A difference a decade makes

Trust30:  Day 8
What would you say to the person you were five years ago? 
What will you say to the person you’ll be in five years?

I was 29 years old five years ago.  I was facing a huge change in my place of employment.  I was going into it with a great deal of trust.  I was also stubborn as hell.  I’m fairly certain I wouldn’t have listened to a thing I said. I am more than positive that the 34 year old me and the 29 year old me would have replicated a meeting of the titans.  That’s how successful that conversation would have been.  

However, I would have still tried.  And I would have said:

“No matter how hard you work, no matter what you think is right or what you do, it will still blow up in the end, because you can’t control the actions of others.  Sometimes, people just have darkness in their hearts and nothing you can do will overcome it.”

Pessimistic?  Yes.  Realistic?  Probably.  In these last five years I have learned that I can only control my own actions and, due to this, my own outcomes.  And so what will I say to myself when I am facing the dawn of my 39th year?  Simple:

“You survived when you thought you wouldn’t.  And your success is the best revenge.” 

There will be an agreement in whatever variety of actions, so they be each honest and natural in their hour.

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson 
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Published by C. Streetlights

I wrote and illustrated my first bestseller, "The Lovely Unicorn" in the second grade and I've been terrified of success ever since. Published by ShadowTeamsNYC and represented by Lisa Hagen Books

2 thoughts on “A difference a decade makes”

  1. Cristina says:

    Thank you! I've already lived too long waiting for people to define my own success.

  2. This figuring out that you can only control your own actions was a huge one for me. It took me far too long to get there, but once I did, my life changed in a big way.
    And you are right, your success is what matters.

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