On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

In her book, Let It Be Easy: Simple Ways to Stop Stressing & Start Living, life coach Susie Moore shares insightful gems. Here’s a thought-provoking one for anyone contemplating a second, third, or nth act in life:

There’s nothing worse than adding milk to your tea, taking a sip, and discovering that the milk is…sour. You check the carton and the expiration date tells you it went off days ago. The milk has a “line-in-the-sand” expiration. Do not use it after this date—it will taste gross and might make you sick.

But why on earth would we think that humans have an expiration date? Let’s say we did. When would it be? Age thirty-five? Forty? Fifty-seven? Says who? And for what practical reason? As Oprah says, “So long as there is breath in your body, there is more.”

I love to hear stories of people who started things at later life stages. My mum went back to school in her mid-fifties to study childhood education. Julia Child released her first cookbook at fifty. Vera Wang entered the fashion industry at forty. Harriet Doerr published her first novel at seventy-four.

You are not behind. When people come to see me hoping to launch a new venture but think they might be “too late,” they overlook the fact that they already know so much. Their experience is a huge advantage, not something to underplay or discount. No experience is wasted. It can be gloriously transferred. I work with former (“recovering” they tell me) lawyers who now coach stepmoms to navigate the challenges of a blended family. Accountants who create art and sell it all over the world. Didn’t they get the memo that January 1, 2013, was their expiration date and that they’re breaking the rules? I guess not. Someone should arrest them.

I once heard an investor say, “We prefer to invest in slightly older CEOs. They’ve experienced more. They can be wiser. We have better outcomes with them.”

It’s never too late.

Source: Let It Be Easy, pp. 247-248