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How about that Tavi, huh? Over the last five years, she's flourished as a part-time style icon, writer, publisher, editor-in-chief, Millennial poster child, budding actress, web celeb, and full-time student. All this and she's only 17! Totally depressing, right?
We know you're probably sitting there, shame-spiraling while eating lunch at your desk, wondering if you're a has-been before you hit 35. But, hold on to hope. In reality, most human beings don't come into their own until their 20s are a fading memory (wildly talented, mega-famous ones included)! Just because you haven't found your bliss yet doesn't mean you never will.
As Malcolm Gladwell wrote in his New Yorker piece "Late Bloomers" (required reading, by the way), "On the road to great achievement, the late bloomer will resemble a failure." Sounds a little dire, but the takeaway from Gladwell's piece is solid: All that time you're spending not being an amazing success may very well be practice for becoming a shining star later on. While prodigies are rising and flaming out, you're honing your craft, seriously considering your path, experimenting with different outcomes, and working out what will make you successful.
But don't take our (or Gladwell's) word for it. Some of your own favorite, gifted talents flourished only after years of struggle, aimlessness, or disappointment. If we can't convince all you potential late bloomers to keep up the good fight, maybe their words and stories will.
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