Training My Mind: How I Transformed My Life
I remember standing outside after Hurricane Dorian, the air still heavy with salt and silence. Communities I knew were destroyed, and the hopelessness of people who had lost everything was almost tangible. That moment stayed with me, not just because of the storm, but because it mirrored how I felt inside: broken, stripped bare, unsure how to rebuild.
For the past five years, my life has been in constant motion. My direction shifted, and since then I’ve been adjusting, sometimes through massive changes I could clearly see, other times through small, almost invisible shifts that only revealed themselves later.
One day, I realized: I’m not who I used to be. I’m different and better than I was.
This is a glimpse into how that transformation happened, the challenges I faced, and why I continue to train my mind every day.
Where It Began
It all started with a choice. One decision that slowly turned into a way of life.
My rebirth came through loss. At the time, I was newly divorced. My island, Grand Bahama, was still reeling from the devastation of Hurricane Dorian, a Category 5 storm that left lasting scars, physical, spiritual, and mental.
Just as we began to recover, Covid-19 struck. Recovery slowed, loved ones passed, and heartbreak piled up. Then came the deepest cut: losing my father.
One after another, these moments hit like relentless waves. They pushed me to a pivotal crossroads, a true sink-or-swim moment. In that darkness, I caught a glimpse of a possible future. It was hazy, but it was enough for me to ask: What do I have to lose?
This wasn’t just about survival anymore, it was about direction. If life could strip me down, it could also force me to rebuild. But what would that rebuilding look like?
The First Shift
The biggest shift came in my mentality. I committed to leading my life with values that mattered to me, while spending more time in nature.
But transformation wasn’t a straight road. I stumbled. I wasted time. I avoided accountability. I lied to myself, pretending I was doing all I could, when deep down I knew I wasn’t ready to sacrifice enough to truly live my values.
Still, I kept coming back to them. Periodically, I’d pause and ask myself the hard questions: Am I living this, or just talking about it?
Those questions became louder over time. And eventually, I couldn’t keep ignoring them. Something had to break, either me, or my excuses.
When Enough Was Enough
Eventually, I hit a breaking point. Enough was enough.
I had chosen my values for a reason. I had shifted my mindset for a reason. I even began setting up nightly debriefs with myself, reviewing the day, retelling the story of my life, and embodying it, because of that reason.
The reason is simple: I am capable of transformation. And more importantly, I choose to be the main character in my story, with God as the author and director.
And once I embraced that truth, the path forward became clearer. Not easier, but clearer.
Moving Forward
My values are my compass. They ground me when life feels uncertain and guide me when the path is unclear. I refine them often, checking my direction, adjusting when necessary, but never losing sight of why I chose them. At the end of the day, training my mind isn’t just about discipline, it’s about living a story with intention, one choice at a time.
Takeaway: Transformation doesn’t happen all at once. It’s a series of decisions, small and large, repeated over time. The real power comes when you decide to stop drifting and start stepping fully into your role, with God guiding the story.
Now It’s On You
Here are 3 questions to reflect on tonight:
- What excuses am I holding onto that keep me comfortable but stuck?
- If my life depended on it, what one value would I start living today without shortcuts?
- What’s one action I can take tonight (not tomorrow) to show I am serious about my own transformation?
Closing thought: Every day is a page. How you live it determines whether your story is just read and forgotten or truly remembered.
