Should've, Could've, Would've

Happy New Year! I know it’s a little late...sorry, but I’ve been busy preparing for the release of my second novel. Anjeli’s journey continues in April and I’m really excited about her progress—the closer she gets to fulfilling her destiny, the more mature she gets and its thrilling to be able watch her grow through the eyes of my readers.

So what are your plans for the New Year? Someone asked me something the other day that got me thinking: If I could travel back in time, what would I say to my younger self?

“No man is rich enough to buy back his past.”—Oscar Wilde

I thought I’d jump at the chance, zoom back in my awesome time machine (no it’s NOT going to look like a Londoner phone booth) and catch myself at the brink of puberty. I’d say, “Stop believing everything society has told you to believe. Make up your own mind. Find a goal and stick with it. Do everything in your power to achieve your dreams. Study hard, respect your elders and YES alcohol is bad for you.” I know, I know... my younger self will probably faint from shock or some space-time continuum side effect half way through my monologue but still...

And then I got to thinking: wait just a dog gone second! What if someone asked me the very same question in thirty years? What would I want my older self to come back and tell me? (Okay, besides bringing back a list of the winning lottery numbers of the past 30 years...I’m a writer not a saint!) My older self would probably say the exact same things: Don’t waste your youth on what if’s, work hard to achieve what you want for your future self. Live life in a way that you will have no regrets in 30 years!

“The distinction between the past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.”—Albert Einstein

We spend our lives living in the past or the future; not realizing that today will be the past tomorrow. So what have I achieved today to make my tomorrow better? Have I done everything I can to make this past worthy of future stories?

And so, and so, and so, I know what I’m planning to do this year. I’m going to live in the present and to live a life that when asked, my future self (dressed in Armani, hopefully with keys to a yacht in hand and dozens of grandkids) will only come back to say, “Well played, Girl. Well played.”

“Do not dwell on the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”—Buddha