It’s never too late to be

what you might have been.

George Eliot

I love this quote. I mean, I LOVE this quote.

He’s saying that no matter how much time we have wasted or how many mistakes we have made, there is always enough time left to do our best and produce good things. What an encouragement. What a beautiful, uplifting thought.

Every time I see these words, my mind turns away from the time I’ve wasted, right back to the time I have left. Every time I see these words, I remember that it is never too late to be what we are meant to be, to do what we are meant to do. The passage of time, the struggles of life, the quiet grief of aging are less chore and more a joy. It infuses every moment with purpose and hope!

What you hold onto controls you.

Isabel Palacios

I wasted years holding onto dreams that weren’t mine, friends that didn’t want me, entire groups of people that were never going to fully accept me and never gave me the benefit of the doubt. I was controlled by what they thought, or didn’t think. I invested, way beyond the return. And it led me to act in ways that I blush to remember—obsessing over facial expressions, mentally replaying vocal intonation. It was bad.

Personally, I believe that humans were made to give our attention to something, to essentially worship something. We don’t call it worship, but it is. Whether it’s a glittering career, our social media image, or family relationships, we each end up giving the reigns to some type of focal point.

Isabel Palacios’ quote reminds me that whatever I am holding onto better be really worth it. Because it will control me.

All life is an experiment.

The more experiments you make,

the better.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

No doubt, you recognize this quote. I discovered it in the first quarter of this year and it so completely revolutionized the way I thought and acted, it is the inspiration for my personal brand’s tagline: “Life is an experiment. You’re the scientist.” If everything is an experiment, it’s hard to find a losing situation. If everything is an experiment, the goal becomes trying your very best, which everyone can do. If everything is an experiment, what can trying hurt? The answer is, not much.

This quote encourages us to release outcome and put all our precious creativity into being creative, instead of trying to manage and stress over variables we cannot control.

You can’t control who sees your book on Amazon; but you can make sure the book is there and that it’s a darn good one.

You can’t control the producers in the audition room; but you can show up, be prepared, and do your absolute best.

You can’t control whether you get the job; but you can be friendly, professional and ready to work.

The more we focus on what we can do, the more we actually get done. That’s why I love this quote. It reminds me to focus on the process!

The only person

you are destined to become,

is the person you decide to be.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

In today’s climate, our futures seem more and more defined by things outside of our control. Our race. Our upbringings. Our negative experiences. Our social class or any class, as defined by people with lots of letters after their names. It kind of sucks the possibility out of life, and makes our futures seem static as opposed to what they really are–fluid and delightfully uncertain!

This quote is, more or less, another version of Henry Ford’s, “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.”

It places the burden of the future back on me, which paradoxically is less stressful than imagining my destiny is out of my control. When you realize that you have power then decide to embrace that power, the world opens up to you and ideas begin to flow. This quote reminds me to do that, whenever I can!

You’re not going to reach your goals

being the person you are today.

Joseph Emerson

The bro has great ideas and, every once in a while, I get to hear them.

He said this during one of our super late night talks, right before the pandemic/COVID/quarantine hit, and it floored me. The quote is amazing, partially because it doesn’t require much explanation, but also because it is manifestly true!

The only way to get to a different place, is by doing different things. In doing different things, you become a different person. If you reverse-engineer the process, becoming a different person leads to doing different things, which leads to a different, better place.

The way to get to where you want to be, is to slowly and steadily become a different person. It makes so much dang sense. He’s amazing.

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Anyways!! I hope you enjoyed this short piece. I certainly enjoyed writing it. If you want to follow me on any of my other platforms (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube), click the three lines in the upper right hand corner on any page of my blog and the links are there!

I am working on a YouTube channel and am releasing my first video later this month, so keep an eye out for that!

I hope you have a lovely rest of your week, wherever that may be. I hope that great ideas come to you today. And I hope that you and yours are safe. ❤

Remember: You have a powerful mind, an iron will and the heart of a lion.

Sincerely,

a.i.a.l.