^“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14 NIV)

Happy New Year Everyone!!! Welcome to 2024.  I have to admit 2023 was an emotionally challenging year due to the loss of one of my best friends, one of my church moms and a longtime friend from my home church; however, the loss of my friends has only motivated and inspired me to live on purpose. In 2024, I challenge you to step out on faith and do a new thing. 

Business Insider printed an article titled, “The one thing every successful person needs to do, according to Steve Harvey” where in a taping of Family Feud, Steve Harvey speaks to his audience encouraging them and giving them insight of his own successes.  As a result of this six-minute video clip, Steve Harvey has written a new book titled, “Jump: Take the Leap of Faith to Achieve Your Life of Abundance.” Harvey states, “Believe it or not, every successful person in this world has jumped. You cannot just exist in this life. You have got to try to live. If you are waking up thinking there has got to be more to your life than there is, Man believe that it is. But to get to that life, you’re gonna have to jump.” Me personally, I want to lead a purpose-driven life that serves, inspires, heals, and motivates others.  I want to LEAP into a new and positive opportunity every chance I get!

I established New Wine Consulting in 2015. Since that time, I have been writing this inspirational blog, but lately I started to think, “What can I do differently to keep my readers engaged?” For 2024, I decided my theme will be “Transformation: New Mindset—New Results.” My leap of faith will be instead of only writing about transformation, I will conduct interviews with individuals who have transformed their lives or are dedicated to transforming the lives of others. My trial interview was in December with Kimberly L. Johnson, Licensed Professional Counselor, discussing coping during the holidays. The interview was well received by readers and motivated me to conduct additional interviews. My goal is to continuously evolve and stay relevant to my readers.

Steve Harvey compared going after success to a parachute—“When you first jump, your parachute will not open right away. I’m sorry, I wish I could tell you it did, but it don’t. You gonna hit them rocks. You gonna get some skin tore off on those cliffs … you’re going to be bleeding pretty bad. But eventually, the parachute has to open.”

Are you ready to take that “leap of faith” in 2024?

• Do you want to become an entrepreneur? LEAP!
• Do you want to write a book or blog? LEAP!
• Do you want to exercise more? LEAP!
• Do you want to eat healthier?  LEAP!
• Do you want to increase your credit score?  LEAP!
• Do you want to save more money?  LEAP!
• Do you want to become debt free? LEAP!
• Do you want a new career?  LEAP!
• Do you want to learn how to cook?  LEAP!

Okay, I think you get the picture.  Whatever you have a desire to do, I challenge you today to take that leap of faith; the cemeteries hold many untapped gifts and talents.  American author and motivational speaker, Leo Buscaglia, once stated, “Your talent is God’s gift to you.  What you do with it is your gift back to God.”  Today, let’s decide to live our lives to the fullest and discover the purpose God has created us to pursue. Get ready, get set, LEAP!