November 10

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Find Your Success At Any Age

By Celeste DeCamps

November 10, 2020

ageisjustanumber, find your passion, risktaker, success

"We're never too young or too old to find our passion."
I'm sure you've heard the expression, "Age is just a number." While I believe there's a lot of truth to that, we still have an unhealthy fear of it. I'm not sure there was ever a time I was completely comfortable with my age. When I was five, I was told I needed to grow up. I wasn't a baby anymore. When I was sixteen, I was old enough to drive, but not old enough to go where ever I wanted. When I hoped to go back to ballet, I thought I was too old to learn at eighteen. Throughout my life, I was either too young or too old. It's ridiculous.

We put too much pressure on ourselves to have all of our goals achieved by a set time. Where do you see yourself in five years? Will you be a multi-millionaire by thirty? Have you put in place your retirement plans? The truth is everyone finds success at different ages.

There's no set rule that says we have to realize our dreams by thirty-five. Vera Wang wanted to be an Olympic skater. When she didn't make the team, she entered the fashion world at age forty. Betty White was fifty-one when she made it big on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." Laura Ingalls Wilder published her first book series "Little House" at sixty-five. It would become the basis for the television show "Little House on the Prairie." There are many examples of people coming into their own at different stages in their lives.

I'm going to age until I don't anymore. I might as well learn all I can about anything that grabs my interest. It doesn't matter if it takes years to become adept or be an expert in it. Experience and knowledge are what's important. We can't be afraid that we're not an appropriate age to want to be involved in new adventures. Who decided this anyway? Too often, we get talked out of taking a chance because someone reminds us of how old we are. It took me a while to realize those people were projecting their own fears onto me. I'm not worried about what other people think. I decide what makes me happy and fulfilled.

I get information from anybody who has expertise in an area I need help with. My dad, who just turned ninety-one, is someone I can turn to for his vast knowledge of the stock market. Bryce, my twenty-year-old nephew, is a computer genius. I can call him anytime and get great advice. If I want to hear a lecture on The Titanic, my eight-year-old nephew, Kent, is glad to oblige.

The idea that we have to be a certain age to start a new career or take up a physical activity is nonsense. I read about people running marathons well into their eighties. There are women taking ballet lessons for the first time as adults. People are leaving careers and starting new ones instead of retiring. Young people still in high school are becoming activists and believing they can make their world better. I find it inspiring.

Our age doesn't matter at the end of the day. What matters is finding a purpose that fills up our days. Creating opportunities and connecting with others makes life worthwhile. Learn to play guitar, climb the mountain, and take a dance class. We're never too young or too old to find our passion.
About the author

Celeste DeCamps has a B.A. in Communications from the University of Miami. She worked in radio and television, was a professional belly dancer, drummer, percussionist, nightclub owner, and a sales rep for Southern Wine and Spirits for 12 years. Throughout her different career moves, speaking to and teaching women how to be more confident is Celeste's most fulfilling job.

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