40 Wholesome Middle-Age Success Stories

Melissa said that the stories posted in her thread were “amazing” and she invited the international media community to have a look through them.

Bored Panda reached out to Mike Rothschild, one of the people who posted in Melissa's thread, to hear about his success story. Here's what he had to say: "My success story, if you can call it that, is that after many years of pursuing screenwriting, I decided to see what else I could do related to writing. I started blogging for the website of a critical thinking podcast I like, that led to me getting some real traffic, which led to some full time writing gigs."

"When I got laid off from my last gig in 2017, I went out on my own, freelancing and building my own brand as a conspiracy theory expert. In late 2018, my publisher reached out to me to write the book I've got coming out soon, and there you go. It took the better part of the decade!"

Mike said that what helped him maintain his passion for his dreams was "seeing the responses I got to pieces I wrote, and readers telling me that something I wrote helped them, or helped a family member."

"I also saw that stuff I wrote got a lot of traffic, which helped me realize I could actually turn what started as a hobby into a career," he added.

Bored Panda wanted to know what advice Mike would give those of us who are scared of turning 30. "When I turned 30, I hadn't even started on this journey. I'd say just find ways to do what you love, and get it out into the world. Keep pushing, keep making connections, and remember that success isn't like the prom, not everyone goes at the same time. As long as you're putting things out there and making them the best they can be, you're succeeding—even if it never turns into a full time career."

We at Bored Panda enjoy sharing success stories no matter who the person is, so it’s refreshing to see people staying true to their dreams and fulfilling their potential no matter their age. It’s not all downhill after you turn XYZ years old. I mean, just have a look at all these grandpas who are (most likely) more awesome than you.

Just in case you’re still worried that it’s “too late” for you to achieve anything meaningful in life, we’ve got just the way to change your mind. Let’s have a look at the age at which important people made something of themselves.

Sure, we’ll always have a Bill Gates here and a Richard Branson there who became millionaires at the tender age of 23. But we also have people like J.K.Rowling who published the very first Harry Potter book when she was 32. Meanwhile, Jeff Bezos founded Amazon when he was 30.

The Harvard Business Review found that the average age of US entrepreneurs at the time they created their companies was 42. However, that includes small businesses. When looking at larger-scale companies, the average in software startups is 40 years old; the average age in industries like oil, gas, and biotech is 47. While the average age of entrepreneurs who founded the most successful companies is 45.

So if you’re planning to start a business, write a book, or chase your dreams, it’s never too late to start. But you have to start.