In a world where we could have just about everything we want at a moment’s notice, we have to pick and choose where we allocate our energy and always remember that while good things are fleeting,

Good ole Benjamin Franklin has helped remind us time and time again that, “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” With Tax Day right around the corner, that one hits a little harder than normal, but isn’t it a bit wild that since the 1700s, people have recognized that things aren’t always set in stone? 

No, this won’t be a motivational newsletter about getting your taxes done. Unless you need it to be…?

If you were forwarded this email, you can subscribe and join the Great Things Take Time Community to get content from me (and Frankie) every Wednesday.

How many times have you declared that something will never EVER happen, only for you to be eating your words down the line? I hear this all the time from people for a variety of reasons, usually around never being able to work out in a certain way, or that before they had kids, they claimed they would never do something, or that there was a facet of their life they dreamed of that they would never be able to achieve… until they did.

One example of this I think of a lot, and have shared here before, is the relationship my grandmother had with my dad. She cut ties with my mother because of her relationship with my father, refusing to see us because she did not want my mother to be with him. But with time, she eventually realized her mistake, and she and my dad became incredibly close. She was certain that their relationship would have a negative outcome, but was human enough to see when things were trending differently.

That’s the beauty of humans compared to computers: we see when there is a possibility and aren’t stuck to an algorithm.

The uncertainty of life is one I think we don’t take enough advantage of. With so much being up in the air and not set in stone, many of us still operate like the cards we are dealt are the ones we have to keep. Of course, there are plenty of things one can hold onto and be certain they will never do if it’s tied to one's morals or belief system. For example, I will never wear sandals through the streets of NYC (or really anywhere that’s not a beach). 

Before we go further, I want you to ask yourself what is the thing that you want more than anything? It could be a new job, a state of mind, a type of relationship, a thing, an experience… It’s something that you dream of constantly. Hold that thought, we’re going to come back to it.

The potential to achieve our dreams or our Great Things was the whole basis for lululemon’s Studio Yet. As an ambassador, I was invited to teach a class at the studio…which is how I found myself as a grown man, fighting back tears in a studio full of people. 

Adding “yet” to a sentence can feel a bit emotional. You go from stating that something will never happen to cracking the door open to the possibility. When you say it out loud, the shift feels momentous. When you say yet, you're not saying 'I can't do it' — you're saying, 'I will, it just hasn't happened.' It's a way of speaking change into existence with confidence.

Using the word yet is a beautiful way to inspire yourself without lying to yourself. You’re not inflating what you can do in this moment. You’re not making up skills or living in a dream world. Even the use of yet can soften the harsh usage of saying “I can’t do something.”  One can almost picture a small child in tears, overwhelmed with the thought that they will never ever be able to ride their bike, and the consuming emotion of realizing that they won’t be able to do something they’ve wanted to so badly. That is, until a grown-up reminds them that it just takes a bit more time and practice, but they’ll get there. It’s not over.

You’re right, you can’t do something… yet.

You go from making something final and certain to simply incomplete. Something you have yet to finish. I’m sure many of you hate to have things that are incomplete and love to work to cross everything off your to-do list, so maybe this is the manifestation tweak for you 😉

During the class I taught at Studio Yet, I asked the attendees after each block of work to tell me something they had yet to achieve. This is where the emotions kicked in. I don’t know if it was the safe feeling of being around a group of strangers (we can feel more uninhibited when we aren’t afraid of the judgment of people we know) or that that group of people was so open to sharing, or the endorphins from the workout, but there was a powerful feeling of connection in that room. Hence, the tears.

The things people shared were some of the first I’d ever heard spoken aloud in person and covered a breadth of possibilities. People declared things that they had yet to do, like run a half-marathon, be a better parent, or adopt a child. 

The vulnerability, the hope, and the belief in possibility were what cracked me open. It was a reminder that words have power, and when you’re surrounded by a group of people believing in themselves, you can’t help but get emotional. 

Now, come back to the thing you want more than anything (it can be more than one, we’re not in the business of limiting ourselves over here!) Add yet to the end of the sentence and see how it shifts the perspective. Does it make you feel a little bubbly and excited for the future? Or is that just me?

Write it down and put it somewhere where you can come back to it, specifically when you work out this week. Even if you’re just going for a walk, I want you to revisit what you have yet to achieve.

The point of exhaustion during a workout is when you can most likely experience a breakthrough, whether that be mental or physical, and in that moment, I want you to remind yourself that this thing you want so badly is just right around the corner. During your rest, I want you to say “I haven’t _________, yet.” It’s going to happen.

Mine that I’ll be revisiting this week? That I have not put 100% effort into the life I know I am capable of and deserving of, yet.

And if you haven’t done your taxes, stay strong, and remember, you just haven’t done them… yet.

If you only pause to reflect on your life for one moment today, do it now.

So maybe three things are certain: death, taxes, and that you’ve got incredible potential. Once you’ve answered the prompt below, speak it into existence as much as you can. Words have power.

Your turn! Journal your answer, or if you find yourself sharing the progress of your Great Things on social, tag me at @greatthingswith_adrian so I can join in on cheering you along!

Last week’s episode of Great Things was a special one, and not because of the amount of pasta I walked away with. Filming this was incredibly nostalgic as George reminded me so much of my father. It’s funny how life puts certain things in your path that serve as little reminders.

Have a certain topic you want me to dive into in these newsletters? Send it here or reply back to this email.

Because no matter what, there is always something to smile about.

You might have noticed a new look around here, that’s all thanks to Page St. Studio and Rebecca Suby-Long. So much has changed since this newsletter launched more than a year and a half ago, and it only made sense that things should look a little different. The newsletter is one of the main windows into who I am as a person, it’s an even more in-depth look than anything on social media, and I wanted things to reflect that. I wouldn’t call it a re-brand, because the core of what Great Things Take Time stands for isn’t changing, but it’s definitely an evolution. Spring is all about renewal and new growth, there’s plenty more of that coming your way outside of just a beautiful new design.