If you are a Senior Citizen like I am, then you have probably come to the realization that we are in for a few more aches and pains, we might forget a few things from time to time, and our eyes don’t see as well as they once did. So this body that carries us around is getting older, even though our mind still feels vibrant much as it did when we were in our thirties or forties. We still have a lot of living to do, and it might surprise you to hear some stories of famous people that were late-bloomers – that is, they made a name for themselves in their sixties or later. I’m not suggesting that you need to go out and do what they did, but I do want to inspire you to live your life rather than letting the aches and pains get the better of you.
Let’s look at a couple of people who did big things late in life:
Grandma Moses…started oil painting at the age of 75, after having to give up her hobby of embroidery because of arthritis in her hands. Quite a prolific painter, during the next three decades, she completed over three thousand paintings, one of which hangs in the White House to this day.
Colonel Sanders…his working years included stints as a steamboat pilot, an insurance salesman, a railroad fireman, and a farmer. Finally forced to retire at the age of 65, he used the $105 from his first Social Security check to visit over 1,000 restaurants trying to sell his idea of a Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise before someone agreed to sign on. As they say, the rest is history.
Peter Mark Roget…after retiring from the Royal Society of Medicine at the age of 70 he began writing the world’s first Thesaurus, or book of synonyms. Roget’s Thesaurus was first published when Roget was 73, and while alive, he presided over 28 additional printings.
Ray Kroc…Ray worked for 17 years as a paper cup salesman, then another 17 years peddling a milk shake machine known as the Multi-Mixer. While suffering from diabetes and arthritis, Kroc bought the McDonald’s brothers fledgling hamburger fast food restaurant at the age of 59 and went on to franchise McDonald’s Hamburgers and sell over a billion hamburgers.
Winston Churchill…He lost every election he ever entered as a candidate until finally – at the age of 62 – winning the election for Prime Minister of Great Britain just prior to World War II. His leadership along with President Roosevelt was instrumental in winning the war forGreat Britain and theUnited States.
Oscar Swahn…not as well known as the others, he won two gold medals in shooting events in the 1908 Olympics at the age of 60. In the 1912 Olympics, he won another gold to become the oldest gold medal winner even till today. He finally slowed down in 1920, and at the age of 72 only won a silver medal.
So, what is old? Do you feel like giving in to age, or would you rather live life to its fullest? I know what I’m going to do….
(Cross-posted at Senior Security)
The Reverse Mortgage Gazette 