Life is a series of gains and losses. Those gains and losses take many forms. Friends come and go, opportunities come and go, and we gift little pieces of ourselves to the special people in our lives while other people steal pieces. Sometimes logical, sometimes paradoxical. We gain things we wish we could lose, and lose things we spend the rest of our lives mourning or trying to recover.

Reclaim is defined as: to retrieve, recover, or obtain the return of something previously lost, given, or stolen.

It’s a good definition, but I’d like to add one small, but important, amendment to it. To reclaim something is to retrieve, recover, or obtain a right relationship with something previously lost, given or stolen.

What do you need to reclaim?

It’s time to reclaim whatever has been lost, stolen, or given in error (either because we deceived ourselves or were manipulated by others). It’s time to reclaim your life. It’s time to reclaim yourself.

There are so many ways we need to reclaim. In preparing to write this book, I began by brain- storming a list with some colleagues and we quickly arrived at more than 100 aspects of life and self that needed to be reclaimed.

I include that list here, not as a definitive list, but to help you brainstorm your own list: Dreams, Energy, Creativity, Peace of Mind, Spirituality, Hope for the Future, Time, Personal Finances, Friendships, Fortitude, Stillness, Family, Love of Reading, Psychological Safety, Soul, Heart, Environments, Financial Freedom, Marriage, Kindness, Health, Body, Love of Learning, Mental Health, Meaning of Life, Childlike Wonder, Independence, Stuff, Intimacy, Goodness, Needs, Senses, Inspiration, Attitude, Peace, Confidence, Responsibilities, Relationship with Money, Family, Integrity, Ability to Say No, Space, Curiosity, Freedom, Silence, Wonder, To Do List, Relationship with Things, Privacy, Gratitude, Purpose, Ideas, Past, Present, and Future, Solitude, Fragility, Priorities, Relationship with Money and Things, Boundaries, Hope, Wellbeing, Content Diet, Trust, Dependence, Vulnerability, Career, Respect, Patience, Comfort, Present Moment Awareness, Vocation, Openness, Humility, Vision, Appreciation, Relationship to Truth, Beauty, and Goodness, Voice, Habits, Courage, Decisions, Judgement Choices, Faith, Sense of Adventure, Love, Decisiveness, Social Life, Joy, Flexibility, and Contentment.

Now consider the other option. Reclaim... or what? What is the other option? If you don’t reclaim what you uniquely need to reclaim, what will happen? What won’t happen? What damage will be done to the best and purest parts of you?

If we reclaim what is rightfully ours and help others to do the same, I believe we will enter a new period of human flourishing. This is my hope, dream, and prayer for you: May you flourish as the person you were created you to be—unique and wonderful—like never before.

So, if you have the sense that something is missing, or that there must be more to life, or that you have so much more to contribute... I am incredibly excited for you. Don’t ignore it, avoid it, or push it away. Embrace it as a precious gift. If you do, I promise you, something wonderful is about to happen!

Matthew Kelly

If you like this post, check out the book: [reclaim!]