How to Change Your Life and Have No Regrets

Have you ever wondered if you're insane?  Before you answer, let’s make sure we both know what I mean by that.
 
I’m referring to the definition of insanity that Albert Einstein is often credited with giving us:
 
Doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results.**
 
Now, let me ask you again:  Are you insane?

Let me answer first. Yes, I am.
 
There, that wasn’t so bad. In fact, it felt pretty good to come clean.
 
I have done things in my life I said I would never do (I talk about some of that here.)  I have had friends that weren’t good for me and even wanted to get away from them. I wanted to eat better, exercise more, read the Bible more, pray more - my list goes on and on.
 
Even when I made the commitment to start - or stop - doing something, it isn’t long before I’m back to the same old routine.
 
Let me give you an example. 
 
Those friends I just mentioned — the ones I wanted to get away from— would constantly let me down.  Sometimes they would talk about me behind my back, or wouldn’t follow through on a promise, yet I continued hanging around them for years.
 
I knew I needed new friends (I wrote about this in here too), but I kept hanging around them anyway. Why did I keep letting them off the hook? 
 
Because I kept hoping they would change.
 
You know what happened? Nothing. That’s right, I kept getting frustrated with them again, and again, and again, and again…and they never changed.
 
I was diagnosed with high blood pressure at forty years old. I made the commitment to eat better because I didn’t want to take medication for the rest of my life. Of course, I continued to slide through the fast food drive-thru twice a week for a #2 combo. Truthfully, I didn’t make any significant lifestyle changes. 
 
And guess what? My blood pressure didn’t drop, either. 
 
I tended to criticize others for not making changes in their lives, but I didn’t take time to look at my own insanity. 
 
It’s easy to do - we’re all guilty. But, I’m surprised how many of us repeat patterns of behavior over and over, expecting different results. I'm embarrassed when I stop to think about how many times I kept repeating the same mistakes thinking, next time, it will be different.
 
Well, here’s some truth: No, it won’t.
 
If you want to see change - real change - and want to be cured of insanity, here’s how to get started: 
 
If you don’t do something to create change, nothing will. You’ll still have high blood pressure, you’ll still be hanging around friends that take advantage of you, you’ll still be out of shape, and you'll still be broke.

Now, tell me, what are you going to do to stop the insanity?

​Think about one thing you’ve wanted to change, but haven’t. What are you going to do about it?
 
 
**P.S.  After doing some research, it turns out Albert E. may not have been the one to coin this phrase after all.