You are sitting at a desk in the early AM hours. The moon and sun are about to wage war for control of the sky, but at this moment you feel a peaceful calm in the air. The stillness of this early hour puts your mind at ease, and the quiet gives you an opportunity to connect with your deepest thoughts.

At this moment, the present times are an afterthought. Technology is not a concern in the small world inside your study room. And so you sit. You sit and appreciate the wonder of the day that is about to spring from the night. You sit and allow the world to expand to something much larger than the room in which you sit. From that larger perspective, you prepare your creation.

You glance at the blank sheet of paper sitting on the desk in front of you. The moon and a candle combine to provide just enough light to illuminate the page. With a steady, purposeful motion, you grab your quill and dip it in the jar of ink. As you move your hand back toward the blank paper, you smile and look up into a mirror hanging on the wall. It’s time. The next chapter is about to begin.

Your Story

The most important thing that I’ve learned in my personal development journey is that the greatest challenge you can ever take on in your lifetime is that of crafting your own story. It’s easy to sit back and allow things to happen in your life. It’s easy to let the pieces fall where they may. It’s easy to wait for a better time or for the “right” time. And it’s really easy to wait for the button that will give you what you want when you want it.

But that kind of living is not YOUR story. It’s A STORY, in which you happen to play a part. You are not the star, but, rather, an extra. You are not the hero. You are just there. Waiting. Hoping. Existing. And time keeps flowing by.

Today, though, you sit with the pen in your hand and a blank page at your desk. This is YOUR chapter. This is YOUR story. It’s time to tell it the way you want it. It’s time to design your character the way you want to design it. It’s time to give your character the adventures you want it to experience. It’s time to make yourself the hero and go on a journey that you will never forget.

Today is a new chapter. The page before you is a blank canvas waiting to be written in your hand.

Are you ready for a challenge? Your mission–should you choose to accept it–is to raise the bar. It’s time to stop waiting for the world to change. It’s time to stop settling for mediocrity. The time for a great change is now. For this change, you must look within.

With any great challenge comes great responsibility. If you want to make a change in your life, and want to make a difference in this world, you must take ownership of this challenge. While I may be the author of this article, I am not the author of the challenge. This challenge must be yours–and yours alone.

The words you read here may provide a spark, but you must turn that spark into a roaring fire. Then, you must harness power from that fire to produce inspired action. Finally, you must utilize your own fire to light the torch of others in order to truly make a difference. At that moment, the challenge becomes real. (more…)