We all have a past.
We can look back on our lives and clearly see the before and after. The before your husband went to prison, and then the after he went to prison are starkly different. Your life as changed so much it is as if you have lived 2 completely different lives. And you have.
One thing I need to caution you about as you live out this chapter of your life is to not assume that you will end up where you want to be at the end of this road. You must be intentional about building your new world. You cannot just let live happen around you and achieve your dreams.
Up until this time, you have lived your life by an unwritten code.
Your values were lived out every day through your actions. That is what told the story of the code you were choosing to live by. Your actions told the rest of the world who you are. I guarantee you that you were not living up to the fullest potential of YOU.
Now, you have an opportunity to reinvent yourself. You can choose to live up to your fullest potential by rewriting your life’s code. Simply change what you are doing — but be intentional about it. Decide who you want to be and behave that way. If you want to be known as kind, then be kind. Your past doesn’t define you; your actions do. If you want something different, then you need to do something different. Personal growth is a choice.
Up until this time, you have lived your life by an unwritten code.
You already know you need to do things differently. But you probably don’t know how. Change is scary. Even change for the better. It is hard to leave the comfort of what you know; even if it is chaos. It takes a lot of courage, determination, and faith to begin a new path. Knowing how to start is the most important step.
Writing your family’s legacy is a part of creating a new foundation for your family. In the past, you lived your life a day at a time—not thinking about your future or your legacy. The moments became days, the days soon became months and then years.
Here are my secrets to building your new world:
- Write it down. If you don’t write it down, then it won’t happen. You need to see what your goal is, and define who you want to be known as, and what you want to be known for. This is your new code for your new life. You are trading “lazy” for “determined” and every other negative action into a positive action that moves you closer to your dream.
- Do one thing different. Start with getting up an hour earlier to read, write, clean, anything productive.
- Add more new activities. Add another thing you will do differently every week. Life is a continuous improvement plan for everyone. When we stop learning, we fall behind more and more. When you continue to challenge yourself to either give up something that is holding you back or add something that moves you forward, you will be amazed at what you can accomplish.
- Find new friends. Add to your sphere of influence by connecting to people who do not do the things you used to do. You will need the support, encouragement and inspiration you will find by walking with people who are not dragging your old habits with them.
- Go to church. Connect with a group of people who share your beliefs. You will find an incredible amount of support from a healthy church. You will also discover people who will become your accountability partners on your new journey.
- Do not give up. Get out of bed every day committed to doing the right things for yourself and your family. If you make a mistake, own it and then get back to the work of building your new world.
You can create the world you want to live in—one filled with peace, righteousness and hope for generations to come. You really do have the power to change your world. These five secrets will get you on your way.
I am rooting for you!
Cathy