If I Haven't Succeeded By Mid 20's, Can I Still Succeed?

[James Fake]

An interesting topic of discussion. What are your thoughts?

This original thread is from Quora (here) but it would be interesting to see what us here at Fastlane think about this?

 

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[Rickson9]

It depends on how an individual defines 'success' and what resources they have at their disposal.

Best regards.

 

[Runum]

I would guess it would depend on your definition of succeed. Aside from that, is the original poster insinuating that one should just quit trying or commit suicide if they fail to meet their goals by mid 20's. If one doesn't make their goals, what is the alternative? Sounds pretty narrow minded to me.

 

[GlobalWealth]

You fail when you quit.

 

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[Neon]

Age only gives you more experience and ability. How could more assets ever be a roadblock to success?

The main reason people feel that they've "missed their chance" is because of tunnel-vision on their past mistakes and regrets. All we have is today.

A lot of young guys make big money and fail to spend it wisely so they end up in trouble again. (MJ even touches on this in his book)

Younger people often have a gift for seeing opportunity and leverage where others don't- their flaw is that they usually fail to make long term plans or invest their wealth properly.

Success is chess, not checkers. Those that can look at the big picture are the ones that win in the end.

I think about how little I knew when I was 20 compared to 30 and it scares me I could have been so stupid- but I also know is part of the process of aging. It's also made me enjoy getting older...even if that sounds strange.

Mid 20s? Not unless you're goal is to be a swimsuit model.

 

[mrshowtime3]

Man, I have a friend that thinks this way and its just nuts. Im 25 right now and feel like im just beginning life in a lot of ways. To think your life is in any way over at such a young age is something I just dont get. But hey, on the other hand it always means there will be a large supply of laborers.

 

[jen]

Get rich or die trying.

 

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[valuegiver]

Duncan Bannatyne started his first business when he was 30. And he is a multi millionaire in UK now.

 

[SuccessBoy]

There was a story of a man who hadn't done much with his life and who had casually been interested in writing. When he was older and found out that he had a tumor (or cancer?) and only so much time to live, he started writing books -- and good ones at that. He was later told by doctors that the cancer had subsided but he continued to write because he enjoyed it so much. I think he was a best selling author. I believe this story was from the book "100 Ways to Motivate Yourself."

I believe that it may be harder to get rich/be a super success when you are only. This is mainly due to additional responsibilities like taking care of a family and your health is gradually declining. Most average people use this as an excuse though and take a pessimistic look on life that their time has past.

 

[Nicola]

The first question is - how do you define "success"

If your definition is to be a top surgeon - then you are still training in your mid 20s!

How about winning a Nobel prize?

How about raising a happy child?

There are only two definitions of success that I can think of that need youth - being a child prodigy or a gymnast.

Most natural talents are showing by the twenties, and you will be well on your way if not at the pinnacle by then. Things like sports, music or science.

The people who have achieved extraordinary success at an extremely young age appear on the television - because they are rare. There are many more people who achieve success later than mid twenties.

I could go on for a fair bit here - but it would probably turn into a rant!

 

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[lightning]

Duncan Bannatyne started his first business when he was 30. And he is a multi millionaire in UK now.

Thats funny, Duncan Bannatyne instantly came to mind for me as well. Not only because he was 30 years old, but because he was an actual "beach bum" at the turning point in his life. Living in paradise surfing all day and partying/drinking all night....basically going nowhere but but being okay with it because he had no real direction. On spur of the moment one day, he decided that he was meant for something bigger and was going to be a millionaire. In his book he actually talks about the day on the beach that he turned to his wife and said that, jokingly recalling "I think she thought I was kidding".

A couple decades later, he is one of the richest men in the UK. He is a household name in Europe the way Trump is a household name in the US.

I think Globalweath hit the nail on the head. I will be 29 this summer, and have been trying unsuccessfully to hit the fastlane for years now. Every year only makes me more determined and more experienced. Do I regret not starting at 18 years old and perhaps losing a great 5 years? Perhaps, but I consider myself fortunate that I still learned what I did by 23-24. I have said many times that I dont know where I would be today or how scattered my life would be if I hadnt started talking to MJ and a few other guys after I graduated college. Those early convo's (and the fact that they HAD what I so desperatly wanted!) changed everything for me. I work with guys everyday that are miserable with me in our office, but yet being much older with alot more commitments, will now never take the steps to do anything about it. That to me is the greatest failure at all. When you decide that its "okay" to live a mediocre life, only because you are afraid to go after something better. As my Father said to me once, "You only get one trip down the tracks" folks!

