Monday Motivation – Why we should stop striving to succeed so much in our 20s

‘Its never too late to be what you might have been’ – George Eliot

We put a lot of pressure on ourselves in our 20s. This is perhaps the decade where we set ourselves the most unattainable goals. We aim for that big promotion by 28, plan to get married by 30, have children shortly after and we force ourselves to make the decision to either spend our savings travelling or buying a property – or both if we’re lucky!

We go through life as though there is a timer constantly ticking away at the background becoming ever-more louder as we approach 30. There is a voice that is shouting for us to do it all by the time we’re 30. We have a fear that we may miss our spot. If we don’t do it now, it’ll never happen.

The good news is that it’s never too late. There are many people who achieve success after the age of 30 or even 40 years old. These people are great at showing us it’s never too late to do what you want to do and achieve your goals later on in life. We get many chances in life and sometimes, the second time round does the job!

Here is a list of the people who made success work for them later on in their life:

1. J.K Rowling 

J.K Rowling was famously rejected from almost every publishing house she submitted her first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone, to until she was accepted by the unknown Bloomsbury publishers. J.K Rowling was 32 at the time and had experienced the death of her mother, the birth of her first child, a divorce and poverty until she had achieved her success.

2. Olivia Coleman

The BAFTA-winning lovable actress was practically unknown in her 20s. Starting off in The Peep Show, it was after this show that Olivia’s career took off with the likes of Broadchurch, Twenty-twelve and most recently, The Night Manager.

3. Ricky Gervais

Ricky created The Office at the age of 31. Before that he worked for 10 years in an office and it was with this life experience he was able to write and direct The Office. After the huge success of the show, Ricky went on to write and star in Extras, The Ricky Gervais Show as well as a few Hollywood films.

4. Alan Rickman

One of my favourite actors and I was deeply upset when he passed away this year, Alan only started to feature in films in his 40s. He worked as a graphic designer in his 20s before going to study as an actor (and how grateful are we that he did). Alan became known for his villainous roles in Die Hard and Harry Potter as well as Love Actually and Robin Hood.

5. Oprah Winfrey

I read a while ago that Oprah was fired from her job as a journalist before succeeding as a presenter at 32. I don’t believe it’s specified why she was fired but I bet she is glad for it now! She bounced back and hit success in her 30s with her famous ground breaking show The Oprah Winfrey show. Oprah is now one of the richest people in the world.

So there we have it – five people that prove you don’t have to peak or receive a great amount of success in your 20s. The 20s can be a perfect time to trial and test areas of your life, whether that’s your career, living situation, relationships etc. Your 30s are really a time to hone and nurture your choices. Take a lesson from the five people listed above – you don’t have to succeed in your 20s.

Do you agree? What is your definition for success?