“It’s never too late to be who you might have been.”~George Eliot
“Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” This is one of those old sayings that seems to still ring true, because it reminds me that we can always start over and that it’s never too late. Which is heartening.
Often we’ll not try something, or do something, because we’re late in starting. Or we’ll have a dream, but not go after it, because it’s “too late.” What exactly is too late? And why is it too late? We may think that today is too late, but if we’d started on our way yesterday we’d be that much closer today. So why not start today and be that much closer tomorrow?
I’ve seen clients reinvent themselves – going back to school to get the advanced degree that will move them forward; learning new skills that allow them to succeed; becoming more extroverted or introverted, or strategic or tactical, or better at building relationships or better at getting things done. I’ve witnessed them become more of the person they could be and wanted to be, but didn’t let themselves be because it was “too late” and they weren’t “good at it” already.
First we do have to figure out who we might have been. We need to give ourselves time to reflect on what we’ve always dreamed of, or what would make us our “best selves.” And then once we’ve identified it, we need to give ourselves time, and sometimes permission, to start. To try. To become who we might have been.
Who do you really want to be? What’s your best you? Be it.
Please leave a comment to let us know how you’re becoming your best you.
If you enjoyed this post, you can read more like it in our book, The Power of Thoughtful Leadership: 101 Minutes To Being the Leader You Want To Be, available on Amazon.
For help in being all that you might have been, contact Robyn at rmcleod@chatsworthconsulting.com.
Click here to receive The Thoughtful Leaders™ Blog posts via e-mail and receive a copy of “Ending Leadership Frenzy: 5 Steps to Becoming a More Thoughtful and Effective Leader.”
Photo Credit: Chatsworthconsulting.com
I see this all the time too… I think “too late” sometimes means “I’m scared.”
Thanks Karin. I think “I’m scared” is more prevalent than we think. You’re even reminding me of the things that I think I’m late on. Maybe I need to look at my own potential fear!