The Effort Will Be Worth It

Do you remember who you were as a child? Who you were ten or twenty years ago? The person you are today is a direct result of the decisions the person you were so long ago made. It was not an overnight change, it was slow, maybe a bit methodical, and often went unnoticed until you looked back to see the difference between who you were and who you have become. The word change evokes all sorts of thoughts and emotions. What if I like who I am and don’t want to change? Why do I need to change? I’m the same person I was ten years ago. People have all sorts of reactions to change. Good, bad, avoidance and even welcoming. Where are you when it comes to having to change who you are today into someone better?

I was reminded by this German proverb that change and change for the better are two different things. What may have been important to us way back when, no longer seems to matter. What we wanted in our twenties has been accomplished or got pushed aside by other dreams and adventures. We have chosen our road and as a result are in life where we have chosen to be. I bring this up as many of my friends are starting to talk about reinventing themselves, which means change for the better I hope.

Anyone can change their hairstyle, their decor, their furniture arrangement, or even their wardrobe. Reinventing ourselves may mean taking a long hard look at many layers of our life…and changing for the better. Adding or editing our exercise routine, the same goes for our diet. Changing how we spend our time. who we spend our time with, how we handle money, what we give away, who we love and what will we leave behind to make this a better place than when we found it. On the front end, youth brings us endless possibilities. There is no limit to what we can accomplish because time is on our side. As we saddle a couple decades under our belt, our perspective changes and time is a much more precious commodity. So we think a bit more and act more intentionally in order to maximize all the elements of our lives.

What would you do to reinvent yourself? What portions of your life do you love and which ones do you seriously need to alter? What friends do you need to further enjoy, and which ones might need to be visited a little less often? What skills do you want to enhance, learn for the first time, and how do you want to employ your “free” time? So many things to think about, which means facing the reality of who we are today and who we still want to become. Change is a process. not a light bulb out turn on or off. As you spend time looking internally into your life, make the effort to change for the better…the effort will be worth it!