The Courage to Stand On the Stage of Life: True Success Is Living Through an Authentic You!

By Nakia Melecio

The courage to stand on the stage of life”. Gives readers a life-changing approach to navigating the setbacks and unexpected turns of life. The result is a book that effectively and lovingly guides readers onto a path that was always meant for them – whether it’s the path they came from or a more authentic path they’ve always longed for. This book ultimately helps readers mine the opportunity a setback offers: the chance for a stronger, more authentic self to emerge.

The book will begin with stories of people who need to make a comeback, giving the reader a chance to say, “Oh, I so relate to that!” As the book unfolds, the reader will encounter stories of people who have made a remarkable comeback.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Apr 10, 2014
• ISBN: 9781483410418

Book preview

The Courage to Stand

on the Stage of Life

True success is living through an authentic you!

NAKIA MELECIO

Copyright © 2014 Nakia Melecio.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of both publisher and author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-1042-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-1041-8 (e)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 4/7/2014

Contents

Preface

Chapter 1:   The Courage To Be Me

Understanding God Has A Plan

Assessing The Damage

Calling Out Fears And Finding Courage

Finding Focus

Do Not Give Up

Chapter 2:   The Road To Redemption

Finding Solid Ground

The House Rejection Built

Having A Solid Mind Is The Key To Seeing Your Life As God Intended

Rising Above The Stronghold And Facing The Pain

Chapter 3:   How To Recover From Lies, Slander And Gossip

Rising Above The Hurt

Rising Above The Shame

God’s Word On Gossip

Recovering From Gossip

Chapter 4:   Having Vision To See Beyond The Mountains

No More Shame (Now Get Up!)

Seeing The Opportunity The Setback Offers

Learning From Failure

Don’t Let The Cost Of Disbelief Block Your Destiny

Chapter 5:   Success Starts With You!

Recalling Past Success

Rebuilding Confidence

Rediscovering Your Path

Gathering Support

Chapter 6:   Pressing Past Perception And Disappointment

Redefining Yourself

Having Faith

Disappointments Are A Stage Of Development

Holding Onto The Master’s Robe

Chapter 7:   Positioning Yourself For Success

I Finally Hear You God

Letting God Take Control

Bouncing Back After Satan Attacks Your Destiny

When God Inspires Delays

Chapter 8:   Thank God For The Reset Button

It’s Time To Give Your Past A Funeral

Still Standing After The Setback

My Judas Blessed Me

Forgiving Betrayal

Chapter 9:   Take Charge Of Your Journey

Finding Growth And Understanding

When A Man Doesn’t Love Himself: Dealing With The Enemy Within

Loving Yourself

A Man’s First Love

Chapter 10:   From Frustration To Vision

Taking Charge Of Your Journey

Finding Your Vision

Divine Setups

Learning Lessons From God

Chapter 11:   Victories Are Not Cheap

Equipping Yourself Through Spiritual Growth

Growing Closer To God Through Truth

Chapter 12:   Embracing Your New Life

Going Forward With Confidence

Redefining Your Relationships

Having The Courage To Go Against Public Opinion

What Do You Do When God Gives Strange Instructions?

Five Dimension Of A Man’s Heart

Deliver Me From My Hurt

You’re A Gift To The World

About The Author

Preface

E very day I thank God for the people He has placed in my life. Some of those people caused me great pain, and I questioned repeatedly what I had done to deserve to be treated in the ways I was sometimes treated, especially by those I’d trusted. I was angry and hurt, and I felt betrayed. Now, however, after thirty-eight years of living, I can finally say I am free to b e me.

And that is why I decided to write The Courage to Stand on the Stage of Life. Many of us find ourselves, as did I, thrown from what we believe to be our intended path. We travel along, believing we are fulfilling our purpose. Sometimes, to our confusion, pain and dismay, we encounter a huge setback. We find that we have been thrown from our path, and we suddenly realize that, through no fault of our own, we have landed in the ditch. That is what happened to me. I found myself in that very ditch. With joy and praise, however, I tell you now that the end result of my setback, of the rejection, pain and abandonment that I went through, was to find my purpose. Today my life finally makes sense. I have a better understanding of the trials I was given.

For years I rejected, because of fear and a sense of failure, what I was really being called to do. Now, after climbing my way out of the ditch and receiving God’s love, favor and approval, I have decided to let God use me in anyway he chooses. Sometimes God has to bring us to our knees to realize this life we live is not about us. It is about God and His plan for us.

Let me explain. I have trained some of the world’s best athletes, many of who have made a name for themselves and have made a fortune. What I now understand is that God had a plan for me all along, and that plan was for me to use my experience in training athletes as a foundation to teach. I understand He provided my experiences as a trainer so that I could learn to leverage the same principles I used to train physical strength to equip people with the tools and resources necessary for developing emotional and spiritual strength. That is what The Courage to Stand on the Stage of Life is all about. It is about using those experiences God gave me to help others. I understand now that my charge is to walk in authority and to wield purpose and, in turn, to help others find a calling and a purpose in there own lives. Whether artistically, academically, spiritually, or professionally gifted, sometimes we get stuck in the traps of our failures or success. After all, blessings can be curses. In The Courage to stand on the Stage of Life, I help readers see that the curses may very well be blessings in disguise. I provide readers, through a process of abilities awareness, which includes thoughtful self-introspection that leads to incredible, sustainable breakthroughs, with the opportunity to climb successfully out of the ditch into which they’ve been thrown.

