There were many times throughout 2010 to 2016 that I contemplated buying stock in Apple, Amazon and Google. But I never did. I always felt like I had missed the train, like it was too late.
Spoiler alert!
It was not.
If I had invested $1,000 into Apple in 2010, I would have over $21,000 today. If I had invested in any of these companies at any time during this period I would have done very well.
This experience taught me one of the most valuable lessons I have learned thus far in life. Very often, it will feel like it’s too late. Too late to invest in a company; too late to start a new career; too late to start exercising. The reality is that most of the time in life, it’s just not too late.
I applied this lesson by purchasing Bitcoin and Ethereum beginning in 2020, and so far this has worked out very well for me. I had watched the price of bitcoin for years. I did not believe in the technology and I felt like it was extremely overvalued. Slowly, I began to grasp blockchain technology a little more, and when I discovered Ethereum and heard Vitalik Buterin on Lex Fridman’s podcast in 2020 I had a breakthrough and thought - “maybe it’s not too late.”
As I mentioned, this lesson applies to many important aspects of life. Health, career, hobbies, relationships and many more. These are areas you can make great progress in, no matter how old you are, no matter what stage of life you’re in.
Health
While it’s true that as we age, it becomes more difficult to get into and maintain good physical condition, it’s also true that you’re never too old to start exercising. In a recent article Dr. Peter Attia said,
one of the questions I’m asked most frequently is, “am I too old for exercise to make a difference? The answer is always a great, big, resounding, “NO.”
In this article, Dr. Attia highlights a case study of a man named Richard Morgan, who, twenty years ago, at the age of seventy three, had devoted no attention to physical activity in his life up to that point. Today, 93-year-old Morgan is a four-time world champion in indoor rowing, most recently winning the 2022 title in the 90-94 age division. His body composition and cardiovascular fitness are at levels of a healthy man half his age.
In a 2,000-meter time trial on a rowing ergometer, the nonagenarian demonstrated exceptional cardiovascular adaptation to exercise, with his heart rate rapidly rising to a peak of 153 beats/min and oxygen uptake kinetics (a measure of time required to adapt to a changing metabolic load) approximating those of a healthy man in his 30s or 40s. These results were all the more remarkable given that Morgan had only started exercising in his 70s – building up his fitness, as he says, “from nowhere.”’
Career
There are countless well known examples of entrepreneurs, businesspeople, writers and more who have found massive success later in life. I will name three.
Colonel Sanders - opened the first franchise of Kentucky Fried Chicken in 1952, when he was 62.
Laura Ingalls Wilder - known for the Little House on the Prairie series of children’s books, didn’t become a disciplined writer until 1924, at age 48. She did not find any real success until age 65.
Anthony Bourdain - was around 43 years old when an article he wrote was published in the New York Times which ultimately led to his television career.
Hobbies
As I mentioned in my first newsletter, in my mid twenties I picked up hobbies such as acoustic guitar and hunting after being inspired by seeing people like Joe Rogan pick up archery in his 40’s, and Lil Wayne pick up skateboarding in his 30’s. I would add exercise to this list as well, which is a hobby that I did not take seriously until my mid twenties. It’s easy to diminish the value of hobbies, but it’s a mistake to do so. Good hobbies are an absolutely vital component of a good life, and if it’s not obvious by now, it’s never too late to pick up a new hobby.
Relationships
It’s never too late to offer an apology, to tell someone you love them, to make a new friend, to forgive yourself.
This is the common theme among all these areas of life. It’s never too late to improve your health, start a new career, pick up a new hobby, form a new relationship.
Most of the time it will feel like it’s too late, but it’s never too late, until it is.
Fantastic and inspirational.
It's never too late. And one way to start whatever we want to start is starting small.