Almost 14 years ago, I was eagerly awaiting to meet our first child. We had been told she would make her arrival August 26. As the weeks grew closer to that date, there was an anxiousness and excitement at the thought of bringing a child into the world. We would finally meet the being that had been crawling, jumping and moving around inside me.

On the Saturday afternoon of August 13, my husband and I were watching my niece who was about three years old. We decided to get out of the house and walk around the block. We began walking and about 15 minutes later, it started pouring down rain. We had no rain gear and were several yards from our home. Instinct kicked in, and we all took off running home. I was 38 weeks pregnant.

At about 6:00 the next morning, the labor pains started. I didn’t know what to expect but I figured this was the moment everyone had tried to prepare me for. I woke my husband up and said, “Let’s go to the hospital.” We drove quickly and the labor and delivery process began. I remember being in the hospital room and lying in the bed trying to get comfortable and remain calm. I tried to remember all the techniques we learned in our birthing class, but the contractions were sharp pains that quickly took my attention off everything but the immediate feeling of pain. Over the next ten hours, I had to focus on the end result, rise above the fear and uncertainty and trust my body and its instincts. I had to push through the pain in a productive way that allowed the baby to come forth. As much as I wanted to give up and stop pushing, I couldn’t. At that point, there was no turning back. I had to birth the baby.

Each of us has a “baby” to birth. We are filled with passion, desires and dreams. They were placed inside of us and are waiting to be unleashed. After a period of growth and time, the dream will have to come out. It is in our best interest to be ready for that moment and to push through the frustration, the discomfort, the pain, and the uncertainty and to give birth to our purpose. When the baby is born, the overwhelming sense of joy, fulfillment, completion and adoration for this new creature is truly amazing.

Although the process is long, difficult and uncomfortable, there is no other way to get to the end result. Keep pushing until you see your dream.  Now is your time to push!

~Coletta Jones Patterson

*Coletta is an author, motivational speaker, life/business coach and executive.  Her latest book, “Beyond Stuck: Creating the Life You Want” is available on Amazon and provides a roadmap for readers to create the life they want by discovering who they are, where they are going and how they will get there.  Connect with Coletta at info@moveu4ward.com.