It’s Never Too Late

“It is never too late to turn on the light. Your ability to break an unhealthy habit or turn off an old tape doesn’t depend on how long it has been running; a shift in perspective doesn’t depend on how long you’ve held on to the old view.

When you flip the switch in that attic, it doesn’t matter whether its been dark for ten minutes, ten years or ten decades.

The light still illuminates the room and banishes the murkiness, letting you see the things you couldn’t see before.

Its never too late to take a moment to look.”

― Sharon Salzberg

         It’s never too late to make a change in your life. It’s never too late to change the channel from a rerun to a new show. It’s never too late to break free from the chains of your past. For at any moment, you have the ability to wake up, change your perspective, and decide that this isn’t how your story will end.

Be Giving

“Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.”

― H. Jackson Brown Jr.

         Life is truly about what you give, not what you get. It’s about building relationships and sharing love with those around us. It’s about helping others without expecting anything in return. Most importantly, it’s about learning that some of your happiest moments stem from unselfishly giving of yourself in service of others.

Take Responsibility

“Take responsibility for your own happiness, do not expect people or things to bring you happiness, or you could be disappointed.”

― Rodolfo Costa

           You and you alone are in charge of your happiness. It is not the responsibility of other people or external things to make you happy. No, you must take ownership of your life, including the good and not so good. For true happiness and contentment can only come from within.

Define Who You Are

“Each of our lives is a separate and precious journey. No matter how happy, sad, painful, tragic or confusing it may by, it is unique and beautiful. No matter if we hurt others or if we ourselves were hurt, it happened and it is part of our story.

If we think we can have complete control over this journey, our journey will wake us up… usually with a very unpleasant surprise.

More than genetics, money or education, it is our journey who defines who we are. It defines what kind of person you are. Not the experiences you encountered nor the happy or traumatic events you may have endured. But rather how we dealt with those events and how we continue to deal with those events; when we evaluate ourselves and how we treat others.

Your journey is part of your story. But it is not the complete story of who and how you are. You are a soul, a spirit, who has traveled through this life and along the way; you learned and gathered bits and pieces from here and there. And you, yourself, have woven together a soul, a spirit. And that is who you are today. You define… you.

Oh, and just in case you thought your journey, your story was over… surprise, its not. So keep weaving. You are not finished yet. It is never to late to define who you are.”

― José N. Harris

          As you grow and evolve throughout life, you will find yourself redefining who you are along the way. You will find your priorities and what drives you changing. So, embrace the fact that your story is ever changing and at any point you can change the narrative.

Your Mindset

“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”

― Muhammad Ali

          The word impossible should be eliminated from your vocabulary. For impossible is merely a self-defeating mindset that does nothing but impede your ability to progress and grow in life. You must instead embrace the notion that your life is full of limitless possibilities where you have but to dream it to make it a reality.

Shift Your Focus

“You are here, alive and awake and for whatever reasons you have fought your battles, it’s time to start focusing on what strengths pulled you up when the entire world had knocked you down. That’s where the virtue in self grows.”

― Nikki Rowe

           Instead of focusing on all the bad things that happened to you, choose to focus instead on the fact that you survived your storms and managed to put the pieces back together. Reflect on the lessons you’ve learned and the strengths that pulled you through. For this is how you continue to grow and better equip yourself to handle whatever life throws at you next.

Create Your Happiness

“I’ve pursued dreams and achieved them, but I don’t think anybody should think their life is incomplete if they don’t follow some dream. Happiness doesn’t come from achievements, or money, or any sort of treasure. Happiness is a frame of mind, not a destination. It’s appreciating what you’ve got and building relationships with those around you.”

― Janette Rallison

            One of life’s greatest lessons is that happiness is a frame of mind. Happiness is a choice. It is a choice to accept yourself, your circumstances, and learn to find joy in every moment of life – rain or shine. Happiness isn’t about how much money you make; rather, it is about the relationships you build. It’s about the love you share with others and the lives you touch for the better.

Positive Action

“People tend to be generous when sharing their nonsense, fear, and ignorance. And while they seem quite eager to feed you their negativity, please remember that sometimes the diet we need to be on is a spiritual and emotional one. Be cautious with what you feed your mind and soul. Fuel yourself with positivity and let that fuel propel you into positive action.”

― Steve Maraboli

          What you get out of life ultimately depends on your attitude and perspective. If you choose to only see the glass as half empty and treat life with a negative attitude, then you will likely have a miserable life. Whereas, if you choose to greet life with a positive, can and will do attitude, you will find yourself much happier even though things aren’t perfect. So, each morning choose to embrace all that the day may encompass good and not so good and greet the sunrise with a smile.

Stop Limiting Yourself

“The only thing standing between you and your goal is the bullshit story you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it.”

― Jordan Belfort

            Often you are your own worst enemy. You and not others are the reason you’re stuck and can’t achieve your goals. You unknowingly or knowingly place limits on your future. So, make a conscious effort to stop coming up with excuses of why you can’t do something and instead say why not. Go after what you want in this life holding nothing back. You will be amazed to see what you’re truly capable of achieving.

Your Mind

“You need to learn how to select your thoughts just the same way you select your clothes every day. This is a power you can cultivate. If you want to control things in your life so bad, work on the mind. That’s the only thing you should be trying to control.”

― Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love

         Never underestimate the power of your mind. For your attitude and perspective determines what kind of life you have. So, work to cultivate positivity within your every thought and choose to always see the good in life.