Table tennis player makes Olympic debut at age 58

“Table tennis player makes Olympic debut at age 58”

That was the headline of a video that was just recommended on my YouTube feed.

What a feat and, notably, a reminder of what is possible.

I heard an anecdote a few years back about a 30-year-old debating whether they wanted to go to law school or not. “It’s too late. I’ll be 33 by the time I graduate!”, they said — as if getting a law degree at that age is strictly forbidden.

Their friend, who seems wiser, responds, “You can turn 33 with or without a law degree. Either way, in three year’s time you will turn 33. It’s up to you.”

It often becomes too late when we assume it’s too late. Which is another way of saying, we simply decided that starting is not an option for us.

But why?

Maybe this is what we’re told and we don’t question it. Maybe we’re making excuses for ourselves.

Either way, the only way to know the truth of the matter is to confront the question: “What’s actually stopping me?”