It Is Never Too Late While There Is Life

There are many age myths that survive, even though the evidence for their falsehood is remarkable and visible. Perhaps the first to question is that of age as a determinant of possibility, when the truth is that nowadays  no one is too young or too old to achieve dreams that seem past or that have not yet touched. We see it daily, but we can’t quite believe that it is never too late as long as there is life.

Young people have the best part, because it is they who have broken the myth that it takes decades of experience to achieve an achievement. Steve Jobs, Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg are proof that this is false. But just as these people without many years achieved goals that no one would bet on at that age, there are also cases of elderly people who conquer their dream.

However, the accumulation of years, gray hair and everything that recalls the later stages of life, frankly, is not in fashion. That is why those who have lived more than four decades often think that they are no longer of the age to set new goals  or to go after those illusions that they have cherished in their boldest moments. Nothing more false. If there is life, it is not late.

New opportunities do not have to do with age, but basically with three virtues: perseverance, concentration and passion. The first two are almost always the product of maturity; but passion is one of those attributes that is abandoned over time.

For this reason, many elderly people do not feel they have the right to dream, or to go after everything they have always longed for, despite the fact that they are at an excellent time to achieve it. For the sample, some buttons.

Charles Darwin knew it’s never too late

The publication of “The Origin of Species” completely changed the history of contemporary science. But did you know that Charles Darwin was fifty years old when he did it? Although he had started his research adventure at age 22, it took him almost 30 years to complete his assignment. His were the most innovative investigations of their time, even though he already saw gray hair appear on his temples.

In his autobiography, Charles Darwin leaves a text that summarizes in a masterful way his thoughts on the matter:

“Therefore, my success as a man of science […], has been determined, as far as I can judge, by complex and diverse qualities and mental conditions. Of these, the most important have been: a) passion for science; b) unlimited patience to reflect at length on any subject; c) diligence in observing and collecting data and d) a medium dose of inventiveness as well as common sense. With such ordinary faculties as those I possess, it is truly surprising that it has greatly influenced the beliefs of scientists on some important points. “

Late writers and geniuses

José Saramago is one of the most widely read writers in the world. What many do not know is that he achieved his first great literary success at the age of 58, with the novel “Alzado del piso”, a success that he consolidated the following years with other novels that led him to the Nobel Prize in 1988.

African-American writer Toni Morrison published her first book at age 40. And 22 years later, he won the Nobel Prize for Literature. In turn, the great British writer Penelope Fitzgerald published her first book when she was about to turn 60. After many personal and literary shipwrecks, he was finally able to achieve his dream of publishing and a couple of years later he won the Booker Prize, one of the most prestigious in the UK.

Another interesting case is that of Winston Churchill, who did not come to power until he was 66 years old. He was one of the most important rulers in the entire history of Great Britain and also had the course of the Second World War in his hands. But, in addition, he won the Nobel Prize for Literature at the age of 76.

These and other stories, such as those of Alexander Flemming, the discoverer of Penicillin, Walt Disney, Raymond Chandler, Ang Lee and many more prove that age has nothing to do with the conquest of dreams. It is only late when you give up dreaming or when death tends its trap and, there yes, as far as we know it deprives us of any opportunity.