Anyone have any late bloomer success stories?

[oldscool]

Out of all my years of living, I can say I have heard of very few success stories of late bloomers succeeding from total loser. Most of the people who succeed late had early glimpses of potential, even if they were screw ups. I have not read many/any stories of someone being a total loser that became a success late in their life.
The question is why?

Colonel Sanders-if I am not mistaken had a business early on, it just wasn't as big as when KFC franchised.

Louise Hay- Although, she started writing at 50 she was a successful model before that, so, that takes away from her story.

Abraham Lincoln- He was a lawyer even though, he was failing. (Ok, maybe this is debatable, as I am told lawyers were a dime a dozen in his day).

Og Mandino- A drunk at 35 was going to kill himself. Turned his life around and the rest was history. Who was Og before he lost himself? He had a stable job, and, was living a good life.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[santa]

I think it depends how you define "total loser" and "glimpses of potetential". I'm would be confident to say everyone probably has shown glimpses of potential, but some just never recognise or have it acknowledged.

I don't really like the phrase "total loser" but there are many examples of people perceived in one light only to prove other things about them.
Though there are tons one example is Scottish Businessman Duncan Bannatyne couldn't get a job because of his criminal record so started. His book is very good too

 

[mayana]

I think it depends how you define "total loser" and "glimpses of potetential".

Agreed. At issue here is exactly that: How do you define loser? What is potential? What is success? Whose definition do you use?

I've been reading Vincent van Gogh's letters lately (at the suggestion of Felix Denis in How to Get Rich - available for free on Project Gutenburg website), and your question reminded me a lot of Van Gogh's story. He wasn't appreciated in life (hopefully, this won't be the case for us... lol), but the point is that people might have defined him as a loser. At the very least, he didn't live up to his family's expectations, which is tends to be the center for how we individually measure our success (right or wrong, and this can be changed, of course).

Without getting too philosophical, I think that our only option is too keep marching ahead doing the best we know. Obviously, some people (like Van Gogh), might seem to have "bad luck" (if such a thing exists).

Is it ever too late? Should we ever give up? If so, what is the magic age when people should stop trying to move ahead?

I personally think that it's never too late to try to better oneself, since I think that when people stop trying to do that, they lose something. I'm not just talking about business here, or making money, but just in general. As humans, I think that hope is important (hope for whatever it is that someone hopes for - it's different for everyone).

 

[healthstatus]

If you are a "total loser" some mindset has to change for you to flip it around. I think those of us that have been "over seasoned" it gets harder and harder each year to flip it.

Some more elders to go on your list: Famous Amos & Mary Kay. Sam Walton wasn't a spring chicken.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[crlerk]

I personally think that it's never too late to try to better oneself.

Sums it up good, speed+.

- Carl-Erik

 

[JAJT]

Losers are the ones that quit too early.

I've been reading/listening to a lot of millionare podcasts and books recently and the central theme in ALL of them was not quitting or giving up regardless of hardships.

I just yesterday listened to Global Wealth's (user here) interview with Jaime Tardy. What an amazingly inspiring story. He saw a guy building bicycles for Walmart on contract, got a job doing the same thing for a month, then set out to do it better on his own. He drove to 60 stores before getting his first "yes, I'll hire you". 60. He grew it into a million dollar business within 3 years.

Could you imagine what would have happened if he stopped after 5 stores? 20? 59? I forget the number but he said he would have done it 200 times if that was what it took. His goal was "yes", not "20 stores and see what I get".

I have a friend in sales who never stops reaching out to leads until he gets a firm "no" or "yes" out of them. His reasoning? "It takes me 30 seconds to pick up the phone and the deal is worth $60k. So I'm going to call him and leave messages and send emails and follow up until he responds". He got the deal around the 15th contact or so. How many would have stopped at 3?

For people who are used to "easy" and "normal" it's a hard thing to switch your mind to but if every successful person is saying "this is what you have to do" then it's obviously worth noting.

 

[mayana]

How many would have stopped at 3?

That's really powerful. I bet 99% or more would stop at 3.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[PatrickP]

hmmmm OP hasn't commented in a thread he created a year ago.

Did he give up too soon?

 

[andviv]

I see the conversation is about "big names" but I can think of a few here in the forum that got started well in their 40s and are doing great. No reason to go back to Colonel Sanders' story when I can have lunch with a couple of 'older' guys here from the forum....

 

[Noor Uddin]

You can add Ray Kroc to this list. I read his book, Grinding It Out, it's one of my favorite books, I learned so much from it.

Kroc became successful in his 50's. Before that he was going from business to business selling milkshake machines.

One of my biggest takeaways from the book was where Kroc mentioned he was being copied by his rivals. He said he didn't care because they couldn't keep up with him. Why? Because they couldn't read his mind.

This is something Wattles mentions in the Science of Getting Rich, and also Jeff Bezos at the end of Tony Hsieh's book: that the key to success is to keep innovating.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Tommo]

H

Out of all my years of living, I can say I have heard of very few success stories of late bloomers succeeding from total loser. Most of the people who succeed late had early glimpses of potential, even if they were screw ups. I have not read many/any stories of someone being a total loser that became a success late in their life.
The question is why?

Colonel Sanders-if I am not mistaken had a business early on, it just wasn't as big as when KFC franchised.

Louise Hay- Although, she started writing at 50 she was a successful model before that, so, that takes away from her story.

Abraham Lincoln- He was a lawyer even though, he was failing. (Ok, maybe this is debatable, as I am told lawyers were a dime a dozen in his day).

Og Mandino- A drunk at 35 was going to kill himself. Turned his life around and the rest was history. Who was Og before he lost himself? He had a stable job, and, was living a good life.

Happy with the answers mate? Crickets.