Late bloomers refer to people who succeeded later in their lives. Usually, we attribute success to those who started early right after graduation. But studies, surveys and real-life examples showed that you can succeed even later in life. Whether you’re a college drop-out or a failure in your career, you can still bloom and enjoy the fruits of your rewards. Don’t give in to what others say and start being successful even in your middle or later age. Here we laid our tips.

Is being a late bloomer a bad thing?

There’s nothing wrong being a late bloomer as everyone has different life stages, path, strategies, education and opportunities. 
 

What causes others to become late bloomers

• Lack of employment opportunities
• Career changes
• Economic hardship in childhood days
• Economic misfortunes
• Unpreparedness in choosing courses in college and university

How to set yourself for success as a late bloomer.

1. Stop comparing 

It’s easy to see other people’s lives and compare yourself to them. Once you open Facebook, Twitter and other social media accounts, you’ll feel a feeling of guilt which may make you blame yourself or others. You also rob an opportunity to celebrate what you accomplished. You may feel jealousy when you’re around others who did amazing things.

Comparing yourself to others is problematic because you’re pitting yourself against others and ignoring the fact that every human is unique. We have different upbringings, fortunes, environment, physical health, mental health and other variables in life that we may have no control over with. According to Melissa Ducan, a psychotherapist, “You can’t compare success as much as you can’t compare the suffering”.

While comparing yourself to others is a negative thing (as all or most careers and life advice prove that), the feeling of being a complete jerk when you hear about it has its roots in our brain. Feeling a little jealousy doesn’t mean you’re a complete grunting monster - it’s just you’re a human. It means it’s a natural human emotion.

According to LiveScience, comparing yourself to others is normal. The website article described the brain region called area 9 that is responsible for the “self-other emergence”. The said area covers the frontal lobe and plays a role in gauging or comparing a person’s performance against others. A study published in the Neuron journal on July 20, 2016 said people automatically compare their own experiences and performance with other persons. For more info, visit this detailed scientific article.

How to stop comparing yourself to others

• Limit social media exposure - Whether you like it or not, it’s difficult to get out the cycle of comparison when you stumble upon others' photos.
• Be happy with your accomplishments - Surely, you have accomplishments whether they are small or not.

2. Be ready for your Plan B

When you feel stuck in your current career or job and you want to quit in the future (next month or year), you should have a clear idea of plan B. Such plan B can be anything that will serve as your new direction or path towards your dream, goal, ideal job or career. You must have a clear understanding of the risks and investments that you may meet in undertaking the Plan B that may include:

• Taking a new college course 
• Switching to a new job
• Training for a new skill
• Opening a new business 
• Getting a new opportunity to immigrate into an affluent country

3. Acknowledge that you can use your transferable skills

Even if you venture into a total career change such as from a graphic designer to a phlebotomist, you can still use skills and experiences you gained from your previous jobs. Transferable skills consist of soft and hard skills.

Transferable soft skills

• Empathy
• Leadership
• Writing
• Oral communication
• Negotiation
• Listening 

Transferrable hard skills

• Using Microsoft office suite - MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint
• Google docs

4. Study another course

Get another degree or start another course. By enrolling in a university or college, you can get a fresh start and let you get an opportunity. If you have been underemployed for years, or a graduate of 2 years of college, getting another degree improves your chances of higher pay, promotion and upskilling.

3 ways of studying later in life

• Studying a short-term course (offline or online)
• Studying a new 4-year course or degree
• Studying a master or doctorate degree.

5. Get inspired by these people who found their successes later in life

• Ramil Comendador (Filipino Janitor turned lawyer) - Aged 35 at the time of news - May 5, 2017, that reported his success in the bar exam.

• Soichiro Honda (Japanese businessman and mechanic) - At age 88, he and his company made it to the hall of fame.

• Taikichiro Mori (Japanese real estate tycoon) - At age 55, he started as a real estate developer.

• Susan Boyle (British singer) - She made it to the show “British got talent” at age 47.

• Jessie Savilla (Filipino lawyer) - At age 60, he became a lawyer.

• Harry Bernstein (British-born American Writer) - At his age 96, he published his book - The Invisible: A Love Story That Broke Barriers.