10/30/2025
At twenty-three, Tina Fey was working at a YMCA, unsure where her life was heading.
At the same age, Oprah was fired from her very first reporting job and thought her dream had ended.
Stephen King was twenty-four, living in a small trailer, working as a janitor, and throwing his rejected manuscripts in the trash.
Vincent Van Gogh was twenty-seven when he failed as a missionary and decided to pick up a paintbrush instead.
At twenty-eight, J.K. Rowling was a struggling single mother, battling depression and wondering if life would ever get better.
Wayne Coyne from The Flaming Lips was cooking fries in a fast food kitchen.
Harrison Ford was still building furniture at thirty.
Martha Stewart was selling stocks at thirty.
Ang Lee was a stay-at-home dad, taking small side jobs just to keep food on the table at thirty-seven.
Julia Child didn’t publish her first cookbook until she was thirty-nine, and her first cooking show aired when she was fifty-one.
Vera Wang missed the Olympic figure skating team, didn’t get her dream job at Vogue, and only designed her first wedding dress at forty.
Stan Lee, the man who gave the world superheroes, didn’t publish his first hit comic until he was forty.
Alan Rickman left behind his career in design and stepped into acting at forty-two.
Samuel L. Jackson was forty before Hollywood noticed him.
Morgan Freeman got his first major movie role at fifty-two.
Kathryn Bigelow became world-famous at fifty-seven with The Hurt Locker.
Grandma Moses didn’t even start painting until she was seventy-six.
And Louise Bourgeois only became a renowned artist at seventy-eight.
Every one of them could have quit. Every one of them could have said, “It’s too late.”
But they didn’t. They kept walking, kept believing, and life met them halfway.
So if you’re twenty, forty, sixty or even eighty, remember this — your story isn’t over.
It’s okay if you don’t have it all figured out yet. It’s okay if you’re flipping burgers, waiting tables, or answering phones today. You never know what tomorrow might bring.
Never tell yourself it’s too late.
Never tell yourself you missed your chance.
Never tell yourself you’re not good enough.
Because you are. And your time will come. 🌟
Credits to the original author.