Is It Ever Too Late To Start Something New?

Age is not just a number. As we get older, we face more limitations and are shut out of certain possibilities. Motivational quotes that tell us that it is never too late to do anything should be taken

Photo by Agê Barros on Unsplash

There is a popular quote that I like. It goes like this;

The best time to start was yesterday. The next best time is now

The original author of these words remains unknown, but this phrase has provided inspiration and continues to be a source of inspiration for people all over the world. I too, have been inspired by this phrase. It speaks to the natural inertia that would be well known to anybody who has ever started a new project, a new career, or embarked on a new journey. The main message of this phrase is that although it is daunting to have to start a new venture, there is no better opportunity to begin than now. This inspiration is also accessible to anybody trying to change their course or trajectory in life after so many years of doing something else. The theme is loud and clear; it is never too late to start a new journey.

Nobody provides a more fitting example for this quote than Anna Mary Moses, popularly known as Grandma Moses. All her life, Grandma Moses was a housekeeper and a farm labourer, working jobs such as cleaning and cooking for anybody who would hire her. By her 70s, she developed arthritis which made embroidery very painful. With encouragement from her sister, she decided to try painting, since it would be easier on her hands than embroidery. Little did she know that this would be the beginning of a new career that would launch her to legendary status. At 78 she became a prolific artist, painting beautiful renditions of landscapes and nature. She won multiple awards for her paintings, and in 2006, one of her paintings sold for $1.3million.

There are enough stories like Grandma Moses’ to lend enough credibility to the idea that it is never too late to start something new. Vera Wang changed her career and launched a successful career. Colonel Sanders could start KFC at 62. Mori Taikichiro was an academician who became a real estate investor at 51 and eventually became a one-time world’s richest man. There is something comforting in listening to all these stories that makes the listener think “If these guys can do it, why can’t I?”

For all the inspiration that this quote provides, perhaps it is time to take a pause and ask ourselves if the message of this quote is true, or if the inspiration we have been drawing from it is rooted on shaky grounds. Is it really never too late to start afresh? Or rather, is it ever too late to start something new?

Consider the story of a 72-year-old woman who was admitted to the psychiatric ward for persistent depressive disorder. Some years ago, she lost her daughter to cancer. She has one more daughter who is still alive, but they haven’t spoken in decades due to irreconcilable differences; the relationship with her daughter is irreparable. He husband died almost a decade ago from cancer. She has a reoccurring history of hospitalization at the psychiatric ward, and her psychiatric history shows an established history of maladaptive thoughts. Her negative pattern of interpreting the world seems to have gotten worse after the death of her husband. When something unpleasant happens to her, her natural response is to look for the worst and saddest possible explanation, putting the blame on everyone around her. She seems not to be able to interpret events — even neutral events — in a good or positive light.