One year ago today I started something. I didn’t know what I was doing, but I started anyway. I didn’t have confidence I would succeed, but I started anyway.
In fact, I was afraid and ignorant, but I started anyway.
And because I did it, I started, TODAY I can look back and celebrate instead of wishing I woulda coulda shoulda.
What about you?
Everyone has hopes, dreams, and desires. But if everyone has them, why don’t we all accomplish, become or do those things?
We have reasons.
We don’t have time. We don’t have the money. We don’t know how. We failed before. We think it’s impossible. We are too old. We are too young. And the list goes on.
We call our excuses reasons because we are afraid of the unknown outcome of our actions.
We know what will happen if we do nothing. We want the wonderful result of change but fear the process.
George Shinn said it well Growth means change and change involves risk, stepping from the known to the unknown.
We call our excuses reasons because we are afraid of the unknown outcome of our actions. Share on X
But…
What if you told yourself YOU are worth the risk?
You have one life. One. There are no do-overs. There are only new beginnings, new starts. What if you could do what you dream and become more than you can imagine?
Today is my one-year anniversary blogging. I started blogging with And then it was the next day… I had no clear insight into where I was going. All I had was an inkling fueled by words I read somewhere.
Somehow I believed those words.
And so, as ignorant as I was, I started.
But I didn’t just flail around hoping to get better. I applied myself to learning. I knew I needed to learn and to grow.
One thing I learned a lot about was myself. And that is the beginning of change.
To change ourselves we have to look at ourselves and take inventory of some sort. One of my favorite quotes from my book is:
I have gotten where I am today by refusing to stay where I was. Change is something I have done over and over again. ― Danielle Bernock, Emerging with Wings: A True Story of Lies, Pain, and the Love That Heals
My starting sent me on a journey that has revolutionized my life.
Change can do amazing things.
STARTING is the beginning of change.
What kind of change do you long for in your life? What is it you wish was different?
What is it that when you look back to a year ago you wish you would’ve done something you didn’t do?
Don’t wish – start.
Start now. Start where you are. Start with fear. Start with pain. Start with doubt. Start with hands shaking. Start with voice trembling but start. Start and don’t stop. Start where you are, with what you have. Just… start. ― Ijeoma Umebinyuo
Don’t wish – start. Share on XOver this past year, I’ve written about many things. I’ve taken courses. Listened to podcasts. Watched videos. Attended webinars. I’ve gotten a mentor. I guest posted on another blog. I wrote Love’s Manifesto. And today is the release of my book on Kindle!
I’ve done a lot of changing – over and over again.
Change is both awesome and awful. We love it and we hate it.
But no matter if we are liking it or not at any given moment – change is constant in this life.
Making peace with it calms us. Taking ahold of it intentionally will empower us to grow into what we want instead of discovering what we’ve unintentionally become.
Over this past year I’ve learned I’m an agent of change.
I have gone through incremental personal transformations. Like the peeling of an onion reveals a new level I have embraced a new freedom, a new revelation, a new perspective or a new empowerment and grown beyond my wildest dreams.
Happy anniversary to me!
How do you do this?
Start.
Take the first step. ONE step.
We think of change as a colossal thing. Not always.
As the saying goes: The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.― Lao Tzu
Everyone is able to take one step.
I read an article in Prevention magazine many years ago that was life changing. They addressed the top ten health problems like heart disease, diabetes, cholesterol, cancer etc. and provided a list of small actions people could take to lower their risk and live longer.
But the key was to pick ONE thing. Just one thing.
Not the whole list – JUST ONE. Things as simple as:
Eat ½ cup blueberries or strawberries every day. Fortify with calcium. Get screened. Hike to the store for broccoli raisin salad. Get tested. Brown bag lunch. Eat at least one serving of a fruit or veggie. Take a multivitamin supplement…
The power of the process is the ONE thing.
You say but I need twenty-seven things different. I understand.
That is what usually holds us back.
We can’t do twenty-seven or seventy-five or even ten new things all at once.
But we can do ONE thing.
The magic lies in doing the one new thing until it no longer is a new thing.
