The March of Time Is No Excuse

“Focus on a passion, not the passing of days.”  That was a bit of advice from a Monster.com article for job seekers that I recently edited for use in a major newspaper … a minor assignment with even more minor pay. 

Most days my life seems stuck in the minors … minor league, second-string, nonessential.  I’m paralyzed with too many tasks, assignments, “hey, could yous” that are minor in every way but the amount of time they consume. 

I am often stymied by the feeling that life might accidentally have already passed me by. That the major league is out of my reach now. 

Focus on a passion, not the passing of days. That quote sent me searching.  There are plenty of writers who didn’t hit their strides as writers until their late 30s, throughout their 40s or into their 50s.  Laura Ingalls Wilder is one of the most famous. I loved “Angela’s Ashes” but Frank McCourt didn’t publish it until he was in his 60s.  Michener was 40 when his first book was published.   Richard Adams didn’t publish “Watership Down” until he was in his early 50s.

Like most of these individuals, I have years of writing, editing or other related experience.  I’m not embarking on a writing career late in life.  I’m simply starting down a new writing path.

I’ve watched from a distance as a vague acquaintance of mine – similar in age  — has pursued this same path. Is her achievement enough to goad me on? To propel me to shoot for something more major?

Looking for more encouragement, I found that articles about older entrepreneurs abound. Turns out, entrepreneurs beyond the age of 35 have recently been accounting for 80% of new business start ups.  The stats on the growth and success rates of these “gray” businesses are more than encouraging.  Seems like the mature entrepreneurs have much greater success than their younger counterparts.

So there it is.  Age is not a reason.  It’s an excuse.

Guess I’m officially running thin on excuses.

More importantly, turn outs … I’m in pretty good company.


#2 - 1/2/2013