When I grow up, all I want to be is a little girl

“I do believe more than ever that there is a vast area of our own lives that we know nothing about.”—Anthony Hopkins

So the headline for this post comes from the great Sir Anthony Hopkins, only in his version, he longs to be a little boy. He even carries a photo of his four-year-old self on his phone that he often looks at and says, “We did good, kid. We did good.”

As you may have heard, the 83-year-old actor was recently nominated for an Oscar (again!!!) for his role in The Father. I was intrigued after reading an article in the New Yorker where he mentioned, after being asked about memorizing so many lines, that he tells himself “I’ve got a perfect memory.”

He said it’s a form of self-hypnosis and that he’s very careful what he says about himself.

Hopkins is a long-time devotee of what he calls intentionality. That’s why he repeats an affirmation every morning: “I am alive. I am well. I am filled with perfect and abundant life.”

“We are the direct products of everything we’ve ever thought,” says the Academy Award winner. “Even the most insignificant thought can change your life. For better or worse.  In whatever field — business, acting whatever — it’s all about what you dream.”

He believes in acting as if it is impossible to fail –whether he’s painting (he describes himself as a painting fiend), composing (his orchestral works have been performed in Moscow and London) or playing Hannibal Lecter, Richard Nixon or King Lear.

“Absolutely anything is possible,” he claims. “I don’t know why we say no so much.”  

What he does know is that human existence is mysterious, unknowable and far beyond understanding. Whether you believe in God or you are an atheist, he says, life is beyond explanation.

“I’m not clever enough to have designed this life. There has to be something bigger going on,” he says. “The only reason we don’t see God is because we’re always looking for him. God is in everything and we are all connected and while it’s all a dream within a dream, I am compelled to say to whoever is running the show, thank you very much.”

I have to agree, Sir Anthony. #222 Forever

Pam Grout is the author of 20 books including E-Squared, E-Cubed, Thank & Grow Rich and her latest book, The Course in Miracles Experiment: A Starter Kit for Rewiring Your Mind (And Therefore Your World) that has just been turned into an app. Badass ACIM (badass-acim.com)