As I began to consider how to develop this book, I knew there were certain guiding principles that needed to be included. The first has to do with self-pity. When I was thrown off course, I spent some time feeling sorry for myself. I was hurt and confused. It occurred to me, however, that my self-pity was self-centered. There is nothing more debilitating than feeling sorry for yourself. When we engage in self-pity, we take the stance of victim rather than of victor. Self-pity is a manifestation of fear that gives us an excuse to stay right where we are. I decided there is a time to be sad and a time to mourn, which are appropriate, healthy responses to a setback. I also decided that there is no time to wallow. It was at that point that I knew I wanted to share my story.

A main purpose of this book is to unlock the leader in every man and woman by helping each deal with the failures of his or her past. In an attempt to show readers the process of rising above past hurts and mistakes, I walk them through a process of empowerment, showing them an effective methodology for climbing out from the ditch and getting on with their lives in a successful and empowered way. The book provides readers the tools they need to find their way back onto a solid path of redemption and absolution. It is aimed to allow whatever desired outcome they seek within themselves.

A central theme is that comebacks are not just about restoring the external stuff you lost, such as the job or the money or the relationship. Comebacks are also about the inner resilience you gain, the ability to courageously face whatever life throws your way. With two parallel goals, The Courage to Stand on the Stage of Life helps readers to rebuild the aspects of their external world that have crumbled and to build a stronger inner-self, an inner-self that can effectively navigate the current setback, as well as curb any setbacks that arise in the future.

Another underlying principle of this book is the importance of letting go of the past. Because it’s so easy to do, it is tempting to get stuck in what used to be. We tend to believe that if we no longer have what we had in our past, life cannot be fulfilling or worthwhile. We want to stare at the closed door and bemoan all that we have lost. What we must do, however, is face forward. We must not only discover, but trust, that open doors lie ahead. As you read the pages of this book and consider the reflections you are asked to consider, you will begin to stop ruminating. You will begin to face forward.

The difference between those who come back strong and those who wither is how they think, or, more precisely, their ability to manage self-sabotaging thoughts when they come. This ability significantly impacts one’s mood, motivation and actions. Research shows that resilient people have a specific set of skills they use when faced with adversity. The Courage to Stand on the Stage of Life will teach this set of skills and use them as an underlying theme threaded throughout.

The book provides real-life stories that will resonate with you, as well as step-by-step, how-to information you can use to start experiencing real change. The goal is to help you understand that you are not alone in this journey and to allow you to glean specific actions to take, based on lessons reflected in the stories. It also includes stories and verses from the Bible, allowing you to see that your setback is a part of God’s plan for your life, a way for Him to guide you toward your real purpose in life.

As a self-coaching tool with proactive and thought-provoking questions and reflections, the book is framed in a way to help you navigate the entire process of moving from ditch to destination. A key goal is to help you to learn to coach yourself. Because you are in the midst of a setback and are dealing with a wealth of emotions- fear, uncertainty, confusion, embarrassment, the book seeks to provide a safe space to explore, to reflect and to grow from your experiences, cultivating new feelings of hope, determination, optimism and courage. The goal is for this to be a book you refer back to again and again as you navigate your journey.

As you read the pages and encounter the tools, tips and techniques, you will find yourself inspired to begin immediately to make the changes in your life that you are called upon to make. You may be inspired to read faster than you should, to rush through the reflections and stories to get the information quickly. I ask, however, that you slow down. Read with intention and deliberation. When you’re asked to reflect, do so. Spend whatever time you need to truly reflect on how you got to where you are and how you can move forward. The questions, reflections, stories and verses are meant to help you understand all that has happened, why it has happened and how you can move forward. If you try to rush the process, you may find it difficult to remove yourself from the mire of murky waters in which you’ve found yourself. Only with thoughtful, purposeful consideration will you pull from the pages all that you can.

Without the courage to face and understand a setback, a person knocked off course and into a ditch will stay there. Being afraid to face the future- of making a wrong move or getting hurt or being embarrassed- will paralyze you from taking action. The comeback process described in The Courage to Stand on the Stage of Life requires that you muster a great deal of courage. You will need courage to believe that better days lie ahead. You will need courage to ask for help and to let go of the past and deal with the uncertainty of the future. You will need courage to start over and to take steps forward despite your fears. With the reflections and suggested actions that appear throughout the book, you will find the courage you need.

In the midst of a storm it can be hard to believe anything good will come. But it will. If you believe that, your actions will reveal it. Sometimes it takes years to see the big picture of what God is doing in a situation, but with patience, time and faith, the good becomes more obvious. Having the faith to believe this one truth can provide the motivation to persevere in the face of overwhelming odds. With a strong focus on self-awareness, which includes identifying your strengths and weaknesses, you will be better equipped to build confidence, lead others with humility and wisdom, and exemplify character at all times and in all situations. Learning to use your God-given talents to convey vision with a pure heart will only further inspire you to reach goals. Often times that means starting with the basics.

How about you? Are you ready to climb from the ditch and regain your footing on the path of your destiny? Are you ready to move forward and see what God has in store for you? Perhaps it’s time to acknowledge you are in the wilderness and muster the inner strength and courage to map your way to a better destination. Perhaps, as well, it is time to mine the opportunity your setback has offered: the chance for a stronger, more authentic self to emerge. Why not take a step to find out who you really are in the eyes of others and in the eyes of God. It could change your life.

Chapter 1

The Courage to Be Me

W hat do you do when suddenly a setback knocks you completely off course? A financial crisis forces you to reevaluate. A relationship you