Don't Rush the 2nd Act - Van DiBernardo

Posted November 9, 2011

Words of wisdom and advice from our dear friend and guest blogger, Van DiBernardo. We are so thankful for him to share his positive, inspiring outlook on life and MS:

Michael J. Fox was 29 years old when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.

At that time, he was told he had only 10 years left to work. That was 20 years ago.

Fox may not share our same disease, but he shares our same struggle: how to daily manage the emotional and physical challenges of a perplexing disease.

When he shared his story to a sold-out audience in Buffalo this week, I was charged by Fox’s motto – something he had been taught as a young actor. This is how he told it:

“If you have a character who’s going to end up in a certain place, don’t play that until you get there. Play each scene and each beat as it comes. And that’s what you do in life: You don’t play the result,” Fox said.

Words to live by, no matter what ails you. We cannot predict what will happen next. As Fox summed it up: “The script of your life is not yet written.”