A Life-long Commitment to Change: Beginning with the End in Mind

After intense moments of reflection, it was decided that even if this book only helps one person see their fullest potential can only be unlocked by them, I have at least paid forward a small slither of what was shared with me over the years. Let me begin by unpacking the title and sharing the meaning behind it. A life-long commitment to change requires an openness to new experiences and a deep-rooted belief in oneself to be able to shine, despite the challenges, obstacles, and even threats that may come your way. Change can be perceived as good, bad, or indifferent but perception is fleeting. We change and adapt every day, ebbing and flowing with what life throws our way. Yet, it is chiefly not until one has been asked or told to change course that change becomes the enemy. I get it. Change can be extremely uncomfortable, even scary, but it can also be extremely rewarding. One month before my 30th birthday, a decision was made to never settle and always strive for what is in my best interest. Beginning with the end in mind, I figured I had at least another 30 to 50 years of life to live. My thinking was what I did then would shape what life looks like now. It turned out to be true. What did that decision require? That decision required I grab the bull by the horns and steer it in the direction I wanted to go, and that direction was upward and onward. This is not a how to or self-help type of book, and it is also not an autobiography depicting the chronicles of my life. Instead, it is a, short, chapter formatted book, meant to highlight how a lifetime commitment to change, beginning with the end in mind, will keep you in the game—the game of life that comes with no instructions but many rules, regulations, policies, and laws. Chapter 1—forecasting the future—is about assessing your current situation right before making this lifelong commitment to change. Chapter 2—seeking and finding necessary human, social, and financial capital for success—is about situating yourself among others who are more experienced, resourceful, and genuinely interested in opening a door for you to walk into or a window for you to climb into. Chapter 3—making a lifelong commitment to change—is about envisioning the future you see for yourself and digging your heels in, knowing you may have to adapt, rethink, or change course along the way to achieve what success looks like for you. Chapter 4—moving the goal post with purpose—is about satisfying the whole you, physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally, as you grow through your accomplishments and setbacks; you are not the same you five or ten years down the road, and goals change. Last, Chapter 5—legacy building and torch passing—is about leading by example and paying forward the blessings of a steady paced race; the blessings that keep on giving include sharing knowledge, resources, and access, modeling an example of how to soar upward and onward, and planting seeds that eventually lead to a garden full of the next generation of beautiful, bright, and unapologetically bold leaders. There are many paths to success and rarely do we get on one road and keep straight to our destination. A life-long commitment to change is equivalent to a life-long commitment to learning. If you can imagine where you want to go or be in life, take it a step further and execute a plan of action that will get you there, recognizing at the onset that the road there may become winding and uphill. When challenges or threats arise find a way around it, under it, over it, or through it if you must, but stay the course even when the course temporarily appears unrecognizable. Everybody’s journey is different, but to get anywhere you first must begin the journey. Here are a few questions that should be asked in cycles or waves as you dig into what this book has to offer. Who am I? What do I want to accomplish? How badly do I want it? What must I do to achieve it? I recall asking myself these questions as a teenager approaching early adulthood, again in the latter half of my early adulthood years, and now again, as Dr. Victoria C. Taylor, who is currently in the first half of middle adulthood. The point is, once you answer these questions for yourself, act! Take the necessary steps to bring to fruition the vision you have envisioned for yourself; you can remain idle or strive to be an idol, but you must believe the choice is yours to make. With over ten years of qualitative research experience and expertise in behavioral health research, a conscious decision was made to write this nonfiction novel using a storytelling approach. There is power in storytelling, for the person telling the story, the person receiving the story, and all those who become influenced because a connection was established. I do not aim to predict what that connection may be, but sometimes a single spark is all it takes to light something/someone on fire. Maybe it is the thought that if this person can do this, so can I. This is the goal, ultimately—to bring your attention to what is your desire in life and how do you achieve it. I do not provide the answers to your questions, but if you are developing questions and beginning to seek resolutions, I have done my part.