CHANGE IS GOOD......ITS ALL UP TO YOU.

Why Not You, Why Not Now?
By Michael Conrad Kelley

After the birth of my first child earlier this month, I was overcome with emotion. Thoughts of joy and fear raced through my head while tears welled up in my eyes. From the moment she came in to the world, an overwhelming sense of endless possibilities is constant in my mind. Each time I hold her, I am swept away by her power. Tiny, fragile, and innocent, yet she is powerful beyond comprehension.
I promised her that I will provide her all the nurturing, support, and love I can in her journey to fulfill her dreams, whatever they may be. Then it struck me, will I uphold that promise? After all, I once made a similar commitment to myself, and others, but fell short. Or have I? Sure, my dreams may be different now than they were when I was a child, but I still find that I have them. I realize that my phone won’t ring on Major League Baseball’s draft day, just as it has remained silent for twenty years. But, I am quite sure that it will ring with business opportunities, or creative projects, or even simply with friends or family who just want to catch up. Regardless, the dream is alive.
I believe that we are often far too hasty to judge our success or failure in life. For as long as we remain, the outcome has yet to be determined. We are only as stuck or as limited as we allow ourselves to be. We make excuses and call them sacrifices. We accept survival and a mediocre existence as a way of life. Our circumstance is tolerable but not ideal, but hey, there are those who have it worse, right? Wrong! There is nothing worse than giving up on our own potential.
I hear all of the talk surrounding the rich and famous, athletes, actors, actresses, church leaders, and politicians who fall from grace. I think that we are angrier that they achieved the lofty dreams we once had for ourselves and lost it than we ever are for their transgressions. We take it as a personal insult that one would attain such fame, fortune, and privilege then give it all up through bad choices or addictions. On the other hand, we sabotage our lives in a similar, though less grandiose way on a daily basis. We settle for being less than we are capable of becoming.
You may not be exactly where or what you thought you would be in life right now but wherever or whatever you are, you are. And, that beats the alternative. If you want your situation to change, identify the number one excuse you afford yourself, and lose it forever. See yourself exactly where and exactly as you want to be and take positive action to move in that direction. To simply sit back and hope for change is wasting valuable time. How much time have you got? Since I doubt you know the answer, I suggest you get going. Start thinking bigger than you have allowed yourself to think in years. Stop setting the bar so low that there is no longer a thrill when you reach it. Challenge yourself to achieve greatness and to help others achieve it as well. Millions of dreams will be dreamt this day. Some will even be realized, but by who? Why not you, why not now?

Michael Conrad Kelley is the co-author of the children's book and parenting guide Zooch the Pooch, My Best Friend. http://www.zoochthepooch.com