Success Has No Age Limit: Overcoming the “I’m Too Old” Mindset
What would you do if your age wasn’t a factor? If you stopped looking at the imaginary age o’ meter and refocused that energy and turned it into action? There are many who view age as a limitation when it comes to pursuing their dreams and often times use it as an excuse. I’m too young to do this. I’m too old to do that. I don’t have enough experience. I need to wait a while more. It’s too late for me to pursue what I want in life. Whichever side of the spectrum you’re on, the one thing that is clear is that when it comes to success and pursuing our dreams age is always a factor.
Last week I had lunch with a friend who will be turning 30 this year. During our lunch date she mentioned that her life isn’t where she expected it to be by this point. Despite the fact she owns her own home, has a beautiful child, and is currently working in the field of her dreams she feels she is not as successful as she should be. After our lunch, that conversation stayed with me and got me thinking. Why is it that when it comes to age so many of us allow our age to taint our views of success?
For many women, there’s this misconception that if you haven’t accomplished certain things by a specific age then you’re a failure. In today’s world women are under tremendous pressure to accomplish so much in a short amount of time. Whether it’s getting married and starting a family or rising to the top of our career, many of us feel like we’re racing against the clock. The truth is, age should not be a factor by which we measure our success & accomplishments. There is no age limit to success.
There are many super successful individuals that were late bloomers. For example, author Suzanne Collins, was 46 when she published The Hunger Games. That book received critical acclaim and subsequently paved the way for a trilogy as well as the now-famous movie version starring Jennifer Lawrence. Oprah was 32 when she started her first talk show and Ray Croc was 52 years old when he bought the McDonald’s Franchise and turned it into what we all know today. Many people use the age excuse when chasing their dreams, but there are countless examples of people, famous people, who have become hugely successful in their later years. These are just a few.
The truth is success has no age limit. We each, at any point in our lives, can decide to start something new. There are many chapters to the book of life and we don’t have to write our ending prematurely. New chapters can begin at any time. You are never too young or too old to pursue your dreams. Some of the most successful people have accomplished their greatest achievements later in life.
Don’t talk yourself out of your dreams simply because they have not manifested in the way you imagined them to or in the time frame. Everything happens when it is supposed to and not a moment before. So trust yourself, trust your talents, and know that if you believe in yourself your dreams will come true no matter how young or old you are.