I don’t think many people will actually read this as meaning that they can become a brain surgeon at 94 years old. But at the same time they may not really ask themselves in a profound way what the statement actually means. Too many times I will ask people about quotes they use and when pressed they will realize that they’ve never really thought about what the quote would mean in their life. It’s easy to use some superficial meaning like a slogan or a cheerleader for your new life direction but it’s a different thing to ask yourself, why was the quote even uttered? What this quote indicates is that there is never a time during an event or a time in your life where you cannot become any version of yourself that you choose. A person who has never stood up for themselves in their life can suddenly do it any day of their life—any day they choose. An angry person can choose a calmer, kinder path. Sad people can abandon debilitating thought patterns and choose to shift to seeing themselves as healthy rather than in-need of repair. You can become more compassionate. You can become more patient. You can become more affectionate. You can become more trusting. You can change yourself in any way you choose because you have always been and you always will be simply a collection of beliefs. So if you change the beliefs you have about yourself then you will change your life. And it’s never too late to start. Why not now?
peace. s
Note: Everyone who posts or shares a quote does so with the very best of intentions. That said, I have created the series of Other Perspectives blog posts in an effort to prevent some of these ideas from entering into people’s consciousness unchallenged. These quotes range from silly to dangerous to tricky to ambiguous, and while I intend no offence to their creators, I do use these rebuttals to help define and delineate the larger message I’m attempting to convey in my own work. I do hope you find them helpful in your pursuit of both psychological and spiritual health.
A serious childhood brain injury lead Scott to spend his entire life meditating on the concepts of thought, consciousness, reality and identity. It made others as strange to him as he was to them. When he realized people were confused by their own over-thinking, Scott began teaching others to understand reality. He is currently CBC Radio Active’s Wellness Columnist, as well as a writer, speaker and mindfulness instructor based in Edmonton, AB where he still finds it strange to write about himself in the third person.
