I’ve been thinking a lot lately about that phrase. The best is yet to come. It sounds like something you’d find on a coffee mug or stitched onto a throw pillow at HomeGoods. Easy to roll your eyes at. Easy to dismiss when life is currently kicking your teeth in.
But here’s the thing. I actually believe it. And not in some fluffy, manifestation-board, “the universe has plans for you” kind of way. I believe it because I’ve lived enough life to know that the chapter you’re stuck in right now isn’t the whole damn book.
The Lie We Tell Ourselves
There’s this story we all carry around in our heads. The one that says, “This is as good as it gets.” Or worse, “I had my shot and I blew it.” It’s a quiet little voice, and it shows up loudest when we’re tired, lonely, or feeling like we’ve stayed in the same spot for too long.
I’ve heard that voice. I still hear it sometimes. When I’m grinding away at a project that nobody seems to notice. When I miss my brother. When I’m 30 and wondering if I’ve done enough, been enough, loved enough.
But that voice is a liar. A convincing one, sure. But a liar all the same.
Self Love Isn’t a Spa Day
Let me be honest with you. When people throw around the phrase “self love,” I usually picture bubble baths and journals with motivational quotes on the cover. And look, if that’s your thing, more power to you. But for me, self love has looked a lot less Instagrammable.
Self love has been getting sober and staying sober. Self love has been telling people the truth about who I am, even when it cost me something. Self love has been saying, “I deserve to take up space in this world” on the days when every cell in my body wanted to disappear.
Self love is the courage to believe that the version of you tomorrow is worth fighting for today. That’s it. That’s the whole game.
Keep Moving Anyway
Here’s what nobody tells you about courage. It rarely feels brave in the moment. It mostly feels like dragging yourself out of bed. Like sending the email you’ve been avoiding. Like showing up to the meeting, the call, the conversation, the day.
Courage is just movement when standing still would be easier. And every time you choose to move, even an inch, you’re casting a vote for the person you’re becoming.
I think about Norris a lot when it comes to this. My guide dog. That dog doesn’t worry about whether the path ahead is perfect. He just walks. He trusts. He keeps moving. And somehow we always get where we need to go.
What “Best” Actually Means
Here’s where I think we get this whole phrase twisted. “The best is yet to come” doesn’t mean everything is going to be sunshine and roses from here on out. It doesn’t mean you’ll never hurt again. It doesn’t mean the hard stuff is behind you.
What it means, at least to me, is that you haven’t met every version of yourself yet. You haven’t loved everyone you’re going to love. You haven’t created everything you’re going to create. You haven’t laughed every laugh, cried every cry, or had every “holy shit, I made it” moment that’s waiting for you.
The best parts of your story might not be the easy parts. They might be the parts where you finally became who you were always supposed to be. And those parts are still coming.
A Promise to You
So here’s what I want you to take with you today. Wherever you are reading this. Whatever you’re carrying.
You are not finished. You are not too late. You are not too broken, too tired, too old, too anything. The story isn’t over. The best chapters of your life might still be sitting in the unwritten pages.
Keep moving. Love yourself loud and on purpose. And believe, even when you can’t see it yet, that something beautiful is waiting up around the bend.
Because it is. I promise you it is.
Stay groovy.
Lots of love,
Tony
You always matter.
Tony Gebhard 