IMO it dosent matter if you are 25 years old or 50 years old. Your circumstances and responsibilities might change with every year, but if your drive and desire flame dosent burn out, it is never too late to go get what you want in life. Failure is what happens when you give up and decide that its "okay" to live like the masses. Success starts to happen when you decide that its not!

 

[GlobalWealth]

IMO it dosent matter if you are 25 years old or 50 years old. Your circumstances and responsibilities might change with every year, but if your drive and desire flame dosent burn out, it is never too late to go get what you want in life. Failure is what happens when you give up and decide that its "okay" to live like the masses. Success starts to happen when you decide that its not!

Awesome paragraph. Speed+++

 

[CommonCents]

The question I ask myself when possibly hesitating on something:

How old will I be in 1,2, 5 yrs if I try this?

How old will I be in 1,2, 5 yrs if I don't?

Age then becomes irrelevant.

 

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[Infinity]

To be honest, I think like this sometimes too... I'm also naive and in my early 20's

My reasoning is that by my early 30's I'd like to be starting a family, and if that's the case I want to be financially secure. Thus, it seems like either my own business must be doing decently by then, or I'll have to switch to a 'stable' corporate job - hence the need to be successful by 30.

 

[GlobalWealth]

My reasoning is that by my early 30's I'd like to be starting a family, and if that's the case I want to be financially secure.

These are restrictive thoughts. Is this coming from outside family or environmental pressure?

Who is telling you that you must be financially secure before starting a family? I understand this is your desire, but I also know that while this may be a desire for the moment, other wants will arise too.

For example, "I want to have $1m in the bank before I start a family", "I want to have traveled around the world before I start a family", "I want to buy a Ferrari before I start a family", etc.

The point is, the stars will never align and whatever you think you have planned out will never actually come to fruition. Sure, setting goals and planning are good, but you will realize that you also need to be flexible.

What happens if you get your wife/gf (i'm assuming you are a guy) pregnant next year. What then? Are you going to go to that safe corporate job? Are you going to sacrifice your dreams because the stars didn't align?

What is even your definition of success? Is it measure in dollars? Houses? Cars?

Or is it measured in living a meaningful, experience filled life?

Go for starting that business now (if you haven't already). But don't let that hold you back in your 30's, 40's or 50's from starting a business too.

 

[cfittowin]

Great post Global! The world we live in is filled with many mass media biases. i.e. "If I don't have money by a certain age then I'm a failure" Whether you see them or not, mass media biases are all around you. It is impossible to be objective all of the time, but take these biases and balance them in your mind. Just because some people believe something, or say something, doesn't make it fact. Go out there, change the world, BE YOU, and don't forget to enjoy the ride along the way. Zuck founded fbook and was a billionaire by his early 20s, good for him, now make your own mark.

 

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[James Fake]

Wow, some great responses!! Just now reading this..

My thoughts: Anything is possible at any age.

I think some advantages in the mid-20's:

1) You tend to have a more risky personality. Maybe due to less responsibility (marriage, kids)

2) You have more time to recover if you get in the financial hole

3) Tend to get away with less sleep, higher metabolism


I can't say much about the 30s yet cause I'm not.. but just taking a look from my teens to now; I'd say I have become less risky (example: driving, etc.), tend to let the little things go, and know how to avoid unnecessary situations better..

 

[FDJustin]

At first it was a wonder to me that people have this fear. Give up on success before even hitting your thirties? Wha? ... But then I just thought about how we look at life as a society.
Age 6: You are a child, not a person. Your opinion will be given to you, and you don't know what you're talking about. Go play.
Age 10: They will clandestinely teach you about STDs. It is socially appropriate when interacting with adults to pretend you didn't know there was a difference between boys and girls until now. Your little mind is blown away, I'm sure.
Age 16: Holy crap I can drive!
Age 18: You are expected and 'allowed' to enjoy the difference between boys and girls. But you must pretend it's wrong. Pervert.
Age 21: You may now have fun. Go to college, drink a lot, enjoy your first and last year of adult freedom and life.
Age 2X: Here in lies the forked path. Do you take a long-term school path to a prestigious career, or do you take something more corporate and "safe", thus allowing you to start a family before the grey hair sets in?
Age 30: Your life is over.
Age 40: Stress induced amnesia of the past ten years.
Age 50: Pester for grandchildren.
Age 60: Get excited for retirement.
Age 70: Health-issue roulette
Age 80:

... With that model of life in mind, it's easy to start feeling like you're doomed by my age. I'll continue to try and worry about more tactile things, like how our mortality isn't linked to age. How I look out the window to the dull grey sky and find myself without the desire to do anything. What of my weaknesses, strength, desires and situation will help or hinder me towards success.

