Are you a late bloomer?

In today’s fast paced world it can be easy to fall into a trap of thinking success has an expiration date. If we haven’t achieved a well-established career or fulfilled our dreams by a pre-determined date we may allow ourselves to believe that we’ll never ‘do it’.

For every Justin Bieber who got discovered at aged 13 there are also success stories such as JK Rowling who was aged 33, unemployed and on benefits when Harry Potter first got published or Vivienne Westwood who was aged 41 before she held her first runway show. 

With a wealth of resources and courses now available at the touch of a button, there has never been a better time to get started. Whether you’re 20, 40 or 60 if you’re still breathing and have a seed of desire that’s waiting to bust open, it’s never too late to bring your dreams to life.

Here’s how to get started:

Don’t stick to something just because it’s familiar

It can be easy to stick to things that feel familiar, doing so may allow us to remain in our comfort zone where we feel safe and secure but for many, sticking with the ‘familiar’ can also make us feel stuck, unfulfilled and stifled. Often, many of us can trade off what we love doing for what we have settled to do. To stretch beyond your comfort zone, you could experiment with your daily activities. Maybe you could join a new exercise class or explore new places or cultures. Experiencing change and pushing yourself to try something new can open you up to new emotions and ideas about what’s possible.

Value your experience

Whether you’ve written unpublished poetry since childhood or invested years into a career that you may eventually abandon, trust that your experiences haven’t been a ‘waste of time’.  Each experience has provided you with valuable skills, contacts and insights that may have assisted you in identifying what you really want to do. Writing a list of your strengths and the skills that you have acquired can help to boost your confidence and see the value in your life experiences.

Be aware of mind-set traps

Many of us can hold ourselves back from reaching our potential because we we’re consumed with feelings of self-doubt and may not trust in our capabilities. Building your self-awareness is one of the most powerful ways to delve into the root causes of your self-doubt. Noticing your thought patterns and working with an NLP practitioner to detach from them can help you to break free from your mind-set traps so you can create positive shifts in your life.

Develop your skills

Whether you want to set up a new business or fulfil a career in singing there is a wealth of knowledge available that can assist you in the process. Alongside your list of skills and strengths noting down what other skills or experiences could assist you in taking a step closer to your dream and taking action to pursue them can help you to develop more faith in your abilities. You could also work with a Life Coach to assist you in formulating an action plan which can help you to get started. Every expert was once a beginner who took action to makes things happen.

Spend time around like-minded people

There’s a popular saying that we are who we hang out with. When you spend time around those who have a similar passion and drive to you, the enthusiasm and motivation can rub off on you too. As well as the benefits of spending time connecting with those who are like-minded you could also build a support network that you can learn from, grow with and confide in, all of which can help you to expand your horizons and evolve. There are plenty of ways you can connect with like-minded people, you can attend a meet-up, attend events or join community groups on social media.

Don’t give up

Whether it takes you 2 years or 5 years to get to where you want to be persistence pays off. Maintaining an inner knowing that every step forward is one step closer to where you may want to be allows you to drive closer to your goal. When you keep going and pushing through any self-doubt or obstacles that you may face along the way, you give yourself the opportunity to transform your determination into success. Visualising the end goal and how you’ll feel when you’ve attained it can help you to stay connected to your vision.  You can also change the screen saver on your phone and computer, or stick a photo of your dream somewhere that you’ll see it every-day to reinforce your vision. Alongside reinforcing your vision remember to regularly acknowledge and celebrate how far you have come already and use your successes as fuel to motivate you to accomplish even more!

Whatever your age, it’s never too late to live your dreams! You can use your wealth of life experience, knowledge and expertise as an opportunity to do something you love! So get out there and start blooming!