Well… here we are… another year. New starts.. New years resolutions… Goal setting… For many of us , going back to work and getting back into the “routine” again. What’s going to be different about this year? Statistics show that by February, most of us have all , but forgotten about our New Years resolutions. It tends to be the running joke, ” Who will quit first?”
If you are not happy with where you are in your life right now , perhaps it’s time to reevaluate your choices . In order to establish a different outcome, one must take different action and, in most cases, consistent action. You are where you are in your life because of the decisions that you have made up to this point. You might not be aware of those decisions . It is the curse of “routine”.

You can be caught up in a vicious cycle. This is the worst type of prison. It is the prison of mediocrity and complacency. What is worse than being a prisoner and not even realizing it? Mental slavery will always be worse than physical slavery. The repercussions are greater. They can last for generations. We pass our “legacy” of mental slavery down to our children due to our conditioned mindset. Conditioning has to do with being taught to think a certain way about ourselves , others , our environment and , worst of all, what is possible . This doesn’t mean that ,in every case, someone outside of ourselves  purposely taught us how to think. Most of our conditioning was based on our perception of our experiences. Two people can witness the same event, yet come to different conclusions.This type of mindset stems from fear. Perhaps an unlearning of things is in order.

I am just as “guilty” as anyone else of procrastination,complacency, giving into fear ,etc etc. My greatest fear has been the fear of failure. For nearly 25 years of my life, I have been “sitting on the fence”. Perhaps you might be asking yourself,”What does that mean?”. I’ll tell you. I have never wanted to be status-quo about anything. I have always known within myself that I was capable of accomplishing far more than I had done. Working for a company for 20+ years only to retire, get old and die was a fate worse than death for me. First of all , I don’t like being told what to do. Second of all, I was never truly interested  in climbing anyone else’s corporate ladder , but my own. This past year was probably one of the most challenging years of my entire life. It needed to be that way.It was a defining year for me. I experienced a rock bottom moment ( one lasting about a year and a half). Challenges, if you allow them to, both refine and train you. They serve you by assisting you with defining what is most important in life and what isn’t . Challenges humble you. You get pushed in a corner while they , unmercifully, continue to pound the shit out of you. You either decide to fight ( simultaneously define your vision while moving  forward towards it’s realization) or continue to get your ass kicked( feel sorry for yourself). I choose to fight.

It is impossible to grow without experiencing stress. In most cases, true growth is the result of constant stress. Most people, especially in the free world, tend not to have the stomach for it. They try to avoid stress rather than allow themselves to be trained by it. They get distracted with everyday troubles . Challenges help you to gain clarity in order to establish a clear vision for your life. It all comes back down to mindset. You have to condition your mind to see the positive in every circumstance. Once you have established a clear, concise vision, every situation , regardless, of appearances exist to serve you. Have you ever heard of the expression, ” What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger?”  You must set your mind on strength.

What is going to be different about you this year? Are you living an authentic life? Are you living life on your terms or, for that matter, do you even think that’s possible? What are you doing about it? Do you realize how powerful you truly are? Your thoughts become “things”. What thoughts about yourself, people or situations do you ponder on a consistent basis? Thoughts either serve or “cripple” you. They lay the foundations for our actions. Take them “captive”. Make it habit to fill your mind with thoughts that strengthen you. Question why you think the way that you do. Be mindful of your reaction to certain people and situations. Take time out of your “busy” schedule to get quiet . Spend quality time with yourself… dreaming.

Take inventory of the different areas of your life. Be honest with yourself. You owe it to yourself to be happy.To truly be happy, you must develop a strong sense of who you are…. your authentic self. It is only after you have established for yourself what you TRULY desire out of life can you ever be successful at accomplishing any worthwhile goal. Everything that you could ever aspire to become already exist in you. It calls you because it is a part of you waiting to be realized. You are not here to be like everyone else. You are here to express your “genius” fully in order to inspire others to do the same. It is at this point that each of us realizes this fact that this world will be saved. We are each individual expressions of the ONE. The entire human race is in a state of awakening. We can no longer look to any person or thing outside of ourselves to “save” us. We must participate in our own rescue. This is our time…. YOUR time……