I’m a country music fan. Truth is, at any given moment I’m one really good song away from boots, a pickup and a farm. Tim McGraw’s last single had a fantastic line in it.

“But I’m learning who you’ve been ain’t who you’ve gotta be.”

A) this is so true.
B) this is so hard.

Don’t like the direction you’re going? You can change it. Don’t like the path you’re taking as a husband, dad, friend, employee you can change that direction. It’s true. . .AND. .. it’s really hard.

At 41 years old I’m still amazed at how many of my thoughts, reactions, opinions and beliefs still aren’t wholly mine. They’re someone else’s that just became mine and over the years I’ve never stopped to consider whether I’m living MY life, thinking MY thoughts or still just coasting along and letting someone else do the work for me.

For me, it’s always an embarrassing moment (embarrassing is a gentler way of saying sad) when I find myself making a statement or even defending a point of view and then I realize that I really haven’t given this topic any independent thought in years. “it’s just how I’ve always thought” “It’s just what I was taught at one point in my life” “It worked then so I guess it should work now” “it’s what people expect me to think” “I’ve thought this way so long I can’t change now”

But is it really what you think TODAY? Is it how you should react TODAY? Should it be your position TODAY? If the answer is Yes. . .then fantastic. You’ve considered it and it’s your view. But if not, then step up and make this one your own.

“I’m learning who you’ve been ain’t who you’ve gotta be”  – That’s really good.