Here’s your two-minute history lesson for the day: George Eliot was the male pen name of Mary Ann Evans (22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880). She was an English novelist, journalist, translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. She is the author of seven novels, including Adam Bede (1859), The Mill on the Floss (1860), Silas Marner (1861), Middlemarch (1872), and Daniel Deronda (1876), most of them set in provincial England and known for their realism and psychological insight. Middlemarch is considered one of the greatest novels in the English language. George Elliot used a male pen name to ensure her works would be taken seriously. Female authors were published under their own names during Eliot's life, but she wanted to escape the stereotype of women only writing lighthearted romances.
I first came across George Eliot while in college. I was an
English major, and my plan was to become a college professor specializing in
Victorian literature.
Fast-forward to now, and, clearly, I ended up on a different
path (another story for another day).
But, I never forgot this quote. In fact, this sentiment has,
over time, become my personal motto as well as my business’s tagline.
Next month, I turn 61. Cora Harvey Armstrong said, “Inside
every older lady is a younger lady wondering what the hell happened.” Truer
words were never spoken.
I remember my former mother-in-law once saying to me, “One
day, you get up and leap out of bed, ready to begin the day’s events. Then, you
suddenly notice that the only thing that has sprung out of bed is your
boundless spirit. You look back and realize that your body is still lying
there, trying to roll out of bed without groaning, and hoping not to fall over
in the process.”
She and Cora must have been BFFs.
Bette Davis acidly observed, “Old age ain't no place for
sissies.” I’d be lying if I told you that I disagreed with her. And, please,
don’t try assuring me that 61 isn’t “old.” Try convincing my knees of that.
Of course, by now you’re probably wondering when the #ThoughtHealing
part of this blog begins.
Hillel the Elder said, “I get up. I walk. I fall down.
Meanwhile, I keep dancing.”
On the cusp of 61, I totally get the “get up, walk, fall
down” part. But, like Hillel, I try to focus on the dancing. Because it really
IS never too late to learn a new step, acquire a new skill, pick up a new taste
in literature, set a new goal. Cross off something on your bucket list—and then
add three new things to it.
Maybe even become a college professor specializing in
Victorian literature.
I keep a journal, plus I have a daily diary that I like to
enter the little things in, like when the meadowlarks return each spring or
when the first geese begin their annual migration in the fall. My current daily
diary actually ends on January 1, 2017. On the first day of this new year, I turned to that page and
wrote this, “My new life looks nothing like it did one year ago today (written
on January 1, 2016).”
And while I don’t know quite yet what that will mean or how
I might want to manifest it, I do know this: truer words were never spoken.
Think about it!
And, as always,
remember this: It’s NEVER too late
to be what you might have been!
Want to know more about transforming limited thoughts and
beliefs into limitless possibilities? Check out my Examine–Envision–Emerge
Personal Transformation Book Series. Each book explores a particular aspect of
thought healing. Find yours online at your favorite retailer today!
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