For my country music lovers out there you’ll know this line from Jason Aldean’s song, Crazy Town, “One year they repossess your truck, and the next you make a couple million bucks”. This pretty much sums up my life! I have had extraordinary personal difficulties – a childhood riddled with abuse and a life filled with some unbelievable tragedies. But as an adult I’ve been able to make my own path.
Well it’s almost a new year and a lot of people are thinking about 2014 and what they’d like to do, how much they want to make, where they want to go, etc so I’m going to cut straight to the chase today – People, you do not have to be defined my what you did yesterday (or last year or last week) but make no doubt – you will absolutely be defined by what you do today! We live in an amazing country that allows us the freedoms to create our own path in life, no matter who we’re related to or where we grew up. And we are created and governed by an amazing, gracious, forgiving God that allows for second (and third and fourth) chances. So we never have to be defined by our yesterday’s!
If you’re unhappy with the person you are today then sit your ass down right now and determine what your happy looks like.
Now write it down. And get to work on creating your happy!
Maybe a happy you is debt free. Or travels the world. Or has close personal relationships. Or has a life with less stress. A happier you doesn’t necessarily have to be about money! Several years ago I was a very unhappy person, sick all the time, depressed, literally almost died in a hospital bed on more than one occasion.
And then one day I simply decided to be happy.
Yes, it was that easy – no magic pills, no therapist, no great support from family. I just woke up one morning and I was through. I didn’t want to be sick anymore. I didn’t want to feel miserable all the time. I said to myself, “I’m going to be happy”, and then I went about making happy happen. I smiled. I talked to people. I prayed non stop, asking God to help me stay focused on happiness. I told people I was happy when I wasn’t. When I felt sick I told myself that I felt great! When I would have preferred to lie in bed and wallow, I got up, got dressed, and moved on. I came to realize that happiness was a choice – my choice!
And it can be your choice too.
Have I ever stumbled? Fuck yeah! We all stumble. But I get the hell back up – every time. And I get right back on the path. Because I can. It’s my choice to do so. And it’s yours too. We define who we are and who we get to be. Every day. With every choice. And in every moment. Don’t like who you were last year? Then decide to be who you want to be from now on.
In fact, this very blog was quite different when I started it 30 minutes ago. I was a whiney bitchy commentator and as I was writing it I thought, “wait, that’s not who I want to be”, so I stopped, deleted it, and started again. Right in that moment I chose to be the better me! And hopefully I’ll keep making those little choices all day.
What’s 2014 going to look like for you? Well, I guess that’s your choice, now isn’t it?
Leave a Reply