Think it's too late to pursue your dreams because you're 'too old'? This is for you.

“There’s no way I can do something, I’m already old, I’ve already done everything.”

I remember scrolling through TikTok and coming across a podcast where a woman was crying as she shared her story. She wanted to be a lawyer, but life had different plans. So, her dream was parked year after year until she turned 50. In the interview, she said, “I wanted so much to be a lawyer, but things piled up layer by layer. This dream kept getting pushed away because I had other things to attend to first. Now that I’m 50, I regret it so much, and I’m afraid that the rest of my days will be spent like this.”

It hit me hard because, as much as we say that life is a matter of choice, we don’t always have those choices in our hands. Some people are way ahead of us at the starting line, while others of us are still trying to find it. And because we feel responsible for the things happening in our lives, we often rob ourselves of opportunities that were meant for us but didn’t happen because a bigger problem needed our attention at that moment.

This leads us to constantly wonder about the "what ifs": What if I had chosen myself back then? What if I had continued? What if I hadn’t been sick? What if I had been financially able to do it? These "what ifs" anchor us in regret. And trust me, regret stings more than any emotion in this world.

Since I was 20 years old, I’ve dreamed of starting a business in advertising. I love introducing people’s goals to a community. But it never happened. Over the years, it resurfaced several times, but I never took action. Now at 47, I feel like it’s too late. I believe my idea from 20 years ago won’t thrive now, and my current age makes me feel disconnected from the fast-paced world of advertising. I asked the Universe for signs, but none came... UNTIL.

One day, on a bus ride to the gym, I looked out the window at the beautiful scenery of my town, and my mind wandered to those thoughts that kept me awake at night. My could’ve been’s, my would’ve been’s, and my should’ve been’s. I tried so hard to push them away, but they always found a way in. But that day was different.

I overheard a conversation between a teenage girl, wearing a bumblebee top and funny-looking jeans (I mean that in the cutest way), and her mom, whose sweet presence reminded me of my own mother. The mom, who was 57, was hesitant about joining a painting workshop, feeling too old. Her daughter gently poked her on the head and said, “Mom, listen to me. Your teacher is 68 years old. Besides, you paid for the workshop. There are no rules saying a 57-year-old can’t join.”

Then the daughter said something that stuck with me:
“Mom, I’m your hands’ greatest artwork. Look at me. I’m so beautiful. Now, tone down your fear and show them how capable your hands are. You’re 57, Mom, and you’re alive, so do it.”

Her mom fell silent. I caught a glimpse of her through the bus window, her lips quivering, holding back tears. It wasn’t sadness, but more like an awakening, as if someone had opened a door she thought was permanently sealed shut.

At that moment, I realized something important: dreams don’t have deadlines. We put those deadlines on ourselves because of fear; fear of failure, fear of judgment, fear of being too late. But the truth is, as long as we are breathing, as long as we are willing, we still have the chance to become who we’ve always wanted to be.

I got off the bus feeling a little lighter, almost as if that teenage girl’s words were meant for me too. It was like a whisper to my heart that said, “Hey, maybe it’s not too late for you either.”

Since then, every time the “what ifs” knock on my door late at night, I answer them differently. Instead of mourning what could’ve been, I ask myself, “What can still be?”

Maybe I didn’t start early. Maybe life led me down detours. Maybe I’ve carried bruises and regrets along the way. But if there’s still a road ahead, even if it’s narrow, bumpy, or unfamiliar, I can still walk it—or crawl if I have to.

And maybe, just maybe, that’s where the most beautiful parts of life are waiting.

What about you?
Are you still holding onto a dream that feels out of reach? What made you realize that you will continue reaching it? How did you come that self-limiting belief about your age? Let’s talk about it! Reply to us through our social media and share your story with me. What dreams are you still chasing? It’s never too late.

Take care,
Adryenne