Success after 50, Is it possible to be successful after 50? Can a person in their mid 50’s become successful? We always hear stories of people who became famous at a young age, but usually no one talks about those whose talents blossomed late. In this article from humanhealthmag, we explain about success at old age and introduce 15 famous people who have achieved success after the age of 50 years. In previous article, we talked about great achievements after age 70.
Why do some people’s talent bloom late?
Before addressing the topic of success after 50 and introducing people who have become successful after this age, it is better to know what the result of success is? And why does the talent of some people bloom later?
In 2011, a group of Harvard University researchers conducted a study to examine the important factors of people’s success. The results of the research indicated that success is primarily a combination of 3 important factors:
- having the right mindset
- at the right time
- Passion to achieve a goal
In addition to these 3 main factors, other factors also play a role in the success rate of people, some of which we have mentioned below.
- poverty
A person’s poverty may prevent him/her from having the necessary tools to realize his dreams. To be successful, you must have excellent financial means and be able to study in higher degrees. In addition, you should know enough about scholarships or similar financial aid.
- Mental health problems
Psychological problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder may cause a child to never feel happy. Such people grow up without passion for life and excitement to achieve their dreams.
- passion for life
Some people act as if they are born again. The zest for life in these people is so high that even if they reach one of their important goals, they still go for new adventures. For such people, every conquered peak means a new birth.
- Constant learning
A group of people are permanent students. These people think that the more things they experience, the more things they will learn. Lifelong learners do not have a specific goal. For them, traveling and gaining experience from it is more important than anything else.
Success After 50: When is it too late to change your life?
The answer to this question is never conclusive. We have access to more resources today than in the past. Internet databases, online classes, easier professional and personal communication, and more perks mean you have the world at your fingertips.
You can succeed as long as you don’t give up on your dreams. It’s important to have different supporters in life, but many who have achieved success at a young age have done so through sheer willpower. Sometimes people around these successful people called them crazy, but they never gave up. So you still have time to learn, dream and achieve your goals. In this way, your motivation comes first.
Success After 50: Characters Who Have Been Successful at Old Age
Colonel Harland Sanders
He dropped out of school in the seventh grade and pursued several different jobs. Colonel Saunders did not last in these jobs either; He would either resign in anger or be fired. Saunders started a small gas station at the age of 40. He also opened a small restaurant in the apartment next to this gas station. Soon the reputation of Saunders restaurant spread everywhere and his business flourished. Finally, in 1952, at the age of 62, he opened the first Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant to make history.
Fauja Singh
His congenital disorder made him unable to walk until he was 5 years old. When Fauja Singh’s wife and 2 children died, he looked for a way to fill the void in his life. Being in his late 80s, he chose running for this purpose. Fauja Singh ran his first marathon at the age of 89 and became the first 100-year-old man to run a marathon in 2011. At the age of 101, he carried the Olympic torch twice and broke several records in his age group.
Julia Child
Julia Child couldn’t cook when she graduated from college. She worked for some time in advertising companies and then she worked in the government intelligence agency. During her career in this office, Julia fell in love with French cuisine and used every opportunity to learn their recipes. Julia wrote her first cookbook at the age of 50 and became known as one of the top French chefs in the world. Finally, she became the first woman to be inducted into the Culinary Hall of Fame.
Laura Ingalls Wilder
She dropped out of school at the age of 16 and started working in a small sewing shop. Laura started writing at the age of 40, but in her seventh decade she wrote her famous work “Little House”. This book by Laura Ingalls Wilder found many fans. In the following decades of her life, Laura continued to write the “Little House” series.
Ray Kroc
Ray Krock was only 16 years old when World War II began. He lied about his age to the Red Cross in order to work as an ambulance driver for the organization during the war. After his military service, Ray worked as a traveling salesman for several decades, selling paper cups and milkshakers. Finally, in 1954, in the sixth decade of his life, he opened the first McDonald’s fast food restaurant in collaboration with McDonald’s brothers.
