to be a good public speaker? That is certainly possible. All I know for sure is this: Sometimes you are already taking your next right step, and you don’t even realize it. Once in a while there are activities that you engage in—either by choice or by necessity—that turn out to be very helpful steps in the unfolding of your good. Here’s another example:

After publishing Row, Row, Row Your Boat, it was my intention to write a follow-up book. But I never felt like I had the time to sit down and do it. One day, a friend of mine asked me to email her with regular notices about my ever-changing speaking schedule. That same week, two more people requested the same thing. Sensing that this was the divine flow, I began to honor those requests. But I didn’t just send out a schedule. I decided to add an inspirational thought along with it. And thus, my weekly inspirational messages were born.

I had been sending out these messages for about six months, when someone asked me if I was going to write a second book. As usual, I replied that I would like to write a second book, but I just didn't have the time to do it. And then this person said to me, “Couldn’t your weekly messages be your second book?”

At that moment I realized two things: Not only could my messages be my second book, they would be my second book! And better yet, it was already partially written! I was already taking the step I needed to take to fulfill my desire, and I didn't even know it. And very soon, friends, you will be able to read the result of that step already taken.

The “moral” to these two stories? Simply this: If you are feeling divinely inspired to take a certain action, but it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with accomplishing a particular goal that you have in mind . . . do it anyway! You never know what it may lead to, what it may prepare you for, or how it may help you realize a dream.

Steven

Share

© 2012 by Steven Lane Taylor
Author of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:
A Guide for Living Life in the Divine Flow
www.rowrowrow.com
Steven Lane Taylor, LLC