Are you happy with your life right now?
Yeah, I know; outwardly, everything might be looking great. You may be checking off most of your goals. Could be that you have amazing friends and family. But honestly, are you genuinely happy?
Okay, let me rephrase the question because happiness is fickle. You can be happy this minute and sad the next.
Are you contented with your life?
If you had a few days to live…
Let’s say you are given a few days to live; if you look at your life, would you say that you have genuinely lived your best life?
Trust me, I know that we all mess up in life.
But look at the things that are important to you, like relationships, work or business, and how you take care of your body and soul. Are you at least trying to do the best that you can while showing yourself grace in areas that you can’t?
Outward Appearances are Deceptive
One thing I have come to learn in life is to never judge people by their outward appearance, and this is not limited to thinking someone is good only for you to realize that they are not what they tried to make you believe. It can also be someone acting like they are fine, only for you to realize that it was just a show. They are struggling.
They want to quit.
Why do you need a fresh start?
To Stop Living in the Same Cycle
Are you tired of living life in the same cycle?
For some of us, it may be the same cycle that our great-grandparents, parents, and people in our neighborhood have been living. And you’re sick and tired of it. You want out. You want to live a different life and break generational patterns.
The good news:
You can if you decide in your heart and take the necessary steps.
And the first and most important step is to surrender to Jesus completely.
To Find Your True Self
You can never find your true self until you step out of your comfort zone and try to live life differently from what you’re accustomed to.
Some of us have been living other people’s lives.
From the time we wake up to when we go to sleep, we are doing things that we have seen other people doing, and we never take time to question some things, even though deep down we know there is more to life than all that we know.
Some of us are scared because we don’t want to be judged by others, or we think we will fail. Then there are those of us who have allowed other people to kill our dreams. The unknown excites us, but we have allowed other people’s words and their insecurities to stop us from becoming our true selves.
But I am here to encourage you to step out and find your true self. You will never know until you try!
To Stop Feeling Empty Inside
Have you ever met someone who seems so accomplished outwardly, but when the two of you get deep into the conversation, they admit that they feel empty on the inside?
And this is someone you admired so much!
How come some of the people we admire so much because of their accomplishments end their lives? Check out different media outlets, and you will find stories of different people who ended their lives because they felt ’empty.’
You don’t have to live a life where you are constantly keeping up appearances, and yet you’re dying slowly on the inside. A fresh start is what you need!
4 Ways to Start Over
Acknowledge that your life is not how it should be
Some of us think that being brutally honest about where we are and where we want to be is a sign of weakness, but it is not.
If anything, people who admit that they are not living their best lives are brave.
See, you cannot take the right steps in life until you take time to admit that some things are just not right in your life.
Choose a Joyful Life, not just Happiness
What do I mean?
Well, you know how you can wake up all excited and stuff, and then someone calls you with bad news, and suddenly you go from feeling on top of the world to feeling sad. That is what it means to be happy.
Happiness depends on your feelings and what is going on in your life.
Joy, on the other hand, is when you remain optimistic in life despite what is going on in your life. It is not that you are not facing tough times; it’s just that you have come to this place in your life where you’re peaceful despite everything that is happening to you.
If I were to choose, I would rather be joyful than happy.
Ooh! Does it mean we should not be happy?
No, not at all, but we can learn how to go beyond happiness and become joyful people.
Resolve to be authentic
In a world where people are moved by trends and popularity, it is becoming hard for us to live authentic lives. It takes work to remain true to your values and beliefs when people are settling for what seems easy and trendy.
But that does not mean that we can’t.
Look, you don’t have to look like that celebrity or the person you admire. You were created for much more, but you can only become your true self if you choose to take your own path in life.
Stop trying to fit in with people who only love the broken version of you. People who act as if they love you but will not hesitate to walk away if you become true to yourself.
To be honest, everyone is struggling with something. None of us is perfect. You may be idolizing someone who is more broken than you.
Heal Inside-Out
Can I be honest?
You can never be genuinely happy until you choose to heal from the past and rebuild your life.
It doesn’t matter how much money you make or how many friends you have. It doesn’t matter how many vacations you take. If your heart is wounded, you will only be happy for a season and then go back to being sad and depressed.
The past has a way of coming back to us if we don’t take time to deal with it.
If someone hurt you or you made some mistakes that are causing you to live in shame and condemnation, it is time to have an honest conversation with yourself and deal with all the pain that you’re carrying in your heart. Covering up your pain and mistakes is not a great idea because a time is going to come when that heavy burden that you are carrying will erupt, and it may happen in a way that you are not expecting.
Yes, I know it is hard; you don’t want to relive the pain. Some of us are too ashamed because of what we did. But walking around in shame doesn’t take it away. And it doesn’t take away what we did.
We messed up, or people messed you up, but you cannot keep on living that way day in and day out. It is time to heal, dear one.
Bonus Point
Now, if you’re a believer in Jesus like me, I would like to add
Live a life of total surrender
And even if you’re not, if you feel drawn to knowing who Jesus is, let me tell you He is the best teacher, friend, and Savior you will ever have.
Honestly:
We cannot save ourselves. And you cannot change your life on your own. You need God to help you. Trust me, I have been there and done that on my own, but the problem was that things seemed to work for some time, but then I would come crashing down again, and I would be back to square one. I got discouraged along the way and almost gave up, but Jesus, He is a healer!
He saved me from myself! And maybe that is the kind of relationship that some of you need.
You don’t have to try to figure things out by yourself. Saved or not, Jesus loves you, and He wants to have an intimate relationship with you. But you have to be willing to work this thing out with Him because it goes both ways, just like any other relationship.
All in all:
Starting life all over is not that easy, so many people settle for less than the best they can be. But with determination and the right guidance from people around you and Jesus, you can heal from your past hurt and rebuild your life.
You only need to be willing to go through the process and stick with it to the end.
Will you do that?
Let me know in the comments below.
Blessings!