This Side of the Creek

One of the hardest things for some individuals to do is take a look inward and examine who they really are, what they really want and what choices they really are or are not making. All too often I have heard people say that they either don’t know what they want or that they have a dream that will never materialize and they therefore sit back and watch life pass them by (while perhaps crying themselves to sleep at night).

Several months ago I was sitting in my mother’s house looking around (as if I hadn’t seen all of her belongings before) and I stopped on a picture of my grandma and grandpa. As I sat there staring at their faces, I began thinking about how my life could be more than what it was. I said to myself, “You CAN change your life or you can sit here in 10 years and have the same thoughts running through your head.”

That was only the beginning of a new journey for me. I started motivating myself to make choices that would benefit my mental and physical health, as well as choices that would aid me in my relationships and my career. Does that mean I accomplished everything in one night? Does it mean I have accomplished everything in a few months? No and No. I still haven’t completely accomplished “everything” I set out to do. I’m still having to make choices and pave the way. That is what living is all about.

Many of us may hate the words “You have a choice,” because hidden in those words is a lot of responsibility; perhaps more responsibility than we’ve ever been charged with. However, only we can change our circumstances. That doesn’t mean we can change everything all at once, but we do have the freedom to make choices that will improve where we are (if necessary) and push us closer to our dreams.

But we can’t achieve something/anything when we a) don’t take the time to look inward at what we may want and b) don’t accept the responsibility of making choices.