As I was out running errands the other day, the Eagles song "Already Gone" came on. Now I don't know how many times over the last 35 years (yikes, showing my age here) I have heard that song. For some reason this time, the phrase "often times it happens, we live our lives in chains. And we never even know we have the key" jumped out at me. Why havn't I ever noticed that phrase before? I know I must have sung along with that song at least 20 times over the years.

This time it did jump out at me. And I realized how true it is. We have the key to our own life. We have the key to what we will allow in our life and what we reject. We have the key on how much we will compromise our values and desires.

I don't know why but for so many of my 40+ years, I assumed life just happened to us and we had to accept whatever we were given. Because of this belief, my life was a total mess.

I'm not sure if it was a mid life crisis or if I'm just a slow learner, but about a year ago, the light bulb finally went off. This is my life. It's a short life and it's half over! If I don't change things, I will go to my grave with no legacy but tons of regrets, feeling totally empty and like I did not do what I was put on this earth to do.

I immediately decided that was not going to be my fate. I did not know how I was going to do it, but I was going to change my life. And you know what? I did! It did not happen overnight. When I look back over the past year, I can see the progress of how my life changed for the better.

The first step is to research. Learn everything you can about adjusting your mind set, thinking positive and changing the core beliefs about life and yourself. I'm not sure I buy into the whole New Age thing with The Secret. But I do agree there is a Law of Attraction. That is a scientific fact. I believe that our minds are very powerful and by adjusting your thoughts and beliefs, you can adjust your life. I believe all this was given to us as a gift from God but so many of us are ignorant about it. Be open to changing your mind and attitude.

Have I "arrived" yet? No. But I sure am alot further along than I was a year ago. And if I can grow and change my life this fast in just one year, I can't imagine how wonderful it will be in the next year, and the next 5. I now look forward to the future and I have hope. And where there is hope, there is life.

So thank you Eagles. I wish I had paid attention to this song 35 years ago. My life would have been very different