You Are the Author of Your Own Life

If you don’t like what you’re seeing, rewrite the scene

One of the coolest things about being a writer is that if you don’t like something you’ve written, you can rewrite it. Throw it away, wad it up, and toss it over the back of your shoulder. Erase it, delete it.

Life is very similar to writing; if you don’t like what’s going on in your life, you are the author of your own life; if you don’t like what you’re seeing, rewrite the scene! Don’t get rid of your life! Instead, rewrite it! Make your life what you want. Make it your dream fulfilled.

I was once so down and out that I just wanted to give up. I didn’t care anymore. I only had a few dollars to my name, a broken-down car, and I lived in a condemned house. I also lived 2 miles out of town, so getting to and from anywhere was challenging. A friend reminded me that I was the author of my own life, so maybe I just needed to change the story ending.

It didn’t take much to want to change my story ending. After coffee with a friend who stopped by one morning, I sat down and began my list of changes. I needed a running car, I needed a better job, and I needed to live somewhere that wasn’t condemned. My list was short. But it seemed so long and challenging. I was very depressed, and the only direction I could go was up.

After a few phone calls, I found a vehicle to borrow while another friend worked on my car. I used the barter system because I was flat broke. I found another job (and continued working online as well). Finally, three months later, I moved. I took a leap of faith and moved into a 5th wheel in my parent's driveway. I lived there for three more months. And then, one magical day, a farm fell into my lap.

A friend of my dads needed someone to be a caretaker for a farm. He asked me If I was interested. I answered “YES” immediately. Within three years, I had made arrangements to buy the farm. I look back, and my life was sad and pathetic. Today, it’s wonderful. I rewrote the scene!

It took a lot of steps. It took a lot of hard work. Some nights I barely slept. Some days I could barely manage to put one foot in front of the other. But I persevered. I don’t have a lot of friends (by choice, I’m an introvert), but the few I do have are important to me and my cheerleaders. They have known me for years and know what I’ve been through. They’ve been right there cheering me on the way.

Changing your life to something you like can be challenging. For some of us, this may be easier said than done. However, as the sole author of your life, you and you alone have the power to rewrite anything in your life that you don’t like or that doesn’t align with your vision.

Brainstorm Ideas

To start changing your life, you’ll first want to list those things that you don’t like. The easiest way to do this is to take a sheet of paper and draw two columns. You’ll want to list out what you don’t like about your life and how you want to change it:

Don’t Like:

Changes To Make:

Under the column Don’t Like, list out the various things you don’t like. Perhaps you don’t like your job. Then you would write Job in the Don’t Like column. Next, write your dream job in the Changes to Make column. Continue on and decide what changes you need/want to make.

Make It Happen

Now that you know what changes you want to make, it’s time to make these changes happen. Spend some time daily working on your changes and making your life your dream life.

Write out what you want those changes to be and how you’re going to make them. For example:

I needed a running car, so I called every friend I had that knew about cars, asking them questions. One of them told me that he would come and fix it for free if I made him a few meals to freeze. Done.

I borrowed a car from another friend that was too elderly to mow his yard. I mowed his yard every week for a few months in exchange for borrowing his car. He was no longer able to drive, so I also ran errands for him periodically.

I needed a second job to supplement what I make writing online. I considered all of my options and realized that I have been caring for others for most of my life. So I found a caregiving service that would train me and certify me as part of the job. I could work as many or as few hours as I needed. So I went full-time for about a year before I dropped back down to part-time.

Spreading my wings out of my comfort zone wasn’t easy. I am an introvert by nature, and I like my alone time. However, as soon as I began opening up, I found that there were many others like me, and I was able to work it to my advantage.

For many of us, our changes require us to expand our horizons a bit and change some of our social circles. Remember, you’re as good as the people you keep company with. If you hang out with a skunk, you’re going to start to smell like a skunk... So be mindful of who you spend your time with. It’s amazing how we adjust our values and goals to match those around us.

Spread your wings and try to visit places you’ve never been before. Take baby steps, and remember, you’re only in competition with yourself.

Keep Track

Keep track of how well you’re doing. You may wish to set a date for each change to be completed. It’s all up to you. Keep your eye on the prize and focus on your progress. Envision your dream life. Stand tall and make yourself proud.

I didn’t set a date; I just kept putting one foot in front of the other. But I know that setting a date is important for many changes. I had to have a job, but it took me several weeks to gather all of the paperwork required. I had to be fingerprinted etc. So setting a date wasn’t really feasible for me; I just had to continue with the momentum. I realized that living where I did wasn’t helping me move forward. I needed a fresh start and I needed to move to a new area.

My biggest leap of faith was leaving my world behind and moving to my parent's driveway into my 5th wheel. The move was almost two hours away, so I had to make a lot of trips to move everything that I owned. I also knew that I couldn’t live in my parent's driveway forever. Funny thing, today, my parents live in my 5th wheel in my driveway on our farm. They’re building a house on our 10 acres. Funny how things work out differently than expected.

Stay positive. Some people like to write out a list of positive affirmations and keep them handy for days when they’re feeling less than positive. This helps to keep you motivated.

Journal your thoughts and keep things in perspective. Save a little bit of money each time you earn money and put it away for a rainy day. Eventually, this will become a habit, and you’ll no longer be living paycheck to paycheck.

Be Your Own Hero

Be your own hero! Save yourself before you try to save others. Remember when you’re on an airplane, and the steward comes over to the public address system to tell you how to put the oxygen mask on before you try to help those around you? You can’t help anyone before you help yourself.

Stand tall. Wash your face, comb your hair, and put on clean clothes. In the words of Suzanne Somers, “And to not take care of yourself means you don’t value yourself. I comb my hair every day, and I get dressed every day, and most days, put on a little eyeliner just to open up the eyes,’ added the Step By Step star. It’s part of my self-esteem to present the best face that I am capable of presenting.”

Yes, there will be days that you simply don’t want to get out of bed. Do it anyway. There will be days that you just don’t care anymore. Remember your end goal. Start each day fresh. Leave yesterday in the past. You’ve got this, one step at a time. Focus on your end result, and remember that it takes baby steps to get there.

If you don’t like what you’re seeing and what you’ve become, start over and rewrite the scene. Practice makes perfect. Practice living the life you dream of, and you’ll be successful!

© Kelly Corinne Elliott 2023. All Rights Reserved.