 

[rocksolid]

The first thing I thought of after reading the topic is " where's the Beef"? For us old guys this was a very popular line from a Wendy's commerical back in the 80's. The actress was Clara Peller who at the ripe young age of 81 won the role for these commerical's. She was not an actress, just in the right place at the right time. So my short answer is "no" it is never too late to succeed.

Clara Peller - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

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[Ironwill]

If you would allow me to share my insight into the situation...

I proactively started my journey in the fastlane in my early/mid-twenties. I was going to be a real estate millionaire by the time I hit 30 for sure… Piece of cake, what could possibly go wrong?

Infinity: this post also addresses your desire to be financially stable prior to having children so that you may provide them with the life they deserve.

A little over two years ago (I was 28), my then new girlfriend of 2 months informed me that she was pregnant… I honestly thought my life was over. How stupid could I be? Though we had known each other and ran in the same circles for a decade, we had only been dating for two months. This wasn’t going to happen to me, no way… I was going places; I was on my way to becoming a fastlane success. How could I be both a devoted family-man and a raving success in business at the same time? As far as I was concerned at the time, the two were mutually exclusive. How the hell was I going to provide for a family? I wasn’t going to end up one of those dead-inside suburbanite corporate drones, slagging through life everyday to make ends meet just to put food on the table for his family…

So, I didn’t…

After the initial shock and a couple of months of mental adjustment, I realized that there were a great many individuals that have risen to the heights of greatness from beginnings far more humble and complex than mine; immigrant families coming to this country with literally nothing but the lint in their pockets, single mothers and fathers on welfare, those that through sheer will and determination fight and claw their way to freedom from the depths of poverty and despair despite all odds. I could still do it too… By the time my girlfriend was 9 months pregnant, I could hardly wait any more for my baby boy to be out (more so her though! Haha)! My son was born on my 29th birthday… I came to the realization soon after that I had a great many misconceptions about what this new life would entail. Different? Unquestionably… Better? Undeniably. Would I have had children had I waited until I was a millionaire? Who knows? What if it took longer than I had originally anticipated (and it is) and events transpired such that I ended up never having children and missing out on such a wonderful experience? When I was able to re-frame the way I perceived the situation, the benefits grew exponentially.

I make time to be a dad to my 9 year-old stepdaughter and my 1 year old son, do my schoolwork, work my fastlane plan, spend quality time with my wife, go to the gym 4 days a week and more and I still have some downtime (It hasn’t put an end to our weekend night life either). Family is everything and my family gives me more strength than I ever could have fathomed having on my own. Life is definitely very busy, but I love every second of it. It is also the reason I have no sympathy or tolerance for those that make excuses. If you want something to happen, make it happen or sit down and shut up. It is really all about enjoying life, whatever stage of the game you’re at and to never stop fighting as long as there is something left worth fighting for; I’d say freedom, regardless of age is always a viable cause.

Take comfort in the unexpected and the unorthodox and you begin to see opportunity and positives where before there only existed obstruction. We cannot possibly account for every single variable and permutation life throws at us in an effort to mitigate our exposure to risk... Life, like business is dynamic and demands a fluid, organic structure with regards to any designs one has on it (if one is to be successful). The lessons I’ve learned over the past six years (about which I could literally write a book that would horrify and sicken most), all the trials and the tribulations have only served to hone my acumen into an even more effective weapon and perhaps more importantly served as the catalyst to the evolution of my financial management skills and my financial sense of responsibility. In retrospect, I wouldn’t have wanted to learn these lessons by making millions in my early 20’s, and being bankrupt and back at square one by the time I was 30 (with a family) because of poor money management skills due to naivety.

If you don’t make it by mid twenties, thirties, whatever, who the hell cares? If you’ve genuinely been working on your fastlane plan the whole time prior and provided the lessons imparted therein are heeded, you’re light-years ahead of the competition and well on your way… And who knows; success might literally be just around the next corner!

Sorry for the novel, I couldn’t stop adding things haha…

 

[mtnman]

Last I checked age is just a number... unless of course you value it differently.

 

[SKM430]

Col. Sanders didn't start KFC until he was in his 60s. It's NEVER too late.

 

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[theBiz]

It's NEVER too late.

i do not agree with this at all. Whether anyone here knows it or not, all of you want to make money in order to live life the way you want. Im not just talking about cars, i mean not HAVE to wake up at 5am even if you still would. It is about FREEDOM, not one single person wants to have guidelines. Do you know why vacation is so good? Because your a 16 year old kid again with no plans, DO WHAT YOU WANT.

