It’s Not Too Late…Start Now

Sometimes I think back on the things I started but didn’t keep going.

Like my first podcast, Finding Your Way or the podcast and Youtube channel I started with my wife, Kara—Happily Together.

And when I think about these projects, I start wondering where we might be or how much ‘my brand’ would have grown if I had just stayed consistent.

It’s a subtle thought, but it doesn’t stay subtle for long.

It doesn’t take much time for me to go there and suddenly life feel alot less spacious and much more…tight.

My breathe gets shallow. My body begins to ache. I feel wildly frustrated.

And eventually, I shut down.

Before I know it, I’m believing the story that I missed my window and it’s too late to start or try again.

It’s funny how quickly that story shows up, isn’t it?

It’s. Too. Late.

In other words…You missed it. You’re too old. Be more realistic.

I don’t know about you, but I’m realizing that story has nothing to do with truth and everything to do with fear.

And I’m in a place in life where I don’t want to keep letting fear call the shots.

Anyone else?

Rich Roll is someone I’ve followed for years.

He’s a former attorney turned ultra-endurance athlete and host of one of the biggest podcasts in the world.

He shared something a while back that stuck with me enough that I printed it out and taped it inside my journal.

It was a short tweet, but it carried real weight.

He listed the ages when major things in his life finally clicked.

Not in a braggy way, but in a way that makes you rethink every assumption about timing.

I didn't reach my athletic peak until I as 43.
I didn't write my first book until I was 44.
I didn't start my podcast until I was 45.
At 30, I thought my life was over.
At 52, I know it's just beginning.

I think this post went viral (several times) because it tells the truth we so easily forget.

We forget that feeling behind doesn’t mean we actually are behind.

Most of us tell ourselves it’s too late not because it actually is, but because starting over or trying again exposes us.

It forces us to open up our heart. It asks us to risk our comfort. It requires us to show up without guarantees.

And all of this is deeply and wildly...vulnerable.

So it makes sense we so easily tell ourselves “it’s too late."

That story feels safer than admitting we still care. It gives us a way out.

It keeps us from feeling the ache of desire and the discomfort of beginning.

And when I watch myself go down that road, I can feel how heavy it makes everything.

But when I interrupt the story, things open back up.

I might be a slow learner, but it's becoming more and more clear that life isn’t asking me, or you, to be perfect or consistent.

Life is asking us to stay honest and start again when something still matters to us.

What I guess I’m trying to say is that your life isn’t behind you.

Your chance isn’t gone. You haven’t missed the moment.

The thing you keep thinking about isn’t a sign of failure.

It’s a reminder that there's still something in you that wants to be lived.

So, if you need a nudge today, here it is.

Start now. Even if it’s small. Even if you feel late.

The only thing that actually closes the door is waiting for a perfect time that never comes.

You’re not too late. You’re right on time for the next beginning.

As always, I’m rooting for you. We’re in this together.