So many assume there’s an invisible deadline for starting over, but the truth is that it doesn’t exist, and we’re going to prove that to you.
A paintbrush came later
You might think famous artists start young in a small studio somewhere. You’d be mostly right. But Grandma Moses blew all expectations out the window. Her real name was Anna Mary Robertson, and she spent the majority of her life farming and doing embroidery.
Unfortunately, arthritis made that too hard in her late 70s. She switched to painting landscapes. Turns out, that was a great choice because her painting appeared in museums across America. That’s right. A whole new chapter started after most people think they’re done trying.
The cabin stories waited
Laura Ingalls Wilder was similar to Grandma Moses. She lived a full life before people knew her name. Yes, she worked as a farm wife and a mother before her first book got published. It happened when she was 65. What book was it?
Only one of the most beloved book series of all time, aka the Little House on the Prairie. The stories behind these novels came from decades of her living the material first. There was no lucky break in her 20s. Take that as a good thing.
The cap and gown moment
It’s normal to graduate when you’re 22. But graduating at 95? That seems impossible. It’s not. Nola Ochs earned her first degree from Fort Hays State University when she was 95 years old, at the same time as her 21-year-old granddaughter.
She originally began taking classes decades earlier. However, she stopped and returned much later. Yet she didn’t give up until she had the diploma in her hands. It’s a lesson that you’re never too old to keep learning.
The dress changed everything
Today, people know Vera Wang for her wedding dresses. But you might not realize how that all started. She originally tried to make the Olympic figure skating team. Then, she worked at Vogue and Ralph Lauren. Wang entered the bridal fashion world at 40 years old.
That single career change helped her create an entire fashion empire. There was no ‘testing it phase.’ No, she went straight into her new career at a time most people settle into theirs. Talk about bravery.
The recipe found its road
Chicken made Harland Sanders famous. But not until much later. He worked as a farmhand, streetcar conductor, insurance salesman, and service station owner before becoming Colonel Sanders. KFC really took off when Sanders was in his 60s. So what does that show?
Only that it’s okay to bounce between jobs before finding the right one for you. You never know when you’ll strike lucky. You never know when you’ll learn something new. Never stop learning.
The album came after acting
You’d think one successful career would be enough. However, not for Rita Wilson. She spent years acting in films and TV with a pretty successful career. Then, when she was 55, she released her first album. That led to more albums and live performances.
She even started songwriting. For her, getting older wasn’t the time to ‘retire into music.’ It was an opportunity for her to learn a new skill and build a second career around it. Now that’s what we call impressive.
The doctorate came back around
Yes, leaving school is the end of the academic story for a lot of people. Charles Betty did things differently. He finished school at 14 and did military service during World War II. He had a full working life. But then, he decided to continue studying and received a PhD at age 95.
It wasn’t an honorary degree, either. It was a complete doctorate, including all the research, writing, supervision, and revisions you’d expect. That’s a lesson for everyone. Even a school dropout can get a doctoral degree.
The mountain was still there
Mount Fuji stands at around 3,776 meters high. It’s pretty difficult to climb for people of any age. Yet Kokichi Akuzawa proved everyone wrong when he climbed it at the age of 102. It wasn’t anything spontaneous, though. He completed training three months before climbing.
What kind of training? It was mostly daily walks and weekly mountain hikes. Akuzawa took it seriously and dedicated himself to learning about climbing. Then he reached the summit like it was no big deal.
The first marathon started late
Your 80s are when you start slowing down, right? No. Fauja Singh decided to start running when he was 89, and he completed the London Marathon in 2000. But he didn’t stop there. He continued running during his 90s and 100s.
Singh completed the Toronto Marathon in 5 hours and 40 minutes. He learned all about race pacing and endurance strategy, rather than retiring. So much for slowing down.
The pool finally happened
Jill Craven had spent years avoiding water. She developed a fear of swimming as a child, and it later turned into adult avoidance. Craven was later diagnosed with cancer and, thankfully, began recovering from it. But she decided then that enough was enough.
Craven signed up for swimming lessons at age 69 and took her first dip in the water. It came after seven decades of saying ‘no.’ If that doesn’t prove that it’s never too late to learn, then we don’t know what will.
The long swim returned
That’s not all for swimmers. Diana Nyad was the opposite of Craven because she loved water and dreamed of swimming from Cuba to Florida. However, it took until she was 64 for her to realize her dream. She completed the 111-mile route in around 53 hours.
Nyad had kept trying and trying. But she never gave up. Her age gave her more experience, and she finally understood how to achieve her dream. She sure managed to do that.
The license had standards
It’s definitely not easy becoming a pilot. That’s why most people do it when they’re young because they’ve got the time and energy for it. James Collins Warren did it at 87. He completed the full licensing process in his 80s and became an official pilot.
Warren completed written exams and put in the required instructor hours. In fact, he actually became the oldest person to do so. He’s a lesson to us all.
The first book arrived at 100
Bertha Wood began writing her memoirs when she was 90 years old. She pulled stories from her life experience and eventually shaped them into something finished. That alone is pretty impressive. But then, when she was 100, her memoirs were finally published.
The result? A book titled Fresh Air and Fun. She won a Guinness World Record for being the oldest woman to publish a first book. Clearly, you’re never too old to develop a new skill. Who knows where it could get you?
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
