I’ll Take My Future.

Tina Turner the music legend rested recently at the ripe age of 83. I won’t call it ripe old age because old only applies to past seasons of life. If we are stuck in a season that we should have transitioned from a while back then we are growing old fast. But if we are living fully in the current chapter of our lives then we are ripening well even for the next chapter. So with that, it’s right to say Tina died ripe.

I still remember her songs while growing up and dancing vigorously to them. The bold hairstyle she adorned that was always standing as if her hair had been electrocuted. Then her strong voice had a broken twist to it like she had a ka sore throat from afar. Plus as a growing teenager, her long beautiful legs were difficult to overlook.

Her life story began with the odds stacked against her. But she beat those same odds. Her prospects seemed to dim further when she got into an abusive marriage with Ike Turner and went on to stay for sixteen years. I came across a reposted message on Linkedin about her. The voice in her head and heart kept her internal lights on despite the increasing darkness all around her circumstances.

And that’s how to live a big impactful and fun life folks. By beating the odds. We can’t choose what’s thrown our way but we can choose how to react. Many of us are victims (or products) of our past. Instead of past pains and successes propelling us forward, we can easily get imprisoned by past fears and failures. Or forget to seek and pursue new success because past success has made us too comfortable. Allow me to repeat one of the greatest lessons of my 40s. Past success is often the biggest threat to future success. Also, the comfort zone is a good place but nothing grows there.

Robert Sharma says, “The real trick in life is to turn hindsight into foresight that reveals insight.” I think that’s what Tina Turner did when her marriage ended. We can say that Tina turned, literally. Her insight set her free to bless millions all over the world with her amazing musical talent. Looking back at her life now, maybe her terrible marriage somehow contributed to the global icon she became. Steve Jobs said, “You cannot connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect the dots looking backward, so you have to trust that somehow the dots will connect”. Perhaps Tina’s past pain curved out the beauty that she displayed through her music. Her scars became stars that will remain with us forever. We celebrate well-connected dots now that she has finished her race.

But what stood out for me was what she said in that divorce hearing. First, she gave her husband almost everything including royalties to her own compositions. Like really ?? who does that? you clobber my head for sixteen years then I give you the contents therein? Ngumu sana. Well, Tina did. Then she made one of those statements that only a few will make in their lifetime. A statement that comes from a deep realization that there is light ahead and it’s getting brighter. And it is not of a train coming to crush us but a light of a whole new world we desire and deserve that’s drawing near.

She said two things actually. “ I will die before I go back”. This was the battle cry she repeated in her head. Maybe she was so scared of moving on from Ike that she had to burn the bridges behind her lest she retreats into her past. Folks, the past can be so imprisoning that we need to blow up any chances of returning. That way the only choice we have left is to move forward and fight for our lives and dreams. Is there anyone here who needs to declare that you will die before you go back? Then please do because a sixteen-year wait is not guaranteed.

The second profound statement Tina made was what she declared in that divorce court. She didn’t fight for what she had earned in those sixteen years of a bad marriage as most would expect. She told him, “You take everything I have made in the last sixteen years,” I’ll take my future”. That is one of the most defining utterances a human being can make in their lifetime.

Folks may we get to that level of awareness that Tina did. And I pray it won’t take sixteen years to make that jump into the life of your dreams. May the picture of your future be so alluring that nothing in your past shines brighter. That way we can give up what holds us back and single-mindedly pursue a future that will be our best life ever. Try it and thank me (and Tina) later hehe.

Rest in peace Tina Turner. And thank you for proving that our future and purpose are worth giving up everything for.