Is it too late to get a do-over? Maybe, but maybe not.
George Clooney’s last line in the movie, Jay Kelly, is “Can I go again?”
Was he wanting to see himself on the big screen again, or was he wanting a do-over?
This isn’t a persuasive piece as there is no aim to bend you to my way of thinking. This isn’t even a descriptive piece, as there is no story to tell by creating a vivid picture with details utilizing sensory overtures.
Could I say it’s an expository piece? Possibly. My goal is to inform and have you make a decision for yourself, but is that actually correct? Is asking the question to cause oneself to self-reflect expository? Maybe it is. I’m not inserting my personal opinion. Simply asking the question allows you, the reader, to self-reflect and expose oneself to the truth that is there.
Webster’s defines a do-over as a new attempt or opportunity to do something after a previous attempt has been unsuccessful or unsatisfactory. So, can we get do-overs? Is it ever too late? One can certainly argue yes, it is. There are no do-overs, but there are second chances. You can’t relive that moment or go back in time. You could certainly be a jack ass your whole life and shut out those around you to when on your death bed, you’re a lonely and bitter old fool. At that moment, it would be too late to make a change and try for a second chance.
But if you’re reading this and you still have plenty of life to live, look at your future self. Not tomorrow or next year, but 15 -25 years ahead. What do you see? How do you live your life? What decisions do you make today that will make you who you are then? The better question is, do you like what you see?
Are you the husband who pursues money over family? Will you end up being the Jim Croce version of The Cat’s in the Cradle.
Are you a woman who sought a career and wanted to make a name for herself before considering a family, but ended up so set in her ways that there was no room for children or a lifelong partner? Now you look back and wonder what it was all for.
Are you envious of that friend who got the opportunity you didn’t because he happened to open the door when you were too busy having way too much fun to pay attention to the doors that were placed in your path?
Maybe you were the oldest sibling and felt it was your responsibility to take care of your siblings because mom couldn’t take care of herself, let alone the kids. You became resentful, shutting her and the siblings out, not realizing she did the best she could with what she had because she didn’t know any better. She worked two jobs to be sure you had what you needed, even though it may have been just enough.
These are just a few of the many paths that people’s choices have set them on. Are they on the right path? Who is to say? Only the person who looks ahead and makes the cognitive choice to take a different path can make that decision.
A do-over isn’t necessary; starting over is. It’s starting where you are and doing just one thing differently. That one slight adjustment can change the course of your path or trajectory. Your competition is not with the person in the next cubicle, your neighbor, or your sibling. Your competition is with yourself, who you were yesterday, and who you want to be tomorrow.
Bottom line, you can be 65, and it is never too late to pursue your dream. Plenty of people have made that slight pivot and sought after their dreams, built a business, rekindled relationships, worked on themselves, and found their calling. No, it is never too late. If you are asking the question, then that is the first step. The next step is to take action and move forward.
This was written by our contributing writer, Shannon Hrimnak.
Image Source: Unsplash, Jennie Razumnaya
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