Turning the page

It's a new year. Time to look back and focus on the future. A season to remember what has been and resolve what will be. A moment to turn the page on a new chapter of life.

If we're honest, isn't that what every day is about? Every moment?

The image above is my current stack of books from the library. It probably isn't important to anyone else what those books are, but it is to me. Those pages contain words that will touch my heart and mind. Thoughts of others that will, in some way, shape who I am as a person.
Since I started a serious journey of self-discovery around two and half years ago, I have read somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 books. That amounts to somewhere in the range of 12,000 to 18,000 pages, or 4,000,000 to 6,000,000 words. I don't say this to brag, but rather to share the amount of knowledge and wisdom I have encountered over the last 30 months or so. I don't read to prove how much I know. I read to learn how much I don't know.
Reading isn't for everyone, but we all determine what will shape our hearts and minds to some extent. We choose what we read, what we watch, and what we listen to, things impacting who we are becoming.

None of us today are who we were yesterday. None of us are who we will be tomorrow. We stand in the present with an opportunity to look back and learn and an opportunity to turn forward and grow.

Over the last several years I have reduced TV watching and soon will be getting rid of satellite TV. This isn't for everyone, but it is good for me. With only so many hours in the day, I need to use them wisely. I would rather spend an hour reading a book than watching mindless entertainment.
Will I still watch TV occasionally? Absolutely. But it will be less frequent and more intentional. It will be a specific show or event that is worthy of that time, not a time killer sucking away my opportunity to grow.

There are many other things I should assess to determine if they deserve my time, but I am learning to choose my battles wisely and not spread my efforts too thin. I am far from perfect, but I am striving to be better than I was yesterday.

What is one step you can take to use your time more wisely? Quitting a habit? Changing a behavior? Developing a new attitude? No one can answer that question but you.
Every day is another page in the book of life. What will be there when you turn the page to tomorrow?