There’s never a better time than now to make the change. You know the one – the one that will make you better; the one that will make you happier; the one that will make you wildly successful.

Every morning, the world bombards us with negative messages. Good grief, we bombard ourselves with negative messages. We can throw those off and live like we already are who we want to be.

The first place to start is with our character – the foundation of who we are and of every decision we make. Integrity is pivotal. We either have it or we don’t. We can make sure our “yes” means “yes” and our “no” means “no.”

Maybe we’ve made foolish decisions in the past. Yes, that can happen. But, it doesn’t have to keep happening. We can make our very next decision more thoughtful and deliberate.

Why do what’s right? Well, to state the obvious, because it’s the right thing to do. That should be easy to remember.

That may mean speaking up or it may involve being quiet. Wisdom tells us that we have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen twice as much as we talk. What a concept!

That includes how we talk to ourselves. Get rid of the stinkin’ thinkin’ because we are what we think. It takes a little effort, but we can manage the messages we allow into our minds. What we see, read and hear matters.

Just as we are fully in control of managing the messages we receive, we are fully in control of the messages we distribute. Is our message one of joy, confidence and high expectation? Or…not?

My cousin, Jaye, took this amazing photo as he ascended in a hot air balloon this past summer. This view immediately evoked several emotions in me – breathless joy, exhilarating adventure and fresh hope. Dreams can come true and it’s never too late to make a change. Well, as long as we’re breathing.

The magic of a hot air balloon is that the hot air is less dense than cool air. So the first lesson here is: don’t be dense. We already knew that, right?

The balloon rises because the warm air is lighter than the same volume of cold air. The second lesson: travel light, as in light-hearted. Don’t let the heaviness of life weigh us down. This buoyancy allows us to be lifted to heights we may not have even imagined possible.

How does the air stay hot? Well, there’s a fire that has to be cared for. Leaving us with our third lesson: it’s up to us to control the fire within. (Not to be confused with being full of hot air, which is not our objective.)

What better time than now to reach for all the gusto, significance and passion that can fall into our outstretched hands? Living our lives to their full height, width and depth. Making sure our spirit is infused with everything good and right.

So go ahead, rise above. You can’t beat the view from the top of your dreams.