In the May issue of O Magazine (on newsstands now), there's a feature that includes inspirational quotes from famous women of all ages, and one quote in particular really made an impact on me:
Wisdom of the Ages
LOVE THE AGE YOU ARE…here are some words of wisdom from some incredible women in the spotlight from Mad Men’s Kiernan Shipka at age 11 to 50-year-old Grammy winner Aimee Mann.
“Enjoy the love of others, but revel in the love of yourself. Don’t wait for someone else to save you.”
—Aisha Tyler, 40, comedian and actress, FX’s “Archer”
“I once heard someone say, ‘If it’s not happening now, it’s not happening.’ That stuck with me—I realized there’s no reason to pre–freak out about problems. It’s made such a difference in my life.”
—Aimee Mann, 50, Grammy Award–winning singer and musician
“Always do what’s right, even if other people aren’t. Don’t do something just because it will please people, and don’t not do something just because it’ll upset people. My mother told me that.”
—Kiernan Shipka, 11, actress, AMC’s Mad Men
“When you’re hurt or angry, let go by tapping into your humbleness. You want people to remember you for your grace.”
—Stevie Nicks, 62, singer and songwriter, “In Your Dreams”
“It’s important to listen. Most people just want to know that they are heard.”
—Anne Meara, 81, star of the Yahoo.com Stiller & Meara Web series
I actually love all of the quotes in this feature, but the quote by singer Aimee Mann made such a profound impact on me that I really wanted to share it with all of you. Here it is again:
“I once heard someone say, ‘If it’s not happening now, it’s not happening.’ That stuck with me—I realized there’s no reason to pre–freak out about problems. It’s made such a difference in my life.”
—Aimee Mann, 50, Grammy Award–winning singer and musician
Now, it's easy to misinterpret this quote. I don't think the meaning is: "If it's not happening now, it's NEVER going to happen." What I take it to mean is this: all we have is the right now; this moment. We have no way of predicting the future, or if we'll even be around for the future. So if a potential problem that you're stressing out about is not happening RIGHT NOW, then it's actually NOT happening, because all we have is "right now." As Ms. Mann says, don't pre-freak out about problems. When it comes right down to it, all we've got is the moment we're in, so don't spend your time worrying about a problem that may never materialize.
For more words of wisdom, check out the May 2011 O Magazine interview with Diahann Carroll and Kerry Washington here.
Thank you so much for this; I have goosebumps. I love the one from the 11 year old girl. I need to forward that one to my Mom because she is a perpetual people-pleaser. She knows it and it makes her life difficult, but she has a hard time stopping. All of these quotes spoke to me in some way. A lot of the time quotes come off as trite and meaningless to me, but all of these struck a nerve. Thanks so much G!
ReplyDeletewow. WOW. that comment about not pre-freaking out about problems is SO me right now. Thanks so much for sharing this! Really helped! xD
ReplyDeleteAs I edge closer to 40...oh HAII December...I try to remember that for myself - what Aimee Mann is saying - I have to keep telling myself that, I need to let go of the stress. Also, I love the Stevie Nicks quote. Thanks SO much for sharing these, they're all fantastic and well worth passing on.
ReplyDeleteJessi: I can't tell you how happy it makes me that you could identify with these quotes. I don't usually post this type of content, but since these quotes really spoke to me, I was hoping they'd speak to some of you too. So thanks very much for that, honey. xo
ReplyDeleteCarolanne: I'm SO glad it helped you too, sweetie. I have been kind of repeating in my head these past few days and I swear it's brought my stress level down immensely. Whenever I feel myself winding up with stress (pre-freak out mode) I just take a deep breathe and remember what she said. :)
Maeve: Hey, I turned 40 LAST December! :D I'm so glad these quotes resonated with you--I love the Stevie Nicks quote too (LOVE her!). And hey, did you read the post I wrote for weheartthis.com about turning 40? If not, I think you might enjoy it! There's a link to it at the very bottom of this page (lower link bar) under my weheartthis reviews. :)