In May 2020 I looked in the mirror and saw the Ghost of a Miserable Future.
Squandering my health. My relationships. My career. My finances.
And it was all my fault.
I was so unhealthy in body, mind, and soul that I didn’t know if there was coming back.
Grim stuff.
I used to live a life of quiet desperation.
I’d quit exercising. My diet was trash. I drank too much.
The world was changing rapidly, and I had another baby on the way.
I was failing to rise to the occasion.
Then I became so afraid of wasting it all, I got my ass in gear.
The first steps were getting healthy in body, mind, and spirit.
It took time. It took fundamental change.
It took slaying a toxic ego monster that’d held me back for the better part of a decade.
My story isn’t special. Not in the slightest.
I’m just some dad in Ohio that saved himself and everything that mattered to me.
But it changed with one decision.
I simply decided to not become the sum of all my worst fears.
And this is the real key: I forgave myself.
Point blank.
I gave into my faults. I stopped avoiding them and met them head on.
The oddest thing happened when I circumscribed my harmful passions.
Instead of having to skirt around my weaknesses like always, I finally learned to utilize my strengths.
I quit being afraid of what held me back.
And became free to use what made me best.
That long look in the mirror turned into a shot run that afternoon.
It sucked. It hurt. It was no fun.
Day 1 is like that.
We are unsure of ourselves.
We lack skills.
We lack ability.
Our starting point is lowly, humble, and usually involves checking our ego at the door.
The way to get on the path to redemption is the same as it’s ever been.
It takes that day you’ve had enough and resolve to change.
Decision Day.
Day 1.
The day that changes all your tomorrows.
Many parts of the world are celebrating a resurrection story today.
Sounds like a perfect day to rise above what’s holding you back.
Is today your “Day 1”? It could be.
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