People who say otherwise are just mentally accepting the fact that they will not be successful. They are using this as a crutch for the day when it finally hits them and they give up.

So if you are struggling to launch a biz from 21 years with little money all the way to 40 years old is that okay? Please do not fool yourself into thinking it is because life will suck. Money matters, it is a game, and whoever gets there first wins.

 

[Ironwill]

theBiz, I don't think anyone here would dispute the fact that achieving success at an early age is a bad thing. It's simply cautionary in that limiting yourself based on age is a futile construct and effectively becomes one more hurdle in your path to success (and the majority of us on this board know the road to success is already fraught with challenge enough as it is).

If you've been struggling to launch a business for 19 years and still not generating revenue, you're probably in the wrong business and the implications of those poor decisions rest on the individual.

In any case, the definition of success is highly subjective. When benchmarking solely within a monetary context (for quantitative purposes); if for example your ultimate goal is a net worth of $500 million, then by the same standard a net worth of $50 million at 30 does not constitute having "made it", though life could potentially be considered pretty comfortable at that point (taking liquidity and cash flow into consideration of course)

Of course money matters. Anyone that thinks otherwise either doesn't have any or are fooling themselves.

 

[biophase]

So if you are struggling to launch a biz from 21 years with little money all the way to 40 years old is that okay? Please do not fool yourself into thinking it is because life will suck. Money matters, it is a game, and whoever gets there first wins.

So at what age do you give up? You turn 30 and say "oh well" I'll go get a job?

 

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[theBiz]

id say 10 years from start date is fair. If you start at 20- by 30 something should be happening and if you start at 30 something should be happening at 40. I am not advising people on what to do with their lives but 3,650 days later, if your not onto something i would say your chances of succeeding are only getting worse.

 

[Ricky]

So at what age do you give up? You turn 30 and say "oh well" I'll go get a job?

Give up? Are you kidding me?

You might as well go ahead and give up today. Go get a job you hate and join the sidewalk and rat race.

No thanks - i'm personally committed to being a fastlaner and it will happen. How? Taking constant action today to reach your goals. Being a fastlaner is a mindset and once you have it, there really is no one that can stop you but yourself.

Seriously, i've only been on this forum for a few days, but i'm amazed at some peoples questions and responses (not directed towards anyone in particular). Have they even read the book and grasped the message, ideas, and mindset?

 

[MJ DeMarco]

I think Jon Paul Dejoria also started late -- was homeless living on the street until he created his LBA.

Give up? Are you kidding me?

I think Kenric (biophase) wasn't advocating giving up ... he was questioning JoeyBiz's insinuation that after a certain period of time (X years) it is time to give up. I know he doesn't believe that!

 

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[theBiz]

Ricky i hear what you are saying and i do agree with you to a degree. You must understand though that being able to accept the negative possibilities out in the world is a good thing. If you were doing something wrong and kept saying well its going to work if i just keep doing it, you can read whatever you want, think whatever you want, but if it does not make sense it will not work.

Some people simply will not proceed and i am not saying its because they cant im saying maybe they underestimated what it would take, did not self educate themselves enough, or too lazy to do what it takes.

I do not mean to put anyone out, it was just my opinion, i want to be rich young, MJ said it, many people have said it. I honestly do not care if im rich at 60, it will mean nothing to me, so maybe we have different views there. Im not saying i want to be rich at 30 and then lose it but again if i can not attain wealth before i lose my health, i just dont care.

Maybe im just saying this because im young and stubborn who knows, again sorry if it offended anyone.

 

[NHS]

Well I didn't start till I was 38. I am still 38. God when did that happen. HAHA Could have swore I was at a NIN concert last week and still a senior in high school.

I didn't really have anyone helping me when I was growing up and money was completely foreign to me. I had a good time in my 20s. However I lived paycheck to paycheck. Still I am not complaining I had a good time.

Wasn't til about 5 years ago when I started getting involved in filming and editing the DVD series called Super Speeders. More personal information then I want to share but it certainly made an impact on me. Here you had a bunch of guys all 10 years younger then me driving 250k cars like assholes and I am scratching my head wondering how these young guys could afford such cars.

Anyways it definitely encouraged me to start busting my a$$. Then later I learned that busting your a$$ wasn't the right approach. How long can I work 12 hours a day for? But I finally got it all together just before my 38th birthday. Oddly enough I kinda reached all the same conclusion as MJ did before I even read his book. I'm still working on it but at 38 I am finally on the right track.

Thankfully I take really good care of myself and stay very active. So when I am wealthy I will still be able to enjoy it.