Inspirational Quotes
“It’s never too late to be what you might have been.”
~ George Eliot
It is easy to think that it’s too late to be what you wanted to be. I’ve heard excuses like: “I didn’t learn to play that instrument when I was young, so now I just don’t have the time.” or “I didn’t go to school to get my degree while I was younger, and I am too old to go back to school.”
I heard a girl say that she felt it was too late for her to start learning a new sport. She said she saw all her friends who had been playing the sport for a while and she felt she had just missed her chance. She was in the second grade! These were her honest feelings and she didn’t end up trying, feeling the regret of the ‘what if.’
I read a book from an author who had 10 children. She told of her life as a stay at home mom and said that since she had spent so much time caring for her children, she never was able to do something for herself. She said she always wanted to learn to play the Violin. Well, she didn’t give an excuse. She got to work. She was 40 years old when she first started taking lessons and by the time she was 50 years old she was performing with a symphony.
Hearing a story like that gives me new perspective on the quote, ‘It’s never too late to be what you might have been.’ Don’t let the past decide your future. Make your future how you want it to be, and become who you want to be now.
I agree with the premise whole-heartedly, but there are times when it simply “is too late”. As I have gotten older I realize that I can’t have everything I want and I won’t do all I want to do, but I’m okay with that. I made choices, like marrying young and having a large family that put me on a certain path. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been a wonderful journey and I wouldn’t change a thing, but you always sacrifice something when you make a decision. I worry when people try to “have it all”. I did go back to school and will graduate with a BA in October – finally! I’m excited for that, but I’ll never be a math teacher, concert pianist, or an artist. I just enjoy painting on walls and playing songs for fun. I guess I’m happy because I choose to be and I don’t worry about what I might have given up.
Thanks for your blog!