Have you ever not tried something because you didn’t think you could pull it off with any success? Of course, you have. We all have! Ask yourself how many times did you tell yourself that “I sure would like to race cars,” but didn’t have the confidence to give it a try before you finally got up the courage to do so?
Or how many of you don’t believe you’re ready to move up to a faster class of racecar? Well, I have some really good news for you. Not only is it never too late, but the longer a goal takes to reach, the more valuable and satisfying it becomes. How cool is that! Let’s take a look at why this happens.
We make excuses to protect ourselves from our fears. We make excuses to avoid exploring the boundaries of our comfort zone. We make excuses to justify when we don’t commit to what we said we were going to do. We make excuses to avoid learning more about ourselves that might make us feel uncomfortable.
Do you feel like it’s too late to achieve a significant amount of success? Many of the most successful people started at a young age. It can be disheartening for the late bloomers among us. But many of the most successful people you know of didn’t get started until much later in life. Many never accomplish things until they’re well into their 40s, 50s, or even into their 80s. Let’s take a look at just a few who accomplished great feats late in life.
Samuel L. Jackson didn’t get his first big role until age 43, and look at him now.
Sam Walton founded Wal-Mart at age 44.
Colonel Sanders didn’t invent his famous chicken recipe until he was 50.
Charles Darwin wrote “On the Origin of Species” at age 50.
Laura Ingalls Wilder didn’t publish her first novel until she was 65 years old.
Peter Roget created the first thesaurus when he was 73-years old.
Ronald Reagan (whom I idolize) never held a political office until age 55! He became one of the most popular presidents in modern history.
Grandma Moses started painting at 78.
I didn’t start painting until I was 72. Why? Because I doubted I had what it took. Instead of doubting, which we all tend to do, I should have asked myself, what have I got to lose in trying? Eventually I did try and to my surprise I began receiving compliments, which spurred me on, Now my paintings are being displayed in some of the larger galleries in a large artist community, and my paintings have raised thousands of dollars for worthy charities. I must ask myself, what if I had stopped doubting years ago?
Who says it’s too late to do something incredible with your life? What you should be doing is begin believing in yourself. Never give up! Have you ever heard the old adage, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained?” Get busy and spend the later portion of your life pursuing something you love. There’s still time to do something amazing! I once had a very successful coach who had a favorite saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
It’s never too late to leave your mark on the world! But time is constantly passing, so it’s time to start making it happen. And don’t forget, some of our best successes began with some of our worst failures.
