I have been reading about ‘late bloomers’ for a little confidence booster. Here’s a few examples of what a few well-known people were doing at 30.

1. Sylvester Stallone, deli counter attendant.
2. Andrea Bocelli, lawyer.
3. Martha Stewart, stockbroker.
4. Julia Child, government spy.
5. James Joyce, singing.
6. Colonel Sanders, tons of blue-collar jobs.
7. Michael Jordan, baseball player
8. Rodney Dangerfield, aluminum siding salesman.
9. Harrison Ford, carpenter

You can read more about these 30 yr olds in the wrong career here.   

And even more inspiring…Late Bloomers After 50

1. Colonel Harland Sanders – started the first Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise at age 65.
2. Grandma Moses – began painting at 76, after arthritis forced her to give up embroidery. She continued painting until 101.
3. Julia Child – became a chef after many years as a secret intelligence officer. She was 49 when her first book was published, 51 when her TV program “The French Chef” first aired.
4. Ray Kroc – went from being a salesman to opening the first McDonalds at age 52.
5. Raymond Chandler – became a bookkeeper after an unsuccessful career in journalism. Published his first book, The Big Sleep, at the age of 51.
6. Sister Marion Irvine – started running at age 47, when she was overweight and smoking 2 packs of cigarettes a day. Went on to qualify for the Olympic marathon trials at age 54.
7. Marjorie Stoneman Douglas – began her environmental work when in her 60s. Started her long fight to protect the Everglades at age 78, which she continued until she was 100.
8. Laura Ingalls Wilder – published the first book in the “Little House on the Prairie” series at 65.
9. Wallace Stevens – changed his career from insurance salesman to poet in his 50s.
10. Maya Angelou – was in her 60s when her poetry and books became popular.
11. Alfred Hitchcock – directed his best films between the ages of 54 and 61.
12. Susan Boyle – achieved worldwide recognition for her singing talent at age 48 (almost 50). **

I thought about these people as I cleaned and did laundry today, how much more efficient I am at this age at even the mundane household chores compared to my 20’s. There are a lot of things we’ve done over and over and have gained experience, feedback and results, personally and professionally.  I find when I  start something new, I’m often quicker to achieve success as I’m just wiser and more equipped. This certainly doesn’t apply to everything. I don’t plan on taking up snow boarding this winter, although seems like I remember free board rentals at Mt Baker in WA  for the idiots adventurous over 45 yrs of age (I’m not old enough!)

I’ve loved raising kids, working in retail and dabbling in the food service industry. But there’s still loads of time to try something new and either enjoy the moment, enjoy the process or let it blossom into something BIG. Really it comes down to those damn expectations.  Cut them loose!

If you want to check out something inspiring- I know this jazz trumpet man who always wears a hat. He took to the net at 80 to share the language of jazz…

JazzEveryone.com

Who out there is starting something new after 30? 40? 50? 60? 70? 80?

**This composed list found on careerchangepathways.com