It’s Not Too Late
I’m 49 years old right now, and I’ve had the thought, “It’s too late for me.” What’s interesting is I’ve felt that way at so many points in my life—at 39, 33, 23, 17, and even earlier. Looking back, I can see that it wasn’t about my circumstances or my age. It was a feeling. And like all feelings, it was temporary. Those thoughts only had power when I gave them power.
When I felt like it was “too late,” what I was really feeling was fear. Fear that I’d missed my chance, that life had moved on without me, that my goals didn’t belong to me anymore. But with time, I’ve learned to see that for what it is—just a thought. Not a truth. And when those feelings crept in, I’ve found ways to redirect myself.
One thing that’s helped is shifting my perspective. If something feels too big or overwhelming, I ask myself: Am I looking at this from the wrong angle? If the goal feels impossible, it might not be that it’s out of reach—it’s that I’m seeing it as too big. So I make it smaller. I look for an entry point. What’s one small version of this? What’s the tiniest step I can take? Most of the time, it’s not that the goal isn’t for me—it’s that it needs to look different than I first imagined.
With practice, I’ve learned to ask myself: What does ‘too late’ even mean? While I’m alive, it’s not too late to live. Life might not look the way I thought it would, but different doesn’t mean done. Starting or continuing something—anything—can be scary but it gives us purpose. It’s where hope lives. It’s where we find something to look forward to.
I’ve also learned to pause when that feeling of “too late” creeps in. I remind myself that it’s not a sign to stop—it’s a sign to adjust. Maybe the path is different than I thought it would be, but that doesn’t mean it’s gone. It means I need to walk a different way.
Life is challenging. Fear of missing out, of being left behind, of failing—it’s all part of the human experience. But it’s not too late to take a step forward. Even if it’s a small step, it’s still a step. And that’s what keeps me going.
ACTION: When the idea of “too late” creeps in, pause and ask yourself: Is this feeling or fact? Write down one thing you can do today to challenge that belief.
