Welcome To The Community

Together, we’ll dive deep and find the strength to never give up because Great Things Take Time.

The maternal figures in our lives teach us a lot. Everything from “wipe your nose, wipe your butt!” to how to be a good human. They teach us about love and loss, and also perseverance. We each have a unique collection of stories and lessons that profoundly sit with us.

Today, on the tail of Mother’s Day, I want to share something my own mother taught me, and what she most likely feels a bit of relief that I’m starting to get it through my thick skull.

If you were forwarded this email, you can subscribe and join the Great Things Take Time Community to get content from me every Monday.

Here's what's in today's email

• Mom Took The Time

• Moments with Maurice

• What's Got Me Smilin'

Mom Took The Time

No matter what her life looked like, my mother was focused on self-development. She found any and every opportunity to learn and grow, even if just by a little bit. She may not have realized it, but her actions fundamentally changed how I look at life.

It’s no secret that Great Things Take Time comes from a direct quote repeated by Nana. When I felt stuck or discouraged, she’d always bring me back to reality,

“Never give up, Maurice, because great things take time.”

It only makes sense that her daughter, my mother, would also embody the same beliefs. 

My mother is not as outspoken as my grandmother was, but she was always a presence of support and love. A lighthouse guiding you through choppy, dark seas, she was always there watching from afar in case more help was needed. 

I watched as she stayed dedicated and persistent to everything she wanted to achieve in life, not by making huge changes that rocked her world and spun her into a new way of life, but by doing small things every day that gradually molded her. 

If my mother could continue her self-development and pursuit of a life of her dreams while she slept in the living room of a one-bedroom apartment so her three kids could have the bedroom, then why can’t I?

This isn’t to say my mother is better than anybody else or has overcome more, but for me, it puts things into perspective. There is a lot about our lives that we cannot change and we don’t have control over. Things can feel big and overwhelming, we see how far we need to go, and it paralyzes us with inaction.

But most of us have the ability to make one small choice or change each day that will compound on itself. 

We’re on the 132nd day of the year which means there are 233 days left before 2026. If you want to look at the year as being your measurement for change, there are 233 opportunities for small actions to help with your development. That’s more than seven and a half months to achieve something. If a habit 

In the past, I shared some of the small changes I’ve been making lately, but if you’re stuck and don’t know what step to take, the first thing I would suggest is journaling to figure out what you want and then take the classic path of working backwards to figure out what milestones to hit.

To be honest, one of the biggest ways to find what that little thing is that you should tackle for the day is to look out for the thing you’re trying to put off or cut corners on. 

“Eh, it’s just a 20 minute strength series, I can do it tomorrow.”

“I’ll check my budget on Monday, one more day can’t hurt.”

“I’ll call my mom tomorrow, I’m too tired today.”

“Let me meditate later, it feels like too much to handle right now.”

“Definitely not going to meet new people at this event, I’m exhausted.”

Our body naturally puts off what brings it a bit of discomfort, it lives for predictability and ease.

I recently heard a child tell her mother she was afraid to go into a class because she was scared that there would be new kids that she wouldn’t know. Her mother asked her about her close friends, had she known them all her life? Or were they strangers at first? 

It dawned on the child that her next great friend could be in that class, or at the very least, someone who she could have fun with. It feels scary to search for new friends to share your life with, but the first step is really just a greeting and introducing yourself. 

This Mother’s Day, I was reminded of the way my mother approaches life and how it applies to just about everything. You don’t need a big display of affection, change, or action. You just need to stay the course to prove day after day that you’re dedicated. Whether to a person, a cause, or yourself, the big things are fleeting and might be forgotten, but the Great Things built over time will last for years to come.

Mom took the time for herself and for others. It wasn’t always a lot, but it was something and it added up to something incredible. What is the small thing you can do each day for yourself? Take the time, it’s not that much.

Moments with Maurice

If you only pause to reflect on your life for one moment today, do it now.

A mom isn’t always the one who birthed you.

Last Wednesday, I wanted to speak on the mothers in my life who taught me so much. Yesterday was Mother’s Day, but there are so many people in our lives who mother us without the same recognition we give the one we call MOM.

Tradition can be great, but it also has to make way for adapting as new ways and people come into our lives. Your life probably doesn’t look like you thought it would be when you were 10, but you’re probably pretty happy with how it turned out.

Because no matter what, there is always something to smile about.

My Wildest Dreams

This video says it all: I never thought I’d be here. To go from staring at a BMW with awe in my uncle’s junkyard to driving one, is something little Adrian never thought was possible. I wish I could go back and tell my younger self to keep my head up and keep going because everything will work out. But maybe it’s a good thing I can’t do that… if it wasn’t for those hard moments, I don’t know if I could have gotten here.

adrianwilliamsnyc

291K followers

View more on Instagram

Coming Soon To A Screen Near You

Did I cook that? Did I eat it? Did I watch as a really talented chef put it together…?

Stay tuned!

The Other Kitchen

Cooking up some from programs in the work test kitchen.

Not My Cars, But I Can Still Drool Over Them

Have you figured out my weekends are boring... unless you count the cars.

Proof I Do Other Things That Aren’t Related To Cars

The most beautiful candlelight concert

Can’t help seeing the flowers and thinking that Nana is watching down on us. She always had fresh flowers and now I see them out and about and think of it as her way of checking in on me.

Remember:

-Adrian