“It is never too late to be what you might have been”-George Eliot

The same man that wrote Forrest Gump …

Wrote Dune

The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons

A Star is Born

And some of the greatest works of the last 30 years.

His name is Eric Roth.

Of all the words he’s written, there was one passage from The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons that hit me so hard, I decided to end my entire book with it:

I still read it today:

“For what it’s worth, it’s never too late…to be whoever you want to be.

There’s no time limit. Start whenever you want. You can change or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. I hope you see things that startle you.

I hope you feel things you’ve never felt before. I hope you meet people who have a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of.

And if you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.”

I put those words on the last page of my book.

Years later, I think I understand them even more. We give our past too much authority over our future.

>But I’ve already spent 20 years doing this.

>But this is what people know me for.

>But I’m too far down the road.

>But starting again means the first thing didn’t work.

= No

You’re allowed to outgrow a dream that once fit you perfectly.

It doesn’t make the old dream wrong.

It means you changed.

Maybe that’s why Roth’s words have stayed with me all these years. A great story is not because the character stays the same. The character changes.

Maybe we’re allowed to do the same.

Dash of Courage

You are allowed to outgrow the story you wrote for yourself.

Finish the chapter.

Turn the page.

And have the courage to start again.

The best characters always do.

Courage over comfort,

Garrett

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