Sometimes late is the perfect time: Henry Oliver defends late bloomers

In a culture that fetishizes youth and too often fails to appreciate the wisdom and experience elders have to offer, Second Act: What Late Bloomers Can Tell You About Success and Reinventing Your Life is a welcome relief. And the author,

Henry Oliver

, is right: not only is being late better than never, but often it’s better than being early.

The late bloomers among us will be relieved to know that we aren’t necessarily failures who didn’t create a plan to follow and execute the moment we left high school, but are succeeding at the correct pace. Those ups and downs and falling backwards down hills but crawling back up can be the preparation needed to be ready when the right opportunity arises. Those who are middle aged and have not yet pursued their passions will be glad to know that now can still be the perfect time.

Through stories of famous and not-famous-at-all late bloomers, Henry shows how coming to a career, success, passion, or talent late in life is often the perfect time.

I spoke with him about why reinvention, success after many failures or dead ends, new discoveries, and second acts are always on the horizon, if indeed you are ready and willing to take them on.