Posted on 07/01/2006 7:35:41 AM PDT by Bon mots
Success after the age of 40.
I need help.
I am writing an article about people who have attained their real success after the age of 40. These days we are always hearing of the wunderkind who starts an Internet company and makes zillions by the time he's 12 years old (or 25). Michael Dell, Shawn Fanning (well almost), Bill Gates and other techies/entrepreneurs all made millions by the time they were 25. We all love these rags-to-riches stories, and this seems to foster the belief that if you haven't done it by 40, you never will. I am writing about people who had their great success at or beyond middle age.
There are and were plenty of people who were otherwise regarded as failures until they were inspired to action after their fortieth birthday. I will list some here.
Grandma Moses.
Grandma Moses was nobody until she was 80. She retired from a long and hard-working life as a farmer. Then one day, she picked up a piece of wood, a paintbrush and some paint... and the rest is history. Her artwork hangs in museums across America and she is celebrated as a great artist in the folk style.
"Colonel" Harland Sanders Started the KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) chain of restaurants when he was 65 years old.
Ray Kroc
Was a milk-shake machine salesman when he was 52. Hardly anyone's ideal job and not much of a career. Until the day he started McDonald's restaurants. The rest is history.
Sam Walton
Started Wal-Mart at or about his 40th birthday. His first successful store was basically taken away from him by his landlord's son. His landlord refused to renew his lease once he saw how much money Sam was making on that spot, and he leased it to his son instead who opened a business doing just what Sam was doing. Sam got depressed at first, but then got busy. Very busy. He proceeded to build the world's largest shopping location and a huge fortune.
So folks, this is my kernel of a story. I need help with more such inspirational stories of people who were fairly unsuccessful (financially speaking) until middle age or so. I know that there are many more such examples, and would like to have more than just a handful of paradigms.
Even a name will help, I can find the rest!
Thanks!
Henry Miller was 40 when he wrote *Tropic of Cancer*
I married the man of my dreams when I was 38 and our marriage is perfect. Does that count?
Yes! Thanks!
Sorry, you're way too young.
Come back when you're bigger kid!
;-)
(Success isn't only measured in dollar$ and cents.)
That's the best of all.
"In 1994, George Foreman once again went for the world championship, after Michael Moorer had beaten Holyfield for the IBF and WBA titles. Foreman was trailing badly on all scorecards when he suddenly knocked out Moorer in the 10th round on November 5 in Las Vegas, Nevada. With this, Foreman broke two records: He became, at the age of 45, the oldest fighter ever to win the world Heavyweight crown, and, 20 years after losing his world title for the first time, he broke the record for the fighter with the most time in between one world championship run and the next."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Foreman
Kirk Kerkorian comes to mind; his true success began with the sale of his small charter airline service at age 52.
Phew! I'm 32. I don't have to consider myself a failure yet, because I didn't finish writing my book yet.
Many of us have been successful by finding a life that we love. Getting away from the "grind" and finding a more peaceful life has been my treasure.
Ulysses S. Grant
Correction: and to actually that.
and to actually watch that happen.
I'm 47 now.
Thanks!
So my list now expands to include:
Louis Kahn
How old was Ronald Reagan when he got in politics?
There are a zillion more examples.
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