"Don't look back a new day is breakin' It's been too long since I've felt this way. I don't mind where I get taken The road is calling today is the day." Remember that great song by Boston? Boy, that brings back a lot of memories! Can you guess what year that album came out? It was 1978. It's hard to believe it's been 33 years! What were you doing in 1978? I was 12, which means I was attending 6th grade at Woodland Hills Elementary School in Lawton, Oklahoma. I was head cheerleader that year. We lived right behind the elementary school in a two-story white house that my parents built. Our family pet was a poodle named Fifi. At 12, I didn't have a care in the world. Life was great in 1978! It's fun to look back on life and reminisce. But sometimes, we look back because we're holding on to the past instead of looking forward to the future. What are you holding on to that is holding you back? A bad friendship or relationship that you know you should end? A dead-end job? A painful childhood experience? A habit you just haven't been able to break? Bryan Dodge is one of my favorite speakers (www.bryandodge.com). If you ever get a chance to see him, I encourage you to do so. He talks about the Law of Diminishing Intent, which basically states that if something is on your heart, you must act on it within 48 hours or else society will dictate for you. So go ahead, Write that letter. Make that phone call. Find that new job. Break that habit once and for all. "I can see it took so long just to realize I'm much too strong not to compromise Now I see what I am is holding me down. I'll turn it around, oh yes I will." I'm not saying it will be easy, and you don't have to do it alone. Pray about it and ask for guidance. (Prov. 3:5-6 states, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.") Ask your friends or spouse for support and accountability. Picture yourself moving forward, free from whatever is holding you back. Visualization is a powerful motivator for making change. Now back to the song. Feel free to sing along. "It's a bright horizon and I'm awakenin' now Oh I see myself in a brand new way. The sun is shinin' the clouds are breakin' Cause I can't lose now, there's no game to play. I can tell there's no more time left to criticize I've seen what I could not recognize Everything in my life was leading me on But I can be strong. Oh yes I can! I finally see the dawn arisin' I see beyond the road I'm drivin' Far away and left behind, left behind." Leave your past hurts behind. Look to the future. Don't look back. There's no better time. I'll leave you with one final quote: "Your journey has molded you for your greater good, and it was exactly what it needed to be. Don't think that you've lost time. There is no short-cutting to life. It took each and every situation you have encountered to bring you to the now. And now is right on time." -- Asha Tyson Good luck on your journey! I'm rooting for you!