It’s that time of the year that we begin to get motivational messages from different sources as we prepare for the new year – 2023. I just thought I should get my message in now with the hope that it will motivate someone.
You may have heard this quote credited to Ella Fitzgerald, an American jazz singer: “It doesn’t matter where you came from; it’s where you’re going that counts.” I was touched when I read the story that produced this quote.
About Ella Fitzgerald
Ella was born into poverty in 1917, in Newport News, Virginia. As a young girl, She was exposed to formal music in church and was passionate about dancing. Her parents were separated when she was an infant and her mother died of a heart attack when Ella was 15 years of age. After the death of her mother, she was abused by her stepfather and was eventually taken in by her aunt in Harlem.
She was a good student but it seemed that dealing with her mother’s death caused her grades to plummet. Soon she dropped out of school and was placed in a Colored Orphan Asylum, an institution in New York City for that period.
Ella’s life took a turn
After some time, she got involved with the wrong side of the law, as a lookout at a brothel, and “running numbers” for illegal gambling. She ended up in a reformatory for girls and, even though this was an attempt to correct her situation caused by poverty, abuse and family disruption, she was again abused in this reformatory. After staying for over a year, she left the reformatory and became homeless. All this happened even before Ella was out of her teens.
Ella’s Life was not completely defined by her ugly past
Amazingly, she is better known for the success she attained in her music career: recording over 200 albums and 2000 songs, earning more than 40 million in her lifetime from record sales, receiving 13 Grammy Awards, the NAACP Image Award for Lifetime Achievement, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Not too shabby, I would say.
Time for you to make the next move by planning for 2023!
The year 2022 is almost in the past! The circumstances that occurred in the past are no longer in our control – they cannot be undone. But thankfully, we are alive! What we can decide to do is look forward to 2023 and begin to plan towards it. Have dreams and brainstorm all by yourself, and as long as you don’t give up, you can achieve the impossible.
In the process of personal development, building your family, or creating and expanding your business, you will still take on many challenges in the new year and you will learn from them. This is a good time to start thinking about your destination – write down your goals and prayerfully plan to achieve them. Believing is the first step in reaching your goals, so go for it.
Ella moved on to achieve great things despite her circumstances. Will you?