Monday Postcard #192 – It Is Never Too Late
It is easy to become complacent. We all have our daily lives and we sometimes just tag along and do not even realise where everything is taking us. We just do what we are used to do, we follow routines, do what is comfortable, sometimes we choose the line of least resistance. But one day, we wake up and realise that it is time for change. Maybe we need to change something career-related. Maybe we have neglected our relationship. Or maybe we have even neglected ourselves.
This need for change may be easily dismissed by telling ourselves that it is “too late”. You may think that you have reached a certain age and you cannot change certain things anymore. Or you may talk yourself into accepting the status quo because “we have always done it this way”. But it is never really too late to change. If you want to, you can “teach an old dog new tricks”.
If we think of inspiring people and their careers, we may tend to think that every successful person has achieved their success before the age of 30. But actually, there are plenty of examples who became successful much later and achieved said success due to a drastic change in their careers and/or lives.
One of the most famous and frequently used examples in motivational books and across the internet is JK Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter Books. Rowling was 32 when the first three books of the Harry Potter Series were published and 34 when they became an international success. Before that, she was a single mum who lived from government welfare contributions. In 1999, the first three Harry Potter books had made about USD 480 million. (35 million copies had been sold by then and the books had been translated into 35 languages.)
Martha Stewart, who later on built up a cooking and media empire, worked as a stockbroker when she was 30. She published her first cookbook at the age of 41. Actor Alan Rickman changed his career from being a graphic designer to acting in his early forties. Author Tony Morrison worked as an editor until the age of 39 when she published her first own book.
What if all them had told themselves that it was too late?
Change does not necessarily only apply to our careers. It can also relate to our relationships. When was the last time you checked in on your partner? Have you recently thought about your actions and what you could change to make your relationship better? Very often, small changes achieve big outcomes. It is never too late to plan a romantic date night or a getaway, or think about which small things you could do to make your partner happy – or to simply sit down and actively listen to your partner.
And last but not least, it is never too late to change the way you treat yourself. It is never too late to finally pick up a new hobby, to read that book, write that novel, or finally do something for yourself which you would have never dared to do before.
Even if you think it is late for your actions right now, it is still earlier than not taking them at all. Every minute we spend thinking “I should”, is wasted. Rather do it and invest in quality time with the people you love and the things you enjoy doing. The rest will sort itself out.
What have you been wanting change for a very long time? Share with me in the comments below, via email or on my social channels.
More Monday Postcards
Monday Postcard #191 – Say Good-Bye to Your Nervous Self
Monday Postcard #190 – What I Learned from Moving on My Own
Monday Postcard #189 – Celebrate Small Milestones
Monday Postcard #188 – More than Just Travelling
Monday Postcard #187 – Jumping in at the Deep End
Sources: Date about career paths of the personalities listed above: Lifeinsp and Boredpanda.