Oh, what a night: How a late night epiphany completely changed my life

I was recently interviewed for an upcoming article. The article started like this:

As the late twenty-something wife and mother of two daughters drove home from yet another exhausting 15-hour shift, something snapped within Eileen Carey. After spending years booking entertainment for a Los Angeles hotel, Carey realized that it was now her turn to write, sing, and perform the songs she loved.

Yes, she had been the consummate family woman, fully devoted to her kids and her husband. And yes, she knew that most professional artists launch their careers when they’re young. Or at least younger.

But the California-based Carey has a habit of trusting her heart. And her heart was quite emphatic in insisting that now was the time to pursue her lifelong dream of a career in music.

That now was the time to prove to her daughters that any woman – no matter her age or her social status – can achieve whatever it is she wants.

Besides, Carey thought, if not now, when?

And with this realization, Carey’s most unlikely and inspiring music career began.

The author of this piece totally nailed it. It’s difficult to put into words how much one single night can alter a person’s life, but the night described above proved to be truly life-changing.

Thanks to my late-night epiphany oh so many years ago, I have a music career that has blessed me greatly.

I’m able to perform and collaborate with some of the coolest musicians around. I also get to meet tons of really good people who just so happen to be fans of my music. I can’t imagine not being able to express myself through my music. 

Another reason why I’m so grateful for that night is that it allowed me to make a powerful statement to my daughters.

These gals that I love so much discovered what happens when a woman follows her heart and pursues her dreams. It was incredibly rewarding to be able to teach them that it’s never too late for a woman to stop what she’s doing and change her path. I can’t express how much it means to me that I was able to show them these things. I can only hope and pray that it means nearly as much to them.

It’s hard to say whether I would’ve eventually pursued this music path if I hadn’t had that late night magical moment decades ago. It might’ve happened some other way. Probably would have, I have to think.

But all I know now is that I’m extremely grateful for everything I have as a music mom. And the really cool part of it all is that I can pinpoint the exact moment when it became a living, breathing concept.

I wish everyone could have a moment of such clarity. A moment that gets them started down the path they need to go. A moment when they know, and know beyond a shadow of a doubt, what their purpose in life is.

What a moment that is!