My 2025 daily calendar arrived yesterday, and it sparked some deep reflection. I’ve always appreciated Gary John Bishop’s no-nonsense approach - if you haven’t experienced his work, I highly recommend his self-narrated audiobook “Unfu*k Yourself: Get Out of Your Head and into Your Life.” It offers a grounded perspective on how we self-sabotage through our thinking patterns and provides practical tools to break free from these mental traps.
Catching up on the missed entries, one particularly resonated with how I approach life today. It’s a reminder I find myself needing often: As humans, we naturally gravitate toward victim mentality. Whether we’re facing challenging circumstances, dealing with others’ negative actions, or struggling with our own behavioral patterns, the moment we become aware of this mindset, we gain the power and the responsibility to change course. If we choose not to act on this awareness, we’re no longer victims of external forces - we’re choosing our path through our decisions.
Embracing complete ownership of our lives can be intimidating. The mind floods with doubts: “What if I fail?” “You are not good enough” and so on. However, my perspective shifted when I realized failure isn’t an endpoint - it’s a crucial step in any journey into the unknown. Failure doesn’t reflect our worth; it marks our courage to explore new territory, to grow, to learn. It shows we’re taking risks, betting on ourselves, and persevering toward our goals. With this shift in perspective, what once seemed daunting becomes exciting, even invigorating, as we contemplate the possibilities of directing our own destiny.
We often overlook how remarkable we truly are. Caught in the autopilot of daily routines, we forget that we ARE walking miracles. Just think, there are approximately 37 trillion human cells and 38 trillion bacteria all working in perfect harmony to create who we are in this very moment. Are we really going to use this extraordinary gift to complain about setbacks and minor inconveniences like someone stepping on our shoe? I know I want more from life than that.
Today, I’m taking responsibility for myself - my beliefs, my actions, my future. Today, I’m charting a new course.