Have you felt yourself aging gradually, or did you have that slap-in-the-face moment, like I did, when you woke up one morning and you realized you were 50?
Of course, I noticed a stray gray hair and a little extra weight that just wouldn’t come off, but I just thought that I’d be young forever…until I wasn’t.
There was a time when I was content just doing the same things I’d done for the previous 30 years. I had resigned myself to having “missed the boat” on making a change or going after my dream of writing.
Boy, was I wrong.
Here’s the first in the “It’s Never Too Late” Series of posts where I share MY story of getting out of the mindset that I had stopped learning and growing and finding a path to “living the dream.”
You can do it too, because…
It’s Never Too Late.
What if you’re too old to start freelancing?
You knew this was a trick question, right?
Of course, you’re NEVER too old to start a career in anything your heart desires. Mine just happened to be freelance writing.
I was “one of those kids” who did really well in school. I got straight A’s in almost every class (except math, but I always liked words more than numbers anyway). I always thought I’d be a journalist “when I grew up,” but that plan got derailed by a creative writing teacher who just didn’t think I had the stuff. I’m not sure why I believed her, but she stole my confidence and my would-be career.
Looking back, I know I took the path of least resistance. Getting an Associate’s Degree in Secretarial Science at a two-year college, getting married soon after graduation and jumping into a job as a junior secretary seemed like a good idea at the time, but I could have done so much more.
What About My Dream?
Funny thing about dreams … if you’re really passionate about them, they’ll always find a way to be part of your life.
Writing was definitely my passion, and regardless of what that creative writing teacher told me, I knew I was good at it.
Throughout my career as an administrative assistant (it’s taboo to call me a secretary now), and over the last 30 years working for a home builder (Geez, I’m old!), I’ve ghostwritten hundreds of newspaper editorials, ads, web copy, blog posts and customer letters.
I was pretty sure I was a good writer—my boss would always gush over what he called my “Pulitzer-prize winning” creations. But whenever friends and family would suggest I write that book I’d always talked about, I’d just shrug my shoulders and say, “I’m not smart enough to write a book.”
How My Mindset Changed
