We still have time
Published 7:00 am Thursday, April 10, 2014
How old is too old for success? It has been said if you haven’t reached success by the time you are 50, your life is pretty much over. This sentiment is faulty for many different reasons.
First of all, you are never too old to be successful. For example Peter Roget created the thesaurus at age 73.
Second, you can live your life pursuing one career, and then decide your true calling lies elsewhere. Kathryn Joosten was a nurse and a stay-at-home mom, before she decided to pursue acting. She was nearly 60 years old when she finally achieved the success she deserved. She is best known for her performance as Desperate Housewives Karen McCluskey, a role that has earned her two Emmys.
Third, adversity in life can be used to propel your success. Many play the victim and use unpleasant circumstances as a reason for failure. Frank McCourt, author of “Angela’s Ashes” used his dire childhood experiences as inspiration for his book and won a Pulitzer and the National Books Critics Circle Award. An interesting fact about McCourt is he didn’t start writing until he was 65.
Fourth, once you start pursing your dream, don’t give up. Colonel Sanders was over 60 when he finally made a success out of his struggling restaurant business. Being turned down countless times, the Colonel refused to give up and KFC today is a highly successful food chain.
Fifth, you can be successful at your chosen profession, but that does not mean you have to be complacent and not pursue other venues. Ronald Reagan enjoyed success as an actor, but he was 70 years old when he was elected president. His work in the economy became known as “Reaganomics”.
As an old quote goes, “Age is a case of mind over matter, if you don’t mind, then it doesn’t matter.” Published in several 1968 newspapers, the quote came from a scientific paper on aging. Since then, it has been used by many people, famous and infamous. Keep it in mind if you haven’t been quite as successful as you dreamed, or if you are ready to pursue that second career you’ve always wanted.
It doesn’t matter how old you are; you are truly never too old to pursue your dreams and become successful.
About Barbara Mizell
Barbara Mizell began working for the Picayune Item in 1993. She started during the "cut and paste" days of the newspaper, and was the first to create a newspaper page using the computer for the Item. She has served as Composing Supervisor and honorary Religion Editor. Of all the contributions she has made over her 20 years at the Item, she is most proud of the World War II book "The Greatest Generation." Barbara was born and raised in the White Sand Community on Lee Hill, she has also written many short stories about growing up on the hill.
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