Making Peace with Life's Pivots and 'What If' Moments

The Decision That Changed Everything

I drove past the Hollywood sign the other day.

First time in months.

It stopped me cold.

20 Years Ago

I moved to LA for Hollywood dreams.

Acting. Entertainment. The whole thing.

I was making incredible progress.

Landing roles.

Getting callbacks.

Working with names you would recognize today.

Then Columbia University happened.

A backup plan application to graduate school.

Something that felt safer. More predictable.

I never thought I'd get in.

The Choice

Leave LA and my momentum.

Move to New York.

Get that Ivy League degree…

Not bad for a blue collar kid from small town Michigan.

The safe choice. The smart choice. Right?

The Sign Knows

Every time I see that sign, it asks:

"What if you stayed?"

"What if you kept going?"

"What if you didn't pivot?"

Here's The Truth

That wondering serves no purpose.

That decision is past tense.

That life is gone.

And if anything happened differently back then...

I wouldn't have my wife.

My kids.

This life.

The Plot Twist

Funny thing about life:

I still ended up back in LA.

Left the "safe" New York City career path 10 years ago.

Different dream.

Different mission.

Same city.

What Actually Matters

Not the decision I made then.

But the decision I make now.

Today.

This moment.

Your Move

Your "what ifs" feel heavy.

They feel important.

They feel like they matter.

But they don't.

What matters is today's decision.

The past is done.

But today?

Today is yours to decide.

-Antonio