True change is on the inside. Outside influences lose power to control you. But the impact of that change is only felt when you allow yourself to be stretched. While you may seek comfort, growth is limited by the familiar. If you hope to examine life beyond the four walls of your box, you must first be willing to step outside your comfort zone.

If a desire to change is stronger than fear of change, you’ll find the courage to take a step. Step into what you’re meant to do, and you’ll become all that you’re called to be.

At times life throws curveballs when we think we’re about to hit a home run. Discouragement quickly sets in. We’re tempted to step off the field, and we lose the will to try again.

Everyone steps up to the plate with the hope of hitting it out of the park. Yet very few hit a home run. Some make it to third base, while even more make it to second and first. None start with a guarantee of success.

What if the leaves were to say I refuse to change? They might not transition from shades of green to red, orange and yellow. Maybe they would fail to fall from the trees. They may not be willing to share branches with neighboring flowers and leaves.

While there’s beauty in transformation, there’s also resistance. Every stage of life involves uncertainty and risk. Even the calmest of periods is made up of rainy and sunny days. If we hope to grow, we have to be willing to embrace change.

If you pick up one rock a day, it may feel like the mountain will never move. But if you’re careful and consistent, you’ll leave time and space for the dust to settle. Other rocks will be affected by the change. Thoughtful movement will allow everything to fall into place. This will give you the balance to pick up rocks day after day.

Consistency is key. Pick up one rock a day. One day you’ll look back and realize you moved a mountain.

At the start of the year, you get the opportunity to look at the past through a rearview mirror. Perhaps last year’s progress was based on where you ended up at the end of the year. And your will to succeed was calculated by how quickly you got there. 

It can be discouraging to think about how things might have turned out had you taken another path. But it’s empowering to know that you can shift direction. If things didn’t go as anticipated, this might not be a long stretch.

This year, resolve to be the best version of you. While you may want to add some goals, it may not be necessary to change what you do. If you’re like me, you may just need to change your perspective. If you’ve committed to starting the new year with a new YOU, just start by being true to yourself.

Confidence is key. What you think about yourself becomes your reality. Believe that you can and you will. Expect great things to happen. Walk in that belief. What once felt impossible will feel within reach.

Perhaps something needs to change inside to make this your year of new beginnings. Reflecting on the tree, it has to make the best of its circumstances. While it goes through seasons, change may not be visible to others. Over the years, it builds strength to stand as it grows taller and establishes deeper roots.

The next time you’re thinking about making a quick move, think of the tree. Small, gradual changes may need to take place for real transformation to occur. Personal development may not always be evident to others. Maybe, just maybe, you need to grow where you’re planted. As you build a strong core, growth will occur naturally. And you’ll find the courage to branch out and embrace new beginnings.

As the year comes to an end, the tendency is to reflect on where we are compared to where we thought we would be. Perhaps we made a list, and it’s time to assess how well we did. Maybe we've had the same mental list for years, and it never went further than our thoughts. Whatever the case, the start of the new year gives us another chance to try. 

If life throws a curveball, handle it with grace. Adapt and adjust. Always stay in the game. Don't let today's challenge steal tomorrow's vision. Hold on to hope.

Thank you for following Inspireu2Action in 2018. I look forward to blessings to come in 2019!

Have you ever felt like you were running on a treadmill with no destination in sight? You couldn’t even remember what you had done that day, let alone the day or week prior. One thing was for sure, you felt exhausted and drained. 

Life will always be like running on a treadmill without a clear destination. It’s only by pursuing your purpose that you’ll ever feel the satisfaction that a marathon runner feels after completing a race. 

While you may need to stick it out and go through dry seasons in life, don't be afraid to step into something new. While change is inevitable, it isn’t always easy. There’s a chance you'll step into what you thought were greener pastures only to encounter dry patches along the way. Whatever the case, you have to be willing to step out to find out.

Change is a part of life, and it’s the only way to grow. Growth will stretch you. Don’t let it break you. Learn as you grow. Grow into your potential. And with the right attitude, your grass can be greener on either side.