Late Bloomers Still Bloom

Have you ever considered age to be an advantage rather than a disadvantage? After all, it’s been said that things get better with time. Let me give you 3 pros that come with time.

1. You have more experience
   You have years of both personal and professional experience to draw from. Some lessons can only be learned with time, and you have had the opportunity to learn, and hopefully grow over time. It’s true that you don’t know what you don’t know, and I am a firm believer that the best way to know something is to learn from experience.
   
   
2. You have more connections
   It’s not what you know, but who you know. One of my favorite TV shows of all time is Home Improvement. During its 8 year run it always finished in the top 10 of the ratings. The character Al was played by Richard Karn. Karn was a struggling actor for 11 years and ended up in traffic school sitting next to an agent who told him about Home Improvement. Karn knew one of the producers from a play he had done earlier and called for an audition. As a courtesy they let him audition even though this role had already been filled. Well the rest is history.
   
   Karn had already been acting for 11 years with no break. But it was his connections that finally brought him success. At this stage of life, you have more established connections.
   
   
3. You have more stability
   There is a good chance that your life has a lot more stability now versus when you were in your 20’s. As you have grown personally and professionally, you may find that you are a lot more secure and confident in who you are as a person. You have discovered more of yourself in terms of your strengths, weaknesses, passions, and siftings. Your relationships are possibly healthier as you have learned to communicate with, lead, encourage, and equip people that are around you.

So how do you put these advantages to work? Let me offer you a small 3 step framework to get you started today:

1. Dream
   Entrepreneurs have no expiration date due to age, and neither do dreams. Some of you have stopped dreaming because you are convinced you are too old for that. You may have people in your life saying, do you really want to start that business this late in life? Are you sure you want to take a chance now? You have x amount of years already doing what you’re doing. Or, why don’t you just enjoy your retirement? But I say if you have a dream that keeps you up and a passion that is pulling you, pursue it. Allow yourself to dream.
   
   
2. Decide
   Daily decisions determine your destination. Many people end before they begin simply because they decided intentionally or not, to never begin. The first decision you need to make is to begin.
   
   
3. Determination
   I’ve heard it said, go the extra mile, it’s never crowded. Determination is what makes you go that extra mile. Determination is what makes you do what others won’t. You will never get where you want to be without determination.

The best age to dream is the age that you are. The best age to decide is the age that you are. The most determined people are the age that you are. You don’t need to be younger. You don’t need to go back in time. Today is your day. Age is just a number.

Brandon