“I’m Afraid I’ve Started Life Over Too Late”
Dear Franca,
I’m making changes in midlife — career, personal goals, even how I see myself. But sometimes I worry I started too late. I look at people who seem established and feel behind.
Franca Says:
First, let me challenge the idea that growth has an expiration date.
Who decided reinvention belongs only to the young?
Some of the strongest decisions people make happen later — not earlier — because they are made with more wisdom.
Starting over can feel humbling. But it can also be brave.
And often what looks like “late” is actually right timing.
You may not be behind. You may simply be beginning from greater clarity.
There is a difference.
Do not confuse comparison with truth.
Lives unfold differently.
And many people who appear settled are still quietly redefining themselves too.
Growth does not close at a certain age.
Sometimes life asks for a second chapter. Sometimes a third.
And those chapters can be richer precisely because of what came before.
So no — you are not too late.
You are continuing.
And continuing takes courage.
— Franca