Grandma Moses
Anna Mary Robertson Moses, known as Grandma Moses, only attended a small school for a short time. She started painting at the age of 60. Anna Mary finally exhibited her paintings at the Museum of Modern Art. She created nearly 1,500 works of art before her death at the age of 101.
Leo Goodwin SR
Leo Goodwin was an accountant and also worked in the insurance industry. In the sixth decade of his life, he thought of a way to sell insurance services directly to the customer and reduce its costs. In 1936, Leo founded the Government Employees Insurance Company. Since then, GEICO Insurance Company has become one of the largest insurance companies in the United States.
Duncan Hines
He studied at Bowling Green State University. After graduation, he worked as a traveling salesman for a printing company. Duncan used to spend a lot of time eating out. This style of eating also became a topic for writing his book. At the age of 55, he wrote the book “Adventures of Good Eating”. This book attracted so much attention from the audience that Duncan became a food critic. In the eight decades of Duncan’s life, food product manufacturers used his name to indicate the quality of their products.
Peter Mark Roget
Roget had a history of depression since childhood. Ultimately, hours of categorizing words, making lists of them, and finding similarities and differences in these lists helped him deal with his depression. In his early 80s, Roget published his word lists in a book that became known as Roget’s Thesaurus. Millions of copies of this book have been sold so far and the first edition is rare.
Henry Ford
Henry began his engineering career under the famous Thomas Edison. Finally, at the age of 40, he founded Ford Motor Company by learning how to design and produce cars. The company had many innovations in the field of car design, so that 5 years after its establishment, the first Model T Ford was released to the public.
Sam Walton
He majored in economics at the University of Missouri and after graduation joined the Army, where he rose to the rank of captain. After serving in the military, Sam tried to start several retail businesses, but failed each time. Sam Walton’s frequent failures did not stop him. He applied everything he had learned to finally establish the first branch of Wal-Mart chain stores at the age of 44.
Charles Darwin
He received his MA from Christ College, Cambridge University. Then he entered the medical school, but left his studies in this school halfway. Instead, he decided to join the crew of the royal ship HMS Beagle at the age of 21. When he returned home, he contracted the disease and battled it for decades. After recovering, he wrote the story of his trip. Finally, at the age of 50, Darwin published the book “The Origin of Species” or “Theory of Evolution”.
Stan Lee
Stan Lee graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree when he was only 16 years old. He worked several part-time jobs while studying. At the same time, he started working as a comic, but he reached the top of this profession at the age of 40. At this age, the idea of the “Fantastic 4” comic came to Stan Lee’s mind to become a successful work. After that, he created other successful comics such as “Spider-Man”, “Black Panther” and “X-Men” and continued to work until he was 95 years old.
Momofuku Ando
He dropped out of Ritsumeikan University in Japan to start his own textile company. He was once arrested for tax evasion, but filed for bankruptcy. In the end, he lost almost everything, but he did not despair. He saved some money and bought a small company called Nissan. This company was active in salt production at that time. At the age of 50, Mamofuku Ando perfected his idea about noodles in this company to produce chicken ramen. Finally, at the age of 61, he introduced instant noodles to the market.
Nelson Mandela
He became a prominent social activist at the age of 40. Mandela was imprisoned many times and spent 27 years of his life in different prisons. He turned his time in prison into an opportunity to study law. After his release, Mandela continued his journey and became the president at the age of 76.
You Say
Achieving success has no age limit. Therefore, success after 50 is possible.What is important in this way is passion for life, determination and putting aside negative thoughts and common stereotypes of society. The famous people we introduced in this article have faced many difficulties. These successful people, regardless of their university degrees, have changed the world at a very young age. So it’s never too late to succeed. What do you think?
FAQs
Is it too late to pursue success after 50?
It’s never too late to follow your dreams and goals! In fact, many have achieved great success in their 50s and beyond.
What kinds of achievements are available after the age of 50?
There is no single definition of success and it is different for everyone. It is important to set your goals and work hard to achieve them. Some of the examples of success achieved by people after the age of 50 include starting a new business, changing career paths, pursuing a hobby or passion, traveling and adventuring, etc.