“To fall seven times, to rise eight times…Life starts from now.” ~ Daruma

Daruma Doll

Begin… what do you think about when you hear this word? The word “be” is defined as: to come into being. Begin is: to proceed to perform the first or earliest part of some action; commence; start. Most of us think of starting at the beginning (there’s that be word again), or simply starting from scratch. We think of going back to square one.

A friend recently shared when her daughter began medical school a few years ago, she was to choose from hundreds of refrigerator magnets that the preceding medical students left behind for the new students, containing words of wisdom for their new venture. The one she selected was in Japanese, which translated: “To fall seven times, to rise eight times…Life starts from now.” This quote moved her beyond words. It is a quote that we all should live by. You see, a person shouldn’t simply give up when pursuing a particular goal or vision for their life, although it may be a long, hard road ahead. Yes, they may fail, one, two, even seven times; but to rise again, that’s when life begins!

Webster defines “become” as: to come into being; to exist or live. Age has no boundaries when you think of “becoming.” We’ve all heard about late bloomers such as Julia Child, who didn’t even publish her first book until she was 49. Colonel Sanders didn’t start his KFC franchise until he was 65. And what about Rodney Dangerfield – he sold aluminum siding for years while he struggled as a writer and comedian. He didn’t get his first big break until he was 42.

72 year old Ernestine Sheperd

So, if you’re reading this thinking you’re too old to ‘begin and become,” there are countless others out there who will prove you wrong! To begin and become…first you need to BELIEVE. There’s another B word. Belief is so important. As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he! Proverbs 23:7 says it so clearly. If you think you can accomplish something, believe it in your heart, and YOU CAN DO IT!

We are all on a journey, whether we choose to accept it or believe it. Life is a journey. Wellness is a journey. We never really arrive – we are in continuous motion. We need to stay positive, believe and just BE who we are – who God made us to be. We are all so uniquely created and are not guaranteed any length of time on this earth. I choose to BE myself and BE all I can BE with what God has created me to BE while my clock is still ticking!

How about you? What are you doing with your life? Are you BEING all you can BECOME with what you have been given? Most of us humans live life incomprehensible to what we are really capable of. Haven’t you ever done anything that surprises even you? I have…I believe we all can stretch past our comfort zone and reach that “wow” zone. When we get there, we not only are proud of ourselves, but we set a new benchmark for what’s achievable, and we attain hope for moving past that once distant goal.

Today, ask yourself what area of your life you’d like to BEGIN again. There’s still time to BECOME all you are destined to BE! Be hopeful and BELIEVE! My hope for you today is that you choose your day to “Begin” again, and when you set that beginning in motion, there are no boundaries that can contain you from “Becoming” all that you have been designed to be. It’s SO worth it.

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