As I was praying the other day, I saw these words: "Honor your past." Wait, what? It wasn't something I had ever thought about before. Usually, when I thought of the past, there was pain: regrets and mistakes that I wish I could go back and change. Back to the future. Remember that movie? How many times have I wished we could really do that? More times than I can count, I will tell you that much. If you are like me, you've gone over the past countless times, maybe

Self-doubt. We are ourselves and it isn’t enough. In fact, it is too much for some people. THEY decide that we are too much and it feels like rejection, leading to what? Self-doubt, questionning who we are and what we are doing .

I grew up on welfare in government subsidized housing in an abusive and violent home environment by a parent who had a mental illness. As a result, I struggled with my self-esteem. I was told I was worthless, and I believed that lie, but once I attended university and did very well in my classes, and loved learning, I realized that I did have something to offer the world.

We create our lives with our thoughts, whether they are negative or positive. Our actions follow our thoughts. If we believe we can do what we desire to do, we can. In turn, if we believe we can’t do something, we won’t. Our thoughts, beliefs, and even words have incredible power to create the life that we desire.

Our young people are looking outside themselves for direction and validation, the last place they should be looking. They are dressing to fit in, doing the same things as the other kids, looking at their friends, classmates, celebrities, and social media influencers to find out who they are and who they think they want to be.