Walk # 69: Nope, It's Not Too Late To Start
I was a first-year law student sitting in Civil Procedure trying to unravel the mysteries of federal jurisdiction when it occurred to me that it was too late for me to become an Olympic … well, an Olympic anything. And going to the Olympics seems like a really cool experience. And I was still so young. But I realized that it was too late for me to be an Olympian. Now, despite the fact that I’d always been active and athletic, I had never participated in any competitive sport. Never. Yet there I was, freaking out because it occurred to me that it was too late for me to become an Olympian. That door was closed to me and I have struggled to keep the feeling of closing doors at bay ever since.
I suspect, like me, you have sometimes felt that it is too late to start a new project or to chase a new dream.
It’s not surprising.
We live in a society that glorifies college students who changed the world from their dorm room or made millions by 25 and bombards us with images of airbrushed 18-year-olds.
There’s more. As years go by, we have experiences that teach that things don’t always go as planned, dreams don’t always come true and when you take chances, sometimes you fail.
Finally, there is the reality of our adult lives and the whirlwind in which most of us live. It seems just about impossible to add one more thing to our plates or when most of us are simply struggling to keep our head’s above water.
If you are over 30 -- much less over 40, or 50 or 60 -- it is easy to believe that your best years are behind you and that the door to your dreams has slammed shut.
They haven’t. How do I know? Well, here are six incredibly accomplished people who didn’t start racking up the wins until after 40.
Grandma Moses, one of the nation’s most iconic folk artists, didn’t begin painting until she was 78. 78!
Mary Kay Ash launched her business with a vision and $5,000 when she was 45 years old.
Julia Child published her first cookbook at 50.
Laura Ingels Wilder published Little House in the Big Woods at 65.
Ray Krock founded McDonald's at 59.
Samual Jackson didn’t get his first big acting break until he was 43.
And, remember Susan Boyle, the woman with the frizzy hair who showed up on Britain’s Got Talent and sang her heart out? She was 47 and went on to release best-selling album after album and perform for the Queen. The Queen.
And then there is my parents’ friend Carolyn who launched her first business, opening a franchise that brings early STEM education to preschoolers, at 89. In fabulous shoes. After kicking cancer’s ass in her 70s.
As long as you have breath in your lungs, you have time to chase your dreams and to do the work to create the life you want.
I recently researched the oldest people to compete in the Olympics and discovered that there are many Olympians in their 50s, several in their 60s and even a few who competed in their 70s. Maybe my Olympic dreams aren’t dead yet.
[Excerpt from my book, Walk Your Way to Better, available on Amazon]