The Rush to Succeed
You are never too old or not good enough to make it.
I can across this reminder not so long ago and it really aligned with the stories that I had been sharing in the past month so I thought it was a timely reminder to share it with those in my proximity so that you too could share it with those in your proximity.
When we lift those around us, we rise too and I am all about doing everything possible to lift the baseline across the globe. Join me in lifting those around you, share with them all the things that you see in them: their strength, their courage, their commitment and their passion. All too often we compare our “inner world” to other people’s “outer world” and we fail to see what really stands there in front of us.
There is no rush to succeed, there is no need to compare, there is no need to tell yourself you are not good enough, or smart enough, or anything really, other than you can and you will.
When you dig deep, you know what makes you spark when you wake up, crystalising that will enable you to begin your journey to living the life that you deserve. That could very well mean that you let go of the “shackles” that others may have placed around you but, more importantly, that you leave behind the ones that you placed around yourself.
I believe that by 2040 our future generation will be driving their own destiny. That means that they will work from where they want to work, they work the hours that they want and they will do it THEIR way. Nothing is stopping you except for some limiting beliefs that started when you were in single digits.
So here it is no matter what your age is, draw a line in the sand and stand up for yourself! Just do it. You don't need to have all the answers, that's what mentors like me are for. You just need to take small measured steps and change one thing at a time.
So, here is the timely reminder of some who have dared to push through:
At age 23, Tina Fey was working at a YMCA.
At age 23, Oprah was fired from her first reporting job.
At age 24, Stephen King was working as a janitor and living in a trailer.
At age 27, Vincent Van Gogh failed as a missionary and decided to go to art school.
At age 28, J.K. Rowling was a suicidal single parent living on welfare.
At age 28, Wayne Coyne (from The Flaming Lips) was a fry cook.
At age 30, Harrison Ford was a carpenter.
At age 30, Martha Stewart was a stockbroker.
At age 37, Ang Lee was a stay-at-home-dad working odd jobs.
Julia Child released her first cookbook at age 39, and got her own cooking show at age 51.
Vera Wang failed to make the Olympic figure skating team, didn’t get the Editor-in-Chief position at Vogue, and designed her first dress at age 40.
Stan Lee didn’t release his first big comic book until he was 40.
Alan Rickman gave up his graphic design career to pursue acting at age 42.
Samuel L. Jackson didn’t get his first movie role until he was 46.
Morgan Freeman landed his first MAJOR movie role at age 52.
Kathryn Bigelow only reached international success when she made The Hurt Locker at age 57.
Grandma Moses didn’t begin her painting career until age 76.
Louise Bourgeois didn’t become a famous artist until she was 78.
Dorothy Steele didn't start acting until she was 89 and at 92 was cast in Black Panther.
Whatever your dream is, it isn’t too late to achieve it. You aren’t a failure because you haven’t found fame and fortune by the age of 21.
It’s okay if you don’t even know what your dream is yet. Even if you’re flipping burgers, waiting tables or answering phones today, you never know where you’ll end up tomorrow.
Never tell yourself you’re too old to make it.
Never tell yourself you missed your chance.
Never tell yourself that you aren’t good enough.
You can do it. Whatever it is that sets your soul on fire.
Whether you want to start this journey on your own or as a shared journey with a group of like-minded people, it's possible. Just take a leap and believe in yourself. Others do.