"You Can't Be Everything Before Your Time"
MTYL Memo #18: What if the timing of your life is already perfect?
“Trust the timing of your own life.” I read this mic-drop line on another writer’s Substack note1 last week, and suddenly, I had lyrics from Billy Joel’s “Vienna” pop to mind: “What’s the hurry about?”
And these:
Slow down, you're doin' fine, You can't be everything you wanna be before your time
There’s a really big difference between:
prioritizing safety to play small,
racing frenetically toward an elusive feeling of “made it,” and
doing things with and about your potential—while being content with the way your life is unfolding.
Believing that God has timing way better than ours frees a big dreamer up to do something—anything—about their ideas and dreams, while simultaneously being content with the ebbs and flows of life as it is right now.
You get to appreciate that all of life matters—the ordinary, simple days just as much as the thrilling ones. You get to trust that things are working out in intricately wonderful ways.
Kind of like this song. Did you know that “Vienna” may not have been intended to be a hit?2 Maybe that’s partly why it somehow became one.
According to Billy Joel, the song is a reminder to “Slow down, look around you and have some gratitude for the good things in your life. That’s what Vienna represented to me."3
So keep dreaming, designing, and doing. But also keep prizing the simple, good things in your life. The timing of your life is already perfect.
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https://substack.com/@sararedondomd/note/c-95108960
https://americansongwriter.com/meaning-vienna-billy-joel-song-lyrics/
https://www.wien.info/en/art-culture/music-stage-shows/pop-rock-jazz/vienna-waits-for-you-billy-joel-363942