A Fresh Start To A Better You

Without question, it’s difficult to feel truly liberated when you are trapped in something toxic. Whether it’s a relationship or a job, the truth of the matter is that toxicity will stifle your growth, hinder your progress, and erase any feelings of peace and/or serenity. No matter how one tries to mask their pain, hurt, and/or disappointment, living, loving, and being truly liberated is a challenge.

So, how does one learn to live, love, and liberate oneself? The first thing that needs to be done is a self-assessment or, should I say, have a heart-to-heart conversation with yourself. Through this process, you ask yourself some hard questions such as, ‘Am I happy, Am I where I want to be, Do the people around me make me better or bitter, and Am I working towards my goals in life? I could go on, but these questions will begin the process of addressing what is holding you down and keeping you trapped in confinement.

The second thing you need to do in living, loving, and liberating yourself from any toxicity in your life is to have a selfish mentality. That’s right, you MUST be selfish when it comes to looking out for yourself. All too often, we have allowed the needs of others to be placed over our self-care, and because of that, too many people are suffering. For those who like to quote the Scripture, Matthew 22:39 which says, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” they forget that you have to love yourself before you can adequately love someone else. Again, to live, love, and liberate yourself, you MUST know that it’s perfectly fine to like and love yourself.

The third thing you need to do is visualize what you want to do. Through visualizing along with journaling, you’re creating a blueprint to live the life you want. There’s power in visualization, and because there’s power in what you visualize, you can accomplish the possible and even impossible. Famed salesman and motivational speaker Zig Ziglar once said, “If you want to reach a goal, you must ‘see the reaching’ in your own mind before you actually arrive at your goal.” Think about it for a moment. YOU have the power to visualize – no one can take it away from you.

And, the last thing you need to do in living, loving, and liberating yourself is guard your mind. My favorite Scripture is Romans 12:2, which says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” What you think will determine what you will and/or will not do. Guarding what you read, listen to, or simply entertain will either elevate you or deflate you. The choice is always yours to make.

From this day forward, I want to urge you to live, love, and liberate yourself every day. You deserve it.