Once it becomes a part of who you are and is ingrained in your habits and you no longer think about it – then it is time to do just one thing again.
And the beauty is – even if you do only one thing and never add another? You are still doing more than if you did nothing. You changed something.
Celebrate it!
Don’t think little of little.
Big is made out of many littles that add up.
Don’t think little of little. Big is made out of many littles that add up. Share on X
So WHERE do you start?
It starts with you.
You need to see that you are worth it.
You need to know you are worth it.
Before you can successfully change anything in your life or things about yourself – the first step is to become strong in the center of who you are – you matter.
Your life matters. Your health matters. Your pain matters. Your dreams matter…
You deserve the change you wish for.
But don’t wish – start!
No one is perfect.
If you look down on yourself or compare yourself to others you set yourself up for failure. Your life flows out of your heart and your heart has an opinion of you. This opinion drives your life.
What is your opinion of you?
Is it negative or positive?
If you need your opinion to change, that’s where you start.
Once you get a glimpse of your amazing value and potential the voices of other people’s opinions will fade.
I am here to help you find your diamonds inside of you and become rich in your sense of purpose and value. (more about me read here)
Face your reasons and call them what they are – excuses.
You ARE worth it. You do have time. You can find the money. You can learn how. Failure is not final. Impossible is just a word until someone does it.
You are NOT too young. You are NOT too old.
This 85-year-old lady did ONE thing and radically changed her life. Read it here.
Change happens when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change. – Tony Robbins
Start today & change your life forever!
Do you want to celebrate a year from now? What do you need to start today?
Let me know in the comments.
Or if you have a story of something you started PLEASE SHARE! It will encourage many!!
Keep up the great work, Danielle! You’re an inspiration.
Thank you Brian!
Excellent blog! It gives hope because everyone can do ONE thing!
Thank you. Yes indeed!
Well, that was beautiful and from the heart. Today a friend asked me about my writing, and let me know of a radio contest at a local station. She reminded me how I had told her that’s what I wanted to do, five years ago when I last changed jobs and had some weeks of time to reconnect with God and myself. Reading your story of changing one thing made me think about that conversation again; I’m not the same as I was then. But has the desire gone away? I haven’t asked that lately. One thing I did change was to join a weekly group that prays together, which has changed me tremendously! I was drawn into a deeper love, commitment and fellowship with God, than I have ever known. Still growing, still being blessed, week by week. That song, Every day with you, Lord, is sweeter than the day before… I know that now from him. He meets with us, in prayer, in writing, in conversations, in work, and in congregations and ministries… And wherever it is we meet, gives us that joy and love and fellowship. I am encouraged to hear how your one year ago decision has blessed you; you’ve given me some food for thought. Thanks and God bless you as you take adventures with him!
Thank you so much Deanna for sharing your heart and experience. It is amazing how time can get away from us. I’m so happy my words spoke to you and stirred up that conversation. Now you can explore if you’d like to move in that direction. Also, I’m happy dancing with you in your “one thing” that brought about good changes. You are so right, He meets us where we are and uses whatever available to speak to our hearts and encourage us. He is so good.
Great article Danielle. I particularly appreciate the section where you discuss “Where do you start?”, and I think it is of great importance what you say. The question; “What is your opinion of yourself?” is of crucial importance. We so often rob ourselves from being/becoming who and what we want to be (and should be). I know I did…and still sometimes do. We do this because we don’t want to offend someone else, or we are concerned about what others are going to think or say about us.
We have been created by an almighty, all-knowing God, with a very specific purpose and unique personality. Why should we try to hide or change that just to please other people. I am not saying that we should be inconsiderate, but we should strive to be please God instead of man. Who is more important; God or other people? We should aim to please God in who we are and everything we do. That will lead us to do the right thing.
Excellent post. Thank you for sharing!
Thank Jaco. I agree. Asking ourselves questions is crucial. Who we are flows out of our inner life. It’s an area we so often neglect until we get a glimpse of it’s importance. Then we—start—to address it and then begin to see how profoundly it changes our lives. Thanks for sharing.