We are the only ones who keep ourselves bound to the chains our past mistakes and choices through the guilt which we carry into the present moment.

We can remain a prisoner our whole lives in this vicious loop if we choose.

However, it is also only ourselves that can set us free and start anew by being the person we long to be right now.

It is one of the most important tools of being a human on this earth: our freedom to choose.

Let’s not under estimate it’s power.

There is a quote that speaks volumes for me from Darren Hardy that states, “You don’t get in life what you want, you only get in life what you are.”

It makes perfect sense to me and puts to rest these illusions we may subscribe to that we’re going to win the lottery and everything else will be down-hill and a coast to the bottom.

If you aren’t someone who has a mindset of financial abundance and you do win the lottery, it’s going to evaporate quickly for you. These stories are a dime a dozen for past winners.

The other reason it resonates with me is because it simplifies what we need to focus on. Rather than worrying about the economy, the interest rates, your particular industry’s market or what anyone else is doing or not doing, we can focus on the person we are becoming.

Are we learning, growing and evolving consistently in the areas we want to improve and see results.

If not, then maybe we should ask ourselves: What am I?

It’s not a secret: Fresh is better.

Fresh fish. Fresh air. Fresh flowers. Fresh fruits and vegetables. Even a fresh perspective towards life is always better than highly processed, pre-packaged, fabricated and preconceived piece of . . . whatever you want to call it – food/entertainment/experience.

Why then, do so many of us choose this form of substitution? Convenience? Habit? Ignorance? Maybe it’s a little of all of them.

It would seem to me that this is a road that eventually will lead to a place where we don’t want to go.

There is no doubt modern technology has a huge place in our world today and has made so much of our lives easier, better and more efficient. However, sometimes simply fresh is exactly what we need. Sometimes the old way is a better option than what’s currently available. It might be worth considering.

It would seem that the simpler is the better choice.

Whether we are streamlining our daily tasks and/or the amount of projects we have in our quiver, distilling it down to the essentials is key.

This can be a challenge as we want to accomplish so many things in a day/week/month/year. However, we can become disillusioned with being busy, but not getting real traction with anything.

Weeding out the superfluous may be just the ticket for us.

Deciding what is truly important for us to fully engage our time and efforts in can make all the difference.

In addition, we may find that these activities energize us instead of depleting our batteries.

Sounds perfect.

Maybe more is not necessarily better, but rather the quality of what is already there.

Maybe faster is not the answer, but rather what we learn along the way.

Maybe instead of always trying to have the right answer, we should determine if we’re asking the right questions.

Maybe instead of repeating our story to everyone and bragging about what we know, we should be asking more questions.

Maybe we should paddle upstream instead of down.

Maybe we should ask why?

Or at what cost?

Maybe we can embrace our individuality and be curious instead of being right.