Is it too late to start?

Did you know that it is never too late to start? 

Start what you ask?  

​Well, anything is the answer. 

​Just because you didn’t go to university, doesn’t mean you can’t go and get yourself a degree when you are 68.  You’re 43 and don’t know anything about computer coding?  Still not too late to learn.  Have an idea for a business but think that at 52 you’ve missed the boat?  Nope, not true.  As long as you have breath in your lungs, it’s never too late!

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They are the age old excuses we feed ourselves - I’m too old, time has passed me by, someone else will already be doing it, I can’t afford it, there’s no time.  Reasons we give ourselves not to follow our dreams and give something a shot.  Reasons that mean we stagnate, that cause us to miss opportunities, that keep us from having a crack.

AGE
Do you remember being 32 and telling yourself it was too late to try something new but now you are 50 and you look back and realise how young you really were and now you’ve let 18 years slip by without giving your idea a shot.  Well imagine being 70 and looking back at 50 and thinking the same thing. 

Imagine just how unfulfilled you are going to be if you realise that you have let life pass you by while you wait for something great to happen.  You want great?  YOU need to make it happen yourself.  Telling yourself that it’s too late is nonsense – age is just a number, a measurement of time.  Age is not a limit.
 
MONEY
Do you hold back from following your passion because of your financial position?  OK, bills and obligations are a reality but is money really holding you back?  Is there a way you can make adjustments that will allow you to afford your dream?  Is your attitude to money holding you back from taking a risk that might make you truly happy?  If so, you might need to find a way to reduce your overheads and free up some funds to invest in your vision.  Or work out the ROI of investing in yourself - will you recoup $20k in income if you study that course that has always fascinated you.  Or is the value in the happiness and sense of satisfaction you will achieve by pursuing your interest?  It's not always about financial gain because what's the point in watching your bank balance increase if you aren't happy within yourself or satisfied with the path your life has taken?
 
TIME
I’m not a fan of the old “we all have 24 hours in the day” adage.  Some of us have commitments that require time – from kids to work to managing health issues – not everyone has the luxury or the support that allows us to put all of our waking hours into creating the next big thing.  But, the difference between those who do and those who don’t is simply the act of starting with a big dose of following up.  Stop thinking about how you want to try something and just start.  Be it putting pen to paper to flesh out the idea or popping on the runners and starting to build up your walking distance so you can tackle the El Camino de Santiago walk you just need to start and then build from there. 

​Because…..

​It is NEVER too late!

​Did you know that Doris Fisher started Gap at 37.  Estee Lauder started her business at 57 and Adolf Dassler started Adidas when he was 47.  IBM was started by Charles Flint when he was 61 and Colonel Harland Sanders gave us KFC when he was 62 .  But if starting a global company is a little overwhelming, my grandmother didn’t go to university until she was in her late 70s simply because she wanted to learn something new and she understood that it was never too late to start.  
 
We don’t all have to be a 19 year old Mark Zuckerberg, planting the seeds of our world changing business while still studying and living on campus.  We can be full of life experiences with a grown family and a range of successes and failures behind us and still give something new a go that may be lifechanging for a few or for many.
 
We only get one shot at life (at least that’s the theory) and as we age, we realise that life is short so follow that dream and pull together that business plan for your new idea and get things moving, study something new that will enhance your current business, go out and finally learn to dance, get fit, teach yourself something new by watching YouTube….

​It’s only ever too late if you never start!

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