So you want to change careers? Start a new project? Maybe pick up a new skill? Nah, just give up on that idea.

"It’s too late!"

Does that sound familiar to any of you? I’ve always been the culprit of this kind of thinking when starting anything new. Heck, I once thought I was too late in learning how to play the guitar.

I was 14.

Here’s the problem, no matter what you do, it will always feel like it’s too late.

The question is, why?

I think it’s a problem of who we compare ourselves to. We’re our own worst critics. We already know that. But in addition to that, we're more likely to compare ourselves to the childhood prodigy, or the celebrity, than to who we should really be comparing ourselves to.

I’m reminded of a quote:

“Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today”.
- Jordan Peterson

I like this quote because, despite the fact that it might not feel competitive enough for some of us, I feel it is more relevant. It puts us in a frame of mind that encourages us to act, rather than focus on how much further we have to go.

Next time you want to start a new endeavor and feel like it’s too late, pause for a second and ask, "In comparison to who?"

by Jason Lam