The question, is it too late, is something we ask ourselves fairly often.
Is it too late to pick up the guitar for the very first time? Is it too late to say I’m sorry? Is it too late to begin something new or rekindle something old? It’s a loaded question that says much about where we are and what we are searching for.
We need to consider ourselves lucky to even ask the question, because many timid and tired souls never gather the courage to do so. So this gives us a bit of an edge, a sliver of purpose, but asking the question is not enough. It is important to ask the question but you must also respond in kind. You need to respond with an undeniable yes. Yes!
The answer should always be yes because it is never too late. It is always a perfect time, rain or shine, to begin something or revisit something abandoned along the way
People ask if it’s too late out of a sense of regret, and it’s regret not your umpteenth mistake that will keep you up at night. Regrets are a bitch to shake off. The only remedy is to believe that its never too late.
Some people ask the question out of pity. They are not interested in starting something. They are not interested in becoming someone who they have never been, and doing things that have never been done. They are not interested because they know how hard it is. They don’t want to put in the effort, for one reason or another, but they ask the question in order to receive permission not to try. They want another tired and miserable soul to tell them that it’s ok. They want a pessimistic embrace and be told that there is simply no point trying. Not trying is never truly desirable, but it is easier. Much easier.
And so we play these games. We ask if we should lose weight. We ask if we should love again. We ask a whole of things we really don’t want to have answers to. But there is only ever one answer and you know what it is. Yes!
Nothing is different today than it was yesterday. If you are asking the question there is something deep inside of you that demands answers. If you are asking the question then you are hungry to live out your life with deeper meaning. Nothing is different about this hour, than the hour before last.
It’s never too late. You need to spend less time measuring yourself or measuring what you do, and accept that life is far more forgiving and far more encompassing than you give it credit. You might not be the best singer in the world, and Adele is safe for the time being, but that doesn’t mean you cannot get better. That doesn’t mean that you cannot shape your voice into something better. It doesn’t mean you can’t soak up the joy of singing like Adele does. You don’t have to be like her, but why would you want to?
If you are asking yourself if it’s too late, know once and for all, that yes, it may be too late. It’s too late when your heart stops beating, your lungs are empty of oxygen, and your brain stops to fire and process the information that surrounds it. It may be too late when you find yourself laying there, cold as a piece of meat at a butcher shop. That’s when it’s too late.
Until then, get to work. You have your body, your mind, and a beautiful spirit. You have right now, and you have tomorrow. You also have permission to begin.
Cover photo generously provided by photographer Fabrizio Verrecchia via unsplash.com