If “30 under 30” lists are any indication, there’s a lot of cultural pressure to accomplish career milestones earlier in life.
But there are plenty of people who find their callings and reach success later on.
In his new book “Second Act,” Henry Oliver, a global brand consultant-turned-literature blogger, shares stories of famous career “late bloomers,” from modern celebrities like Jay-Z and Vera Wang to historical figures like Malcolm X and Margaret Thatcher.
“The book is about highly successful people, but I think there are these applicable lessons,” Oliver told Business Insider. “We learn them from the best people.”
He said there’s no universal age that makes someone a late bloomer. Instead, he defines late bloomers as “people who start doing incredible things after the point when no one expects it.”
“No one was sitting there in 1975 saying, ‘Oh, Margaret Thatcher’s going to do big things,'” he said. “When Malcolm X went into jail at age 20, no one had any idea that he was going to become Malcolm X.”
Oliver shared some of the core traits of successful late bloomers — and how you can make sure you’re on the right track if you’re looking for your second act.
You tap into old passions
Oliver said that most of the late bloomers he researched were “just obsessively interested” in the things they ended up succeeding in.
He said Katharine Graham, who inherited The Washington Post, was always obsessed with the news. Margaret Thatcher was obsessed with politics, 18th-century writer Samuel Johnson was obsessed with books, and Frank Lloyd Wright was obsessed with buildings from a young age.
Sometimes, late bloomers would find a way to use their talents in new ways. “Malcolm X was always very, very good with people,” Oliver said. In his youth, he wasn’t interested in politics or religion, but “becoming this kind of charismatic leader is not entirely incompatible with the person he was.”
You’re eager to sample new things
People commonly get stuck in their careers because they think it must be linear, Oliver said. They might also feel like a career pivot has to be a huge decision right away, rather than a trial run.
“Do it for three hours one Saturday and just see if it was fun,” he said of people trying out interests they want to pursue. “If you do lots of different things, you’ll come across stuff that you like and you’ll develop it and you’ll build it up.”
In his book, he calls this the “explore” phase of being a late bloomer, where you look around for new ideas and experiences to see what sticks. It can look like freelancing on many different projects or even changing your environment by moving cities.
He said this is the crucial first step to getting a “hot streak” later on and achieving success.
You make a conscious decision to move forward
After the explore phase comes the even more important “exploit phase,” Oliver said. He describes it as making a firm choice to pursue a goal, rather than staying on a meandering path.
“You come to a point when you say, ‘I’m going to pull some of these things together and I’m not going to explore anymore: I’m going to deliver,” he said.
One of his favorite examples in the book is Audrey Sutherland, who solo-kayaked 850 miles around Alaska when she was 60. She’d never been to the Arctic before and had only kayaked in warm waters.
“She looked at herself at age 60 and said, ‘do it now, or you’re too old,'” he said. “That’s the crucial thing. That’s what matters.”
You take small steps toward big breaks
According to Oliver, “luck” happens when you’ve done the work to set yourself up for success. That can look like saving money to quit a job or taking online courses to learn new skills.
One example in the book was Maya Angelou, who was in writing groups and sending out her work, to no avail. She moved from California to New York and still struggled to get any bites.
She was friends with James Baldwin, who took her to a dinner party in 1968 that she wasn’t in the mood to go to. At the party, a couple asked her to tell them the story of her life. Their reaction and encouragement inspired her to write and publish her autobiography, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” the following year.
“You have to go to the party, even when everything’s not working and you don’t want to,” Oliver said.
You only take advice from the right people
If you’re doing a hard career pivot, Oliver said it’s good to test out your ideas with people before making a big leap. However, it should only be with people who have relevant experience.
“Good advice comes from someone in a position of expertise with up-to-date knowledge,” he said. But if your parents think pursuing your dream is worthless because being a doctor is safer, Oliver said the advice can be either useless or actually harmful to your progress.
You’re not complacent, even if it’s comfortable
One of the most common obstacles late bloomers face is the “competency trap,” Oliver said. They feel stabler in a role they already know they’re good at, even if they’re unhappy, because it feels easier than quitting a lucrative job, dealing with a pay cut, or learning something completely new.
While he said career pivots are never easy, times have also changed: people are living longer, healthier lives, giving them more opportunities to try new things.
“We’re always keen to compare the late bloomer with the early bloomer,” he said. “But I would compare the late bloomer with the person who dies without doing their thing.”
