So many people wish they could just pass over the mistakes and hardships of their life. I see the logic in that, of course, but then again all those mistakes, the awful moments, the hardest times, are the ones where you really find out what you’re made of. It’s easy to see this when you’re past them, but while you’re going through them? It’s takes a strong faith and a lot of character to hold on and believe you will be okay.

So that’s why I really liked this quote:

“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”
― Anonymous

In other words, it doesn’t matter where you are in life now, you can change and create a different world for yourself. Your life doesn’t have to be defined by mistakes and heartache. Those can be smaller bits to a larger life that includes joy, contentment, and beauty. You can become known as the one who donated her time, the one who wrote that novel, the one who was the best friend she could be to everyone she met. You don’t have to be that child of an alcoholic, the one who kept screwing up, the one who spent her life alone. Start now, today, to be what you want to be. Make that first step, regardless of where your footsteps have been in the past.