When you’re young, people tell you, “You can be anything you want to be.” “The sky’s the limit!” they say.
But did you notice there comes a point in your life when people stop telling you that? As you grow further into adulthood, those words, which were said by people around you who were encouraging you to conquer the world, stop, and get replaced with words like, “Isn't it time to settle down?” or “You should take that job because you’re not getting any younger,” or “Why would you start learning that at this stage in your life?”
It’s not just other people, by the way. Sometimes we talk ourselves out of doing what we once wanted to do more than anything; now, we tell ourselves, it’s “too late.”
But what if the sky was the limit at any age?
What used to be considered retirement age is now, for many people, the age at which they find their initial success, start their first business, begin a new relationship or take up that new hobby.
I have an uncle who’s 99 years old who recently said he is thinking about buying a boat. A boat! At 99! This same uncle moved to a new state, and built a new house...in his 90s. He is one of the most resourceful (and happy) people I know. He’s always dreaming, learning, and doing new things, and having new experiences is what keeps him so vibrant.
Did you know that:
- Arianna Huffington was 55 when she started the Huffington Post
- Vera Wang didn't design her first dress until she was 40
- Henry Ford was 45 when he created the revolutionary Model T car
- Julia Childs hosted her first cooking show at 51 (she didn’t learn to cook until she was 40!)
- Steve Jobs was 52 when Apple introduced the iPhone
- Harlen Sanders (Colonel Sanders) sold his first chicken franchise at 62
- Ray Kroc bought the first McDonald's at 52
- Alan Rickman’s first movie role was at 46
- Stan Lee (considered the godfather of Marvel comics) created his first comic at 39
- Soichiro Honda was 42 years old when he formed the Honda Motor Company
These examples prove that it’s never too late to be anything you want to be. You can make things happen if you keep dreaming and doing. It's never too late to make a change in your life.
It’s clear that these “late bloomers” always had what it took, they just didn’t give up when they found something they dreamed of doing.
“The only thing you should ever quit is giving up!” (Steve Pfeister)
If dreaming big and accomplishing goals can be done at any age, then why do so many give up on what they once wanted? Over the years, disappointment and cynicism, being self-conscious and fearing the unknown become rocks in our otherwise clear paths. Each time we trip over one of those rocks, we question the timing of our lives and wonder if we’ve “missed our chance.”
Those rocks are not meant to make us quit; those rocks are there to test us and make us stronger so we can keep going and make things happen.
There’s a line in a Bob Seger song that says, “Wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then.” Those lyrics remind us that, with experience comes wisdom, but also the relinquishing of our dreams. Over time, we lose patience, we get tired, and we begin to doubt ourselves or wonder whether it’s even worth it to keep ‘trying’ based on what we know now.
The question becomes, at what age are you supposed to forget about your dreams? I believe the answer is never!
“That’s what is incredible about human beings, is the choice to keep going.” (Jack Antonoff)
Plenty of highly successful people chose to make major life or career changes well into their adulthood and old age.
When we’re young, we’re constantly moving, running from one thing we think we “should” do to the next - get good grades to get into a good college to get a good job to climb the ladder, buy a house, start a family, travel the world...go, go, go.
But it’s when we’re older that we might have the ability to slow it down a bit and be more deliberate, more intentional, about what we want to bring to the world and what we want to accomplish for ourselves. We can consider our own value and gifts, after decades of learning what they are from all of our experiences, both personally and professionally. We have some clarity about ourselves, maybe for the first time ever. What a great time to dream big!
But for many, that’s exactly the same time they begin saying things like, “I’m too old to do that” or “Maybe 20 years ago I could have done that, but now?”
Yes, now! Beginning today, identify that dream you have always had and tell yourself that it’s time. Then, start walking down that path, kick any rocks out of the way, and go for it! You only live once, but as long as you’re alive, you can keep dreaming and doing.
By the way, if you want some inspiration to remind you that it’s never too late to pursue your dreams, listen to this episode of my podcast, Work From Your Happy Place. My guest is Dr. Lynette Charity, and her energy and story will leave you thinking that anything is possible!