New Year’s eve is finally here. And 2019 has been a rough one for many reasons.

I’m looking forward to 2020 and the new decade.

I’ve learned a lot in the last ten years and have seen such a significant change. At the beginning of the decade, my kids were both young, and now they’re older. I’ve learned a lot as a parent in ten years, and I will say that one of the most important things that I’ve learned is how to admit that I’m wrong with my kids.

Growing up, I always wanted my father to come back and say that he not only apologized for all that he had done to our family, but I wanted him to admit that he was wrong.

Hearing an adult say, “I screwed up, I made a mistake,” and then actively work to be better would have been amazing.

Still, I’m not blinded by what happened. Even though my mom and father divorced more than forty years ago, she still doesn’t like people to apologize to her. Why? She’s sick of hearing people make apologies but never change their behavior. Her opinion is that actions speak louder than words.

With my kids, when I make a mistake or fail at something, I go and talk with my kids. I let them know that I was wrong or share how I failed. But what’s most important is that I then tell them what I’m going to do to overcome the failure or how I’ll work on being a better person.

Then I take making that change to heart and work (and be sure to show them by example) on solving the issue or showing them how I am working to be better.

I’ve always treated my kids as individuals—they have their personalities and are not an extension of me. When either of them asks me the question: “What should I do?" or “What should I pick?” I throw the question back at them: “What would you like to do or pick?”

And so we’re at the ending of a decade in which now I see a great change in the world. Each of us has a choice every single day.

I choose to work toward being good and helping others. Like Paulo Coelho’s manual Warrior of the Light, I strive to bring goodness to the world. If you’re not familiar with Coelho’s work, please pick up The Alchemist. He has sold more than 165 million books worldwide, and The Alchemist is a great fable about self-discovery.

With 2020 only hours away, I am committed to continuing my journey of self-discovery and working to help others.

Although the end of a year and the decade is upon us, there’s a new beginning. When one door shuts, another opens.

And when the new door does open, what will you do?

Like what you’ve read? Be sure to check out my other posts in my Let Go and Be Free blog.

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