Adonis Lenzy Offers Practical Steps of How to Get Unstuck & Move to Our Dreams via His New Book "Next"

By Timothy Yap Jun 02, 2016 05:44 AM EDT

Endorsed by Dave Ramsey and with a Foreword by American Idol finalist Danny Gokey, Adonis Lenzy's new book, Next: What to Do When You Know There's Something More (Broadstreet Publishing), explains how sometimes in life we find ourselves still dreaming the dream but not living the dream. We reach a place called Stuck, which has the potential to lead to discouragement and unhappiness. We do the same old activities at work, school, or home while constantly imagining the life we really want to lead.

Next speaks to the everyday person who has somehow stopped believing in their dreams and shows them how to take simple action steps to keep them moving forward towards their goals and help them live the life they have always wanted.

Q: Congratulations on the release of your new book NEXT. For the sake of our readers who may not have read it, briefly tell us what the book is about?

This book is a great tool and resource that is about inspiring and motivating anyone who has an unfilled dream or passion in their life and they are ready to see it happen once and for all. It's about getting people unstuck and moving again towards the life they have been dreaming about. It's filled with very practical action steps that anyone can apply to their lives and start moving forward.

Q: What inspired you to write this book?

I was inspired to write the book after a series of conversations with different people that all had to do with them feeling stuck in life. Coaching each one of them in their process and journey of finding the right path that would lead to their dream was a huge eye opener. I knew there had to be many others out there that needed a little motivation, inspiration and direction as well. That along with my passion to see people succeed and reach their dreams was all the inspiration I needed to start writing the book.

Q: How is this book different from other self-help, motivational books dealing with people's futures and dreams?

For me, I've read many self-help and motivational books that left me feeling more stuck after reading them. What I mean by that is the books left me with a sense that I would never be able to accomplish the necessary steps that they were telling me to do. I felt as if they were skipping several steps and jumping right to a huge step that I felt so incapable of doing. So with Next, I wanted something different. I wanted a book that gave people simple action steps that were not overwhelming nor out of their reach.

Q: Who is your target audience? And how will this book help those you intend to reach?

The book is for anyone who simply feels like there is something more to life than what they are currently experiencing. It's for everyday people with a dream, or who knows there is something more, and need a little help getting started. Next will help the reader to establish an action plan along with a positive attitude. It will help them identify and move beyond their fears, distractions and excuses that are holding them back. Everyone has a Next in some area of their life.

Q: In the book, you said that It's never too late to make your Next days your Best days. Can you explain why you are so passionate that people believe that and live their life by that statement?

So many people fall prey to the vicious excuse that it's too late for them to accomplish their dreams and goals. They simply buy into the lie that their opportunity has passed them by and it will never come around again. What I've come to see is that some people think it's too late, when in reality, they simply quit too soon. I want to inspire people to keep moving forward until what they've been dreaming about actually happens. I don't want to see people settle for a life that is less than what they are capable of living. Seeing people reach their dreams is truly my passion and it's the motivation behind me doing what I do.

Q: What steps can people take today to figure out what their Next should be if they don't know?

I always tell people to sit down and do a life assessment. Figure out what are the things that you are most passionate about doing and write them down.

What are the things that excite you the most?

What are the things that you would want to do all day if you could?

What are the things that you get out of bed for and are ready to go out and accomplish?

I believe a dream or a goal is always somehow connected to a passion of yours. Once you have a list of your passions, then the next step is to begin to figure out ways to incorporate an action plan around that particular passion. As you begin to map that out, it will begin to give you a sense of direction that could possibly be for you.

Q: In the book you speak of a place called STUCK. Why are people stuck and feel like they are not living out God's purposes in their lives? And what advice do you have for those of us who are stuck?

I think a lot of people feel like they are stuck and not living out God's purpose for their lives is because somewhere along the journey they hit a very rough spot. Maybe their progress was stopped because of certain situations or circumstances out of their control. Others may have stumbled into a repetitive cycle of start, discouragement, stuck and do it all over again and again.

In the book, I talk about a number of reasons people are stuck and what to do to overcome. Some of those reasons include: comparison, procrastination, lies told to them by others or lies they tell themselves, past rejection, tradition/habits, lack of support by others and lack of faith.

To me, the very first thing you have to do in order to start getting unstuck is to realize that you are stuck. Once you realize you are stuck, and more importantly, why you are stuck, it will start you on a journey of breaking those cycles that have caused you to be on pause and repeat. It will give you an overall scope of where you are and where you need to go in order to reach your dream or goal. It's kind of like walking into a mall for the first time and being clueless to how to get to the department store you want to go to. You can either waste precious time walking aimlessly through the mall or you can go up to one of the giant kiosk maps that says, "You Are Here", with a giant X to identify your location.

Q: What is God's role and the role of Scripture in such a pursue of our dreams?

God's role in all of this is that He is the one that has the plans and purposes for our lives. He designed us all with a unique purpose and sometimes it may take a while to determine what that is and it may change over time but we can always overcome with God's strength and help. But we have to do our part and do our best one day at a time.

For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT)

He shows us small glimpses of what He has in store for us that helps us to start traveling in a certain direction. Being a Christian for over 20 years I have become a firm believer in that fact that your God given dream or plan is not just intended to make only your life better, but it's intended to help the lives of everyone around you. All throughout the Bible we read stories where God chose one person and gave them a huge plan to help others.

As we continue our journey, we have God's Word that will continue to provide a source of direction, strength and hope in every stage of the journey.