People always have this propensity to form an opinion about anything worth talking and be influenced by the media, that is long before the printing press has been invented. In our modern society, we’ve been expressively, even unwittingly, told by the media that success in life should ideally be achieved as early as possible. I think it’s a natural part of our instinct to learn to do things and accomplish goals as soon as we can. It’s how people get ahead in life – from the moment a toddler learns how to speak and communicate words correctly to the moment an aging person retires professionally at a rather early age to enjoy life more, to enjoy the fruits of his or her labor.

Too often, we’ve been told that the earlier in life we get up there on the financial, social, and existential ladder, the more esteemed we become in the eyes of anyone old enough to believe that the earth is not flat. Procrastination is a word reserved only for the entitled brats and those with passionless ambition. But whether you believe the concept of success in the traditional sense is just an illusion perpetrated and inspired by capitalist greed and the manipulative media, or you believe finding success early in life is a crucial element of a progressive world, there’s no denying the objective reality that there are millions of people who have accomplished too much in life and too soon that they are branded successful, by standards instilled in our collective consciousness by worldly minds and constricted ideas. Be it in academics, job promotions, financial status, career, or family life, people who advance early in the success race (or for lack of a better word, the proverbial rat race) within a specified age bracket are considered overachievers and winners – or to those with opposing views, perhaps, they’re just conformists prone to social pressure, or idealists and conventional types who like to follow rules and blend in with the crowd. Nevertheless, we hear people say that you’re over the hill in life by the time you hit your forties, or we read stories about twenty-five-year-olds suffering from a quarter life crisis because they feel so inadequate and empty. Why is this so? Because that’s what traditional society and media want us to believe, that you have to be this and have to be that at this age and at that age. It creates a psychological turmoil that stretches across all age groups. In some countries, you can’t even qualify for certain jobs if you’re already over thirty. Thirty-five would be a stretch. In an ageist society, we follow the dictates of old traditions imposed on us by regressive viewpoints and outdated worldviews. On the opposite side of the age spectrum, we don’t often see very young politicians running our country. It’s always the older guys. You have to be older to have that vaunted wisdom that seems to be more apparent the more wrinkles and gray hair you have or bald spots, maybe. It’s like you only get higher respect once you hit middle age. But that’s another story.

To offset the notion that you have to achieve success at the peak of your health, there are always people who are proof that age doesn’t matter. That success can absolutely be achieved late in life. That you don’t have to be a young lion to bask in the glory of success. You can be a wise old gorilla, too. Among them, celebrities are the most accessible examples that we can get inspiration from, owing to the fact that their lives and life stories are readily exposed for public consumption. One such person who found inspiring success later in life is none other than Marvel Comics (previously Timely Comics and Atlas Comics) founder, creative force, and legend, Stan Lee. Lee (along with renowned comic book artist and writer Jack Kirby) created the first Marvel characters (a family team of superheroes) under Marvel Comics, the Fantastic Four, in November 1961, that revolutionized the way people appreciate comic books and the way comic book superheroes are conceptualized and made them more interesting than ever. 

It also started the Marvel “shared universe” that about fifty years later would partly evolve into a multi- billion film franchise known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or better known as the MCU. After Fantastic Four, Lee and Kirby created more superhero characters that included the Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, the X-Men, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, and Spider-Man.

Before he became a household name in the geek culture fandom, Lee was a former assistant to Pulp Magazine publisher, Martin Goodman, under its comics division, Timely Comics, and started his work there as a comic book writer in 1939. He eventually became editor and then editor-in-chief of the company’s comic-book division, and finally became a publisher himself. In the late fifties, Lee was about to quit his job in the comic-book industry due to feelings of dissatisfaction with the way his career was going when an unexpected circumstance pushed him to roll up his sleeves and let his creative juices flow - which ultimately gave birth to the Fantastic Four comic book and, as they say, the rest was history. If not for this momentous part of his career as a comic book writer, Lee wouldn’t have made it big and become a pop culture icon with a reported net worth of around $50M. Again, Lee was already pushing forty when Fantastic Four was launched that ushered in a new era of comic book mania, which died down decades later, then got rejuvenated in time as the superhero movie genre became a staple in Hollywood blockbusters. If not for Lee finding success relatively late in life there probably wouldn’t be any Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it. And if you’ve reached this far reading this blog while sitting on your toilet then you’re probably a fan of comic books and superhero movies. Just saying.

There are, of course, many other people, famous or not, who found success late in life – mostly in their forties and beyond. Actor Samuel L. Jackson was 46 years old when he starred in Pulp Fiction in 1994 that, since then, made him a bankable movie star. Prior to that he was normally relegated to supporting roles with minimal screen time. It’s a testament to the fact that when it comes to success and getting that big break, age doesn’t matter. Anyone can find success at any age in life. I can go on with the likes of Ford Motor Company founder, Henry Ford (aged 45), Walmart founder, Sam Walton (aged 44), Harry Bernstein (aged 96 when he published his first book), and Charles Darwin (aged 50 when he published his book, On the Origin of Species). The list goes on. Finding success on anything is inclusive to all ages; to find it at a later time in life is simply the antithesis to the old school thinking: “Achieve it while you’re young.” Perhaps, it’s better to achieve it when you’re older and full of wisdom. Because maybe then it becomes more fulfilling, sans the back pain and hypertension.