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| It's never too late to do anything. |
One of my very favorite quotes in
the whole wide word (besides "The world runs on Dunkins") is "Never,
ever give up." by one of history's greatest heroes Sir
Winston Churchill. Boy could we could sure use him in the times we're living in
today couldn't we? But that's a blog for another day.
What brings this quote to my mind?
Recently, I read about an eighty three year old supermodel who just scored a
Special Edition cover of New You Magazine. Gracing the cover of a
magazine is nothing earth shattering for a supermodel to do. However because
pop culture as a whole generally practices age bias on a regular basis and
pushes the subliminal message that youth equals everything; to be eighty three
and get the cover, that my friends in my humble Greek opinion is something to
not only notice, but to stand up and cheer about.
Age bias is a subject not many
people want to talk about, but it goes on every day in all walks of life. It's
prevalent in entertainment, pop culture, TV, film, music, news, and even in the
job market. What it boils down to is there are people out there (the so
called experts) who determine other peoples value by their age, when in
fact it's irrelevant. No one can avoid growing older, we're all going to get to
be a particular age at some point in our lives, yes even Justin Bieber. We have
a choice, buy into the "youth is everything fairytale" or
stand up for age like Carmen Dell'Orefice has done.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying
there is anything wrong with taking care of your health or striving to stay
young at heart, body and mind. I believe your body is a miracle and you should
definitely take care of it. What I am saying is that to allow someone to tell
you that you're either "too old or even too young" to do or
achieve something is just ridiculous. If you're still breathing you have every
opportunity to achieve your dreams and goals.
There are people who have overcome
insurmountable obstacles to go onto to achieve tremendous success in their
fields. People who had they listened to the nay sayers, might never have. There
are plenty, but I'll just name a few.
When Susan Boyle was born she went
without oxygen during the delivery. The Dr's told her parents not to expect
much from her. That she was born at a disadvantage and that she would never
amount to much. She spent much of her life pursuing her dream and even when
people discounted her, she didn't let others determine her value. One day at the
age of forty eight years old she got on a bus to audition for a singing
competition in another city. She had never traveled that far alone,
accidentally got on the wrong bus, and ended up taking six busses to get to the
venue. She walked out onto the stage in stark contrast to most of the young hip
contestants, stood firm in who she was, boldly told lead judge Simon Cowell her
dream, and then showed the world her beautiful gift.
Dr. Ben Carson is another. Born and
raised in Detroit, Michigan his parents divorced when he was eight. Raised in
what many could call not the greatest of situations by a single mom. He went
from a boy with a violent temper (in the ninth grade he nearly stabbed a
friend in a fight over a radio station) to what some would call one of the
world's most intelligent people. How did he do this? At some point as a youth,
he made a choice to not let his circumstances determine his value and where he
would end up in life. He could have listened to the experts, not enough money
to go to college, too hard, too this, too that. Instead he focused on what he
had on the inside, his faith, worked hard and went onto to pioneer a brain
surgery procedure and to be one of the most gifted neurosurgeons in the country
if not the world.
The key is to know that your value
does not come from superficial things like your looks or age. It's refreshing
to see things like music artist Annie Lenox still going strong. Her performance
at the 2015 Grammy Awards brought down the house, and she showed beyond any
shadow of a doubt that age just doesn't matter. What matters is if you are good
at what you do. So whatever you're working towards, whether it's to be a mom, a
teacher, a Dr., a nurse, lawyer, mechanic, rocket scientist, or even a
rocker... own it. Hone your skills and be the best one you can be. Don't let
anyone tell you you're "too anything".
Stand up and be you, because at the
end of the day there will only ever be one you. In the words of one of my
favorite acting teachers in NYC Eric Loeb: "Students want to know
what casting directors want, and how to book a job. Stop acting, there is only one
you. Being you is the only thing that makes you different
from the fifty other people who read for the role before you walked in, so stop
"acting" and just "be you."
I would add be you wherever you are
in your life right now. Then own it, like Fashion Icon Carmen Dell'Orefice
does. Beauty is subjective, and real beauty comes from within.
"For as he thinks in his heart, so is he..." Proverbs 23:7 (NLV)
I leave you with a song I wrote
about this very thing called "I Don't Even Care". Written
about stuffing your ears full of cotton balls when the Debbie Downers of the
world try to rain on your parade.
Blessings, Love & Music ~
Ava xo
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