You can never move forward in life while looking backward.

This is one of the lessons I have learned over the past few months since this summer. When you are constantly looking at what happened a day ago, a week ago, a month ago…you really miss out on what you are trying to focus on today.

Things are going to happen in life, that is a given, but with your head facing backwards instead of forwards, you will have no path.

Eventually, you will walk into the creek because you were not focused.

People are going to misunderstand you.

When you are living your dream and your passion, some will just not get it. You will hear a lot of the time “You are doing what?” I do not have a lot of time anymore to do the things I could over the summer because there simply is not enough hours in the day. Tied for first place in my priorities are a few things that really matter to me.

They are also me living my dream each and every day.

Writing here is part of the dream I am living out. Reading people’s stories and communicating with them about what is going on in life is something I am incredibly passionate about. There is a huge opportunity in this world and it is through one thing: inspiring people to live their life, not the life of someone else.

That is my one true passion and purpose. If I can do that and focus on that, I know I will be successful in whatever I do.

Things are going to change.

You cannot hold onto anything that is either good nor bad, you have to accept that people will come and go, things will come to you and be taken from you, and your perspective on life will alter.

These realities are okay. There is nothing wrong with them. I find that the cardinal sin of life is resisting change.

Without it, we would be the same. You might like where you are right now, but the only way you can be better is to grow.

The only way you can grow is by going through a transformational process.

I used to jabber a lot around friends and other people, but now my approach has changed a lot. I am of fewer words and starting to say things that actually matter. I do not fill the white space with nervous talk.

If there was anything that I am proud of right now, is that I am starting to truly find the 100% authentic me. I am shaking off years of rust and dirt and uncovering the things that make me tick and make my life purposeful.

I know that there is no specific plan set out for us when we are born and that is why creating the plan is so important and fun.

I sometimes surprise myself with how much I get into things because I start to realize that this excitement is what I love about life and about finding myself.

There are a few things at my core that I stand for (honesty, integrity, loyalty, respect) and there are a few things that are nonnegotiable for me. Those lines are set, now I can color in the space with whatever vibrant colors I please.

So my challenge today is to see how much color I can put into my life. Whether it is through interactions with people, my writing later on tonight, or my project, it will be full of color and light.

There is no reason why you cannot create the life you wish. Sure there will be obstacles, sometimes of great magnitude…but thats the point. Don’t cheat around these, go right through them.

Evan Sanders
The Better Man Project