Isn’t it crazy how we can look back a year ago and realize how much everything has changed?  The amount of people that have left your life, entered, and stayed.  The memories you won’t forget and the moments you wish you could.  It’s crazy how all that happened in just one year.  As you know, time waits for no one and it is my wish that you make it a point to take advantage of the time you have now. This time next year can be a time of reflecting on the many goals you achieved during 2018.  A lot of good can happen for you if you make a plan and work hard at it.  What did you leave out that you should have done last year?  How many good opportunities did you fail to take advantage of?  You probably took advantage of some and missed some but being able to take advantage of as many opportunities as possible is important.  Sometimes just one opportunity can mean the difference between an extraordinary life and a mediocre one.

Unfortunately, opportunities don’t last forever but the good news is that great opportunities often come from your own great ideas so don’t say no to them.  If you’re negative about yourself, you’ll just limit your own options.  This is not a good state of mind to be in. Don’t be afraid to take a risk.  See risks as an opportunity to get what you want out of life.  However, you must have a plan if you are to make the most of the opportunities in your life.  Anything that you plan to succeed in must start with a plan.  A dream without a plan is just a wish.  People don’t plan to fail – they fail to plan. If you don’t know where you are going any road will take you there.  A plan will keep you focused so focus on the plan.  If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you will fall into someone else’s plan and guess what they have planned for you? Not much!  No one ever wrote down a plan to fail, to be broke, lazy or stupid.  Those things happen when you don’t have a plan.  You must have some vision for your life. Even if you don’t know the plan, you have to have a direction in which to go.  You want to be in the driver’s seat of your life because if you don’t life will drive you.

We all have dreams but in order to make a dream reality it will take a lot of determination, commitment, motivation and self-discipline. Discipline is the bridge that connects goals with reality.  To stay motivated, take it one day at a time.  Surround yourself with positive people.  Reward yourself after each small victory.  Believe in yourself.  Visualize the day you will accomplish your dream.  Where you are today is the perfect starting point.  No dream is too big if you have the right attitude.  Work hard.  Most people can dream but few are willing to work hard at making their dream happen.  Don’t be one of those people.  Make a plan and work the plan.  If necessary, change the plan but not the dream.  Keep moving forward. You won’t regret it.  Don’t dig up in doubt what you have planted in faith. The moment you are ready to quit is usually the moment right before the miracle happens.

You may have fallen down and don’t want to get up but don’t look at it as a choice.  Get up!  Others are depending on you and most importantly, you need to know that you can accomplish something. You already know what it feels like to give up.  It’s time you learn what it feels like if you don’t.  So, get up.  Show others what you are made of.  Show them what you are capable of doing.  Remember, when you do get up you will be much stronger than when you fell. Life is about getting back up.  Don’t wish it were easier – work hard to be better.   When the world says ‘give up’, hope says ‘try it one more time.’ Remember, the oak tree was once a nut that stuck to its roots.