Everything You Know Is Wrong
It’s not too late, you’re not too old and your time is now.
I had the joy of seeing my favorite band, U2, at the Sphere in Las Vegas last week. They played the “Achtung Baby” album in its entirety - arguably their best album. The show was stunning on 2 levels: the power of the music and the power of the visuals. One of the songs from that album is called “The Fly”. I remember seeing them play this song in 1992 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. As words flashed up rapid fire on the screen behind them during the song, the overall theme was “everything you know is wrong.”
There are things in my life that I am certain about. My faith in God, my love for my family and my friends. There are other things that I may accept as true and tend not to question. But maybe I should. Here are some things I’ve learned in recent years:
You don’t have to stay stuck where you are. You can change your life, any time you want. It's up to you.
Failure is necessary for you to improve. Carrie Fisher said “Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What’s important is the action. You don’t have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually, the confidence will follow.” Do it scared, do it imperfectly, and adjust as you go. Learn from others who are further along in their journey.1
It’s not too late. You were made to do something great. Have you stuffed it under a rock like I did? The main reason I started this blog was to help you. Perhaps you’ve been beaten down by others for so long that you’ve given up. As this article points out, the number one regret of those who are dying is “I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.”2
“I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.”
Yeah, yeah Tarek. You just wanted to talk about Bono and throw out a bunch of platitudes and feel-good quotes. That wasn’t my intent! I’m talking to myself as much as I’m talking to you. If I’m honest, I’m 75% myself on a good day but I’m striving to get better. Maybe you’re sick of anesthetizing your true self under hours of Netflix binging, sports binging, alcohol, activities, kid’s accomplishments…whatever your drug of choice is. Perhaps you need someone in your corner, someone to cheer you on. If so, here it is: it’s not too late, you’re not too old and your time is now.
Before you scroll through Instagram for the 100th time today, what is one small action you could take TODAY to live a life that’s true to who you are?
I’d love to hear about it in the comments below or send me a message. I’d be honored to serve you with some personalized recommendations. Make it a meaningful week!
I listen to Ed and Brendon every week. Their work has made me better: https://www.usatoday.com/story/special/contributor-content/2023/10/06/top-5-mindset-performance-coaches-in-the-world/71087076007/
" it’s not too late, you’re not too old and your time is now". Turning 50 this past July makes this one resonate with me. We're never to old to learn something or to change ourselves and get better.
Good work Tarek thanks for sharing& keep it up.
Take care.
Just yesterday a good friend and I were talking about the fear of personal growth and I woke up this morning to your blog. Another reminder to just put one foot in front of the other and keep going.
Thanks T!