IT’S NEVER TOO LATE

            One of my all-time favorite quotes:

                       

“It’s never too late to be what you might have been.”

                                                -Emerson

            This quote has come to me, time and time again, through many times in my life. The most recent was when I was deciding whether or not to go back to school. I’ve never been completely dedicated to school. All through junior high and high school, I barely passed in the classes I didn’t care for, and I did well in the classes I liked, just because I enjoyed what I was doing. But I’ve never really dived into my education and getting good grades.

            Attending college after I graduated high school was just a step. The next step in life, right? What was expected? What you were “supposed to do”? I attended my first semester and got good grades in a couple classes, and barely passing in the others, just like high school. The next semester was even worse. I stopped going to all classes half way through the semester. Over the next three years I either took a semester off, or would sign up, and just stop going. I knew that I shouldn’t be doing this, but I just didn’t care. I wasn’t interested in my major, and I really wasn’t interested in school. I only went because I felt like that was what you were supposed to do, but it wasn’t what I wanted to do. Either my social life became more important, or I became overwhelmed with school and so gave up, or I had personal situations that would arise and I would attend to those instead. Needless to say, my academic standing was in shambles, and I had a pretty low GPA. I stopped attending college at the age of twenty-one, and I wasn’t planning on going back.

            Years went by. Literally. I was a supervisor for the company I worked for, and doing rather well for myself. I knew that I could move up in the company if I wanted to, and had considered doing so for a long time. But ever so slowly, a desire for school--for knowledge; for learning--started creeping back into my life. Around the age of twenty-four, I thought about trying to go back, but quickly dismissed it. I was on academic probation, I didn’t even know if they would let me in. Not to mention, I had no idea what I wanted to pursue anymore, and because of some bad choices I had made a couple years prior, it was nearly impossible for me to attend school at the moment.

            A year goes by. Past choices are further behind me that made it impossible to go to school, and the thought keeps coming back to me to further my education. Was I ready? Was this what I wanted to do? Was I willing to put forth the time, the effort? I knew that if I went back it was my last shot. All bridges had been burned prior, and if I didn’t show the university that I was serious this time, I would be kicked out. Was that a risk I was willing to take?

            During this time, a dear friend of mine, Tyler Brklacich, was giving me subtle jabs and pokes about going back to school. Any time I would bring up my doubts on whether or not they would let me start again, he would always dismiss them with encouragement. He knew they would let me in, and he would use whatever pull he could to make sure of it.

As a side note, Tyler is now the Student Body President at the Utah Valley University, and he is an individual that continuously touches the lives of all those he meets. He has been an example of kindness and strength to me many times in my life, and if it wasn’t for him, I don’t know that I would have gone back to school.

            It was at this time that the quote came to me, again.

“It’s never too late to be what you might have been.”

            Yes, I would be going back at the age of twenty-six, and I would still have many years of school ahead of me before I would graduate. Yes, I would have to put a lot of time and effort to be in good-standing with the university again. A lot was being put on the line. But I also knew, without a doubt, that it’s what I needing to do with my life. God was prompting me down a path that I needed to go, and as long as I was willing to do my part, He would help me every inch of the way.

So, I applied to go back to school for the Spring of 2014, after not attending school for over five years. And this time, I have chosen to study Behavioral Science, with a minor in Family Studies. Something I have a passion for; a desire to learn. Was it easy being re-accepted? Not even a little bit. I can’t count how many forms I had to fill out, or how many letters I had to write to the school explaining why I had failed before, and why it would not happen again. Tyler helped me out tremendously with letters of recommendations, time and time again. But by the grace of God, they let me back in.

I share this story because I know at times we question ourselves; we doubt. We doubt what we are capable of, or we give ourselves excuses that “it is too late”. It is never too late. This goes for anything that is going on in our lives. Whether it’s a relationship that needs mending, or a goal you’ve set for yourself that you’ve failed at each time before. It’s never too late. It can be as simple as starting up a talent you’ve always dreamed of, or changing bad habits, or drawing closer to God. IT’S NEVER TOO LATE. And if, in some way you have a desire to improve yourself, and your life, why would you not want to try it? If you turn to your Heavenly Father, and seek His guidance in whatever dreams, goals, or changes you want to make, HE WILL HELP YOU. He is there for each of us; all we need to do is humble ourselves and turn to Him. I have a testimony of this. I would not be the person I am today if it weren’t for His hand in my life, and the guidance He has given me. So don’t be afraid to pick up where you left off. Don’t be afraid to achieve. Don’t be afraid to grow.

“It’s never too late to be what you might have been.”