Are you too late? Late Bloomer.
The demographics of people, who subscribe to my “Daily Spin”, are all over the place. Young cyclists that want to become pros. Athletes and entrepreneurs in their 50s/60s/70's plus, and everything in between. If you are a frequent reader you know that I’m on a bit of a journey. A fantastic and glorious “journey”. The past few years I have become much more aware of one particular aspect of my life. I’m a bit of a “late bloomer”. Are you?
Novelist Robert Louis Stephenson once said that “to be what we are, and to become what we are capable of becoming, is the only end in life.” When we were in our 20’s we all had a checklist. Married by 29, House by 30, pay off college by 32, kids by 33. (BTW, these are random numbers, not some detailed thought process, but it kind of mirrors my life.). These expectations may have created a bit of “late bloomer” syndrome. I wasn’t ready to be all the things in the list above. Some may call this “getting older”..but I’m not so sure.
Adult Late Bloomers:
Compassion: I have become more compassionate and understanding in my 50’s. “Wait Chad, you’re a coach. You should be compassionate”. There’s the rub. I was a good coach, but not necessarily compassionate. NOW, I'm more compassionate. This leads me to make good decisions for my clients and myself. Calling ME out and then them out is easier because I’m more “in tune” with who I am.
Resilience: I’m resilient as a MF’r. From Rich Karlgaard:” “In facing the ups and downs of life, many late bloomers gain a greater sense of compassion. They show greater reflective thinking, diminished ego-centeredness, and a deeper appreciation of others’ challenges.” 👋.
Emotional stability: I may…ahem, have been a quicker “fly off the handle” type of person. If I didn’t like something or disagreed??? I may have fought you over the minuscule details and NOT seen the bigger picture. Now, I’m much calmer. I listen, I interject, I reason, and I come up with a decision.
Importance: Emotional late bloomers are sometimes more capable of deciding what’s important vs assumption of importance. My important: Health, wellness, family, and stable relationships: Not: Cars, houses, or bling. This can be attributed to age, but I know a lot of my peers that are still stuck in houses vs homies. (Big home versus actually having a deep, loving, caring relationship. Can you tell your best friend or someone you care deeply for that you love them? I sure as F’ can now.) In the past, it was a way for me to avoid vulnerability and therefore it lacked importance.
I embrace being a late bloomer. It took a lot to get where I am and it will take a lot to get where I’m going. If you feel that you are a late bloomer you have some new-found super powers that you didn’t know you had. With power comes responsibility. Use them for good in Gotham.
Tailwinds,
Chad
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