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Do a 180 for the New Year

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at ECU chapter.

A new year has begun. A new life can begin as well. It is time to begin living life on purpose.

I love January. The cold weather is refreshing, allowing our skin to feel alive once more. The old in the past. The new upon us. A wonderous time we have stumbled upon. This is the time. This is your year. Make every second count, and begin to live life on purpose.

Circumstances can be debilitating. They can be painful. Full of suffering, anger, and heartache. You cannot control your environmental factors. As much as we try to be in control and have life planned out, it rarely happens as planned. In fact life has a tendency to play out spontaneously. It is vital once we face these set backs that we have a game plan of getting back up. After something happens you choose whether to get up or stay down. Don’t swallow you pain, face it head on. You get knocked down 100 times, stand up 100 times.If you give up you will never get up. Recovery and revival is possible, but you have to take the first step.

“You are never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream”. -C.S. Lewis 

There is no decision that you can make that will send you far enough back to where you cannot recover. Recovery is always an option. It is an option. You must choose to recover. It is also possible to blame your circumstances on other people or things. So the choice is up to you. Sometimes we take risks and it flops. The business we launched went bankrupt. Our marriage is in shambles. Whatever it is that has knocked you down to your knees you need to know that you don’t have to stay there. Its up to you whether or not you stay down.

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us”. -Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Its hard. Yes, I know its hard. Life is hard. As we grow older we begin to discover that everything has a price. Life will never get easier, but you can get stronger. That is the only way you will be able to get up after getting knocked down. Developing the muscles and the strength in your mind. You can recover. You can get back up. It will take strength. It will take heart. But it is possible. Where is possibility there is hope. Where there is hope there is life. Cling onto the hope that what you are experiencing today is not your forever. One day you won’t even notice the pain anymore. Your circumstances cannot overtake you unless you let them. Circumstances come and go, but mindsets are long-lasting. Whatever circumstances you face keep the same mindset. Remind yourself that whether you have recovered or are recovery you are valuable. Your life has importance. Not matter where you are now your tomorrow can be different if you chose to make it so. Have the faith to believe in the process of recovery, and know that it is completely possible for you. Keep your head up,  push forward, and experience more out of life.

“With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts”. -Eleanor Roosevelt 

A sun always rises after the darkness of night.

Four step process of awakening; 

1.) Alive 

First you must want to make a change. You must realize it is time to get up. If you want a change this year, now is the time to shed light on the darkness you have been hiding in your life.  Pulling the skeletons out of the closet in a painful process. When you finally bit the pain that you have been stuffing down for so long, it is bound to taste bitter. But once you bit the bitter you will get better.

2.) Revive 

It is time for a revival. A revival of who you want to be and who you currently are. A renewal of goals and a deeper connection with your spirituality. Finding peace with what you have and realizing what it must take to have what you want. Revive the passion in your life and live with purpose.

3.) Heal 

It is time to forgive those who have hurt you in your past. There have been people who fed you the lies about yourself that you believed since you were a child. It is time to let go of those who hurt you. Chances are they have pain they have experienced as well. Forget the lies others have told you and the lies you have put against yourself. Once you are able to push past the doubt and disbelief true healing can take place.

“Without forgiveness, there’s no future”. – Desmond Tutu

4.) Progress 

Get back up. Keep fighting, and never let go of the dreams you have. Recovery is possible. It is painful, but never forget that it is possible. Begin the processing of going after what you want. Tunnel vision. Stay completely focused on what you want and don’t let the distractions change your mind. You are worth the life you want. Make positive changes not negative excuses. It is time to develop and progress in the direction you want to go. Start now and never look back.  Start chasing after MORE!

Inspiring others to be MORE by living life with enthusiasm, seeing the beauty in simplicity, and adopting a generosity of spirit. My goal is that other college students and people who have a longing for a deeper meaning to their life will be inspired to become all they want to be through the lessormorgan movement. Hi, My name is Morgan Murray. My biggest aspiration is to become an inspirational speaker. I am a communciations major and Leadership minor at ECU. I love Chipotle, my fish Enrique, hiking, photography, writing, speaking, yoga, singing, and running.