This week we were honored to have Mr. Johnie Hampton share with us about his life and his business, Hampton Creative. With many things to voice and many life lessons to portray he focused on one thing- overcoming fear. Simplistic and straight to the point, he created 6 points about conquering our fears that left the interns revitalized and encouraged.
He started with:
1. Don’t be afraid of preparation. Many people go through times of pain and trial and no one ever sees it. What they see is the “you” that has come out of that and entered into the “limelight”. Preparation produces character.
2. Don’t be afraid to show passion about what you want to do. He began to explain that we are individuals and if we are going to live out our dreams we have to do it unlike any other. Later he reinstated this point with a candid statement, “If you are passionate about it, you will make it happen.”
3. Don’t be afraid of opposition. All too often people will tell you what you can’t do instead of what you can. Opposition is an opportunity to learn.
4. Don’t be afraid if it doesn’t work out the way you planned. Just because things don’t work out the way we planned, it doesn’t mean they won’t work at all. Twists and turns are a part of life; it’s what proves who is determined and who is not.
5. Don’t allow yourself to be offended. This step, in my opinion, is vital. Offense only holds you back from learning and growing. Forgiveness is for the one who gets offended more so than the offender itself.
6. Know your season. Mr. Hampton started off this crucial point with Gal. 6:9 – “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Persistence is key for success. How bad do you desire to fulfill your dreams?
Once he was finished I was left thinking about how I had let fear creep into my own life and determine what I was capable of doing or being. A few moments passed and I realized that I had allowed fear to become an excuse, an excuse for settling for less. The truth is, we determine what we are capable of. Fear is only a circumstance and just like any other circumstance it is subject to us and how we look at it. I’ll finish with reiterating a statement made earlier by Mr. Hampton, “If you are passionate about it, you will make it happen.”
