Today’s post is inspired by a quote by James R. Sherman, “You can’t go back and make a new start, but you can start right now and make a brand new ending.”
What a powerful and empowering quote! As I considered this, I thought of the book by Jill Bolte Taylor, PhD, My Stroke of Insight. I just wrote a post about that book and the impact it had on me. This quote reinforces some of the same things Dr. Taylor writes about in the book. She expands her thoughts in her new book, Whole Brain Living. Dr. Taylor is quoted saying, “We have the power to choose who and how we want to be in the world each and every moment, regardless of what external circumstances we find ourselves in.”
Just sit with that for a moment and let it resonate deep within you.
We have the choice of how we want show up and what we want our experiences to be. I am a work in progress on this stuff and need to find a way to daily remind myself that I have this choice. Eventually, I would like for this to be my habit…my norm….versus my every once in a while kind of thing.
I think it is easy to live in the past and blame past experiences for current or future circumstances. And it is true that our past is part of who we are. It shapes us but does not have to define us! We can start by simply making incremental changes each day. We make so many decisions each day and each one impacts us and those around us. Today’s changes will shift our tomorrows and ultimately our futures. Isn’t wonderful to know that we are the authors of our lives and are in charge of how we exist in this world!
