SELF CONFIDENCE | WRITING | DESTINY | INSPIRATION | LIFE
Through The Eyes of A Child
Everyone has the power within to change their destiny.
Did you know your brain holds onto every experience…every perception you’ve ever had? Each indecision, failure, embarrassment, disappointment, anxiety, heartbreak, misdirection, mistake, betrayal, lie, abandonment, and loss…is filed within the corners of your mind. And emotions line the shelves too, like anger, resentment, fear, and pain. That’s pretty remarkable.
Those memories build your frame of reference. But, the reflections can also cloud your vision and cast road blocks that alter the path toward your destiny––if you let them.
Everyone has their own unique story with all its twists, turns, hopes, and dreams; yet at the same time, universal threads unite us all as we search for love and meaning in our lives.
As different as we appear on the outside, we all bleed, cry, love, and hurt the same.
And we all have the power within to change our own destiny — we can use the past to propel us forward…or paralyze our lives.
I know first hand it’s hard to change directions. New paths can be daunting, but I’ve found the choices I feared the most to carry out actually evolved into the best decisions of my life. If staying with the status quo isn’t the dream life you desire, you can’t expect time will change that trajectory.
No matter how you look at it, a map to California can’t take you to New York!
The economy has knocked the wind out of a lot of sails. If you’re at a crossroads in your life or are forced to start over, try taking a step backward, first.
Remember the dreams you had as a young adult––or as a child––and look through fresh eyes to find the past of your future.
Discover your passion and take a leap of faith. You might find the new direction will thrust you toward your dreams and open a whole new world…a world where you wake up each morning energized and excited to challenge each day ahead.
Air Supply nailed the concept in their hit song, “The Eyes Of A Child,” released in 1987.
When you look to the past for life’s long hidden meaning
For the dreams and the plans made in your youth
Does the thrill to achieve match the warm hidden feeling
That lies so still and lives in you
In the eyes of a child there is joy, there is laughter
There is hope, there is trust, a chance to shape the future
For the lessons of life there is no better teacher
Than the look in the eyes of a child… ~ Air Supply––The Eyes Of A Child
The above lyrics are just a snippet of a truly inspiring song. Please, take a moment to listen to the entire song on Air Supply’s YouTube video—really listen and consider the words. If we could all look through the innocent eyes of children, imagine the dreams we might accomplish.
Have you ever wondered how your life would unfold if you had a chance to change one big decision in your past? Think about it.
What if you had a do-over — if you could go back in time and take a different fork in the road — the one that could have changed the course of your life?
Although many of my books are time-slip suspense, clearly we can’t go back in time––but a do-over is definitely within the realm of possibilities.
The choices you make everyday direct your destiny and each one matters. If you don’t like where you are right this second, you can change your situation and your circumstances. Sounds hard? It’s really not.
If you move from where you are standing…or sitting…right this second, your viewpoint will alter dramatically.
Of course, it’s not that easy to change the course of your life. You have responsibilities; commitments, people depend on you and besides, there is no magic wand to miraculously change your circumstances.
Maybe not but options always exist. Letting your life drift on the wind with no direction is like setting a ship afloat with no destination. Choose to determine the direction of your life’s journey.
There’s only one thing stopping you from reaching your dreams––YOU.
When I wrote my memoir, Wingless Butterfly, my life unraveled, and I saw my story unfold first hand. Not everyone literally does that. But the truth is, we all write our stories every day.
My pastor, Andy Stanley, once said,
“The choices we make write the pages of our lives and unlike a book, once written, they can’t be edited.”
His words seared into my mind,
“When you write your story remember you only get one draft, so, make it a masterpiece.”
It’s easy to flashback on your life, but what if you flashed forward. Years from now when you look back on these moments, what will you see?
The choices you make today — right now, will determine your future. You have the power in your hands this very moment to change what you’ll talk about when you look back on this time of your life.
I know, it’s a simple concept to imagine and a daunting idea to implement, but making changes isn’t as difficult as you might think.
I wasted far too much time, lost in the pages of my story, letting life simply happen. Like Rip Van Winkle, I slept through years––waking to find much of my life behind me.
But I finally learned––
If I waited until some specific event occurred to find happiness, or let fear prevent me from pursuing my heart’s desire, I would ultimately find myself at the end of the ride, surrounded by only broken dreams and regret. That ah-ha moment altered my destiny.
Sure, I met obstacles along the way, and never experienced a shortage of people who tried to convince me why my dream of becoming a bestselling author was unrealistic, but if I listened to those people who held me back, I would have never succeeded.
If you know anything about me, you realize I love quotes, and I think my favorite quote of all time is this:
“If you reach for the moon and miss, you’re still among the stars.” ––unknown
So, my advice…
Reach for your dreams, my friends. Grab hold and don’t let go. You are never too old to live your dreams! You’ve got this!
I’d love for you to follow me on Medium. Take a peek at my bio here.
- *Side Note: take a look at my other articles on Medium — like this one: The Thing About Dreams
Connect with me on social media and here on Medium.
Maybe you’ll discover something about yourself that might help guide you to live your own dreams.
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I love Illumination. What a fabulous publication! Please take a moment to click on these links for more stories you might enjoy: Tim MaudlinJeffHerring.com Brenda Christopher MaryJo Wagner, PhD Dr Mehmet Yildiz Vickie Trancho Jesse-Melva Johnson Sunita Pandit Peg DuchesneBenecia L. Ponder John Kremer Jacquelyn Lynn Kelda YtterdalPhilNomanono Isaacs Rick Hoefer Ellen Mogensen Dave KwiecinskiJoan Kent, PhD Roger Himes Esq. Terri Ward Nicki Walsh Susan Joy SchleefNancy H. Vest Dr Jeanne King PhD Nile Nickel Cynthia Charleen AlexanderLinda Miles Murray Thomas Anderson Andrew Poletto Dr. Sue MassimoBreakfield and Burkey Tom Antion Linda Halladay