A little chat with a relative made me muse in the Pool of Dilemmas about the coulda, shoulda, wouldas. This person was griping that they never had the opportunity to express themselves, to develop themselves creatively. This is a person who spent their life making choices and spending their time developing social opportunities, spending personal and creative capital to be noticed to be invited to the right events to associate with the people they wanted and still want to be friends with. This is a person who uses any opportunity to be the center of attention and whenever the light is pointed on someone else, they throw up a mirror to make the reflection of the other person shine on themselves. You know what I think of this? Action. Action speak louder than the coulda, woulda, shouldas. If you want to express yourself, or to develop yourself--then do it. One word, one sketch, one diary entry at a time. Stop the talk. Start the work. Now. Stop talking about missed opportunities. Start making opportunities..even small ones.
Change is good. Continual change is better. You will have to take risks...even small risks to get the catherine wheel of change to start. With one small risk you can move to greater ones. Soon, you are leaning over the edge, peering into abyss and proceeding with happiness, not fear.
And oh, did I say you are never too old to start? This crap of how "we were never allowed " or "we were never encouraged" has a verb that is past tense. If you want to live in the past, do so...and live with the consequences. Age is no reason to not learn something new, try something new to get out of your box. Stop saying no one let you. You let you. The walls are as high as you want them cause guess what?--you make them (most of the time). If something seems impossible--just chunk it out or change your medium--just keep going. Action. Work begets progress.And progress begets change. Change begets opportunities, new ideas, new friends, new interests. New world. We all change with time (physically, that is). Can't we change emotionally and intellectually in a way that takes on the youth we have lost? I think we should all be "working out" with our brains as well as our brawn. But we all need to be personally responsible for that aspect of our growth. No One is going to do it. The only one is you. Own it but go for it.
You don't even need to leave your desk. You just have to put the key in the ignition. And then, turn it.
Andrew Carnegie's axiom was "My Heart is in the work". So is mine.