Some moments change the way you see everything – you can never go back to seeing the world the way you did before.
A few years ago I went to a Book Reading featuring the Pulitzer Prize winning writer Michael Cunningham who wrote The Hours. (It was also made into a film starring Nicole Kidman.)
He had a very upbeat and soothing presence as he read to us. Toward the end, we shifted to Q and A and someone in the audience asked Michael about his life and what it took for him to succeed.
I’ll never forget his answer as long as I live. He said, “When I was younger, I met a lot of writers who had more talent than me. They were better than me. The difference was that they gave up and I didn’t.”
Then he shared words that he’d lived by for most of his life, words that had been spoken by none other than Marilyn Monroe.
Half a century ago, she said: “I wasn’t the prettiest, I wasn’t the most talented – I just wanted it the most.”
It was so quiet in that theater, you could have heard a pin drop.
When you hear something like that it makes you stop and question what’s possible.
And how far you’re willing to go.
I wanted to share this story with you today as a living testament to what’s possible when you don’t give up on your dreams, even if they take longer than you thought they would!
If there’s ever something you want badly, just remember the age old wisdom of Marilyn Monroe: “I wasn’t the prettiest, I wasn’t the most talented – I just wanted it the most.” Look at where it got her!
This message was profound when I first heard it, so I wanted to pass it on to you today!
I hope it inspires you as much as it inspired me.
