1. July 7, 2013
How to Succeed in Life as a Late Bloomer
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Not all of us are quick off the mark and succeed early in life. Some of us are like slow-boiling
pots, who need time to gather wisdom and make sense of the world around us. But watch
out when a late bloomer finally gets it - late bloomers are the driving forces in the world
because they have spent a long time digesting ideas, information and knowledge just to
come up with some amazing solutions to the world's problems.
1. Determine if you are a late bloomer. There are many ways in which your blooming
could be delayed:
o Educational late bloomer. This could mean that your grades at school were so-so
until suddenly you blossom and outstrip all the other kids in one set of exams.
o Career late bloomer. It could also be that you have spent the first 15 - 20 years of
your adult life wondering what career you want. Then you suddenly fall into it and do
brilliantly.
o Social late bloomer. When everyone else was racking up their firsts, the idea of
making new friends and dating was foreign--perhaps terrifying to you. That is, until
one day, you realize that talking to people isn't nearly as scary as it seems, and your
social circle unfolds.
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How to Succeed in Life as a Late Bloomer
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A late bloomer is a deep thinker and is connected to the world in a way that is
different from the "rush-rush, achieve-now" crowd. You are clever. Fast
colleagues are suffering from burn-out, and you are just on the rise and now ready to
take over the helm. People tend to make poor decisions when they're in a hurry to
keep up with everyone else's timeline; as a result, you make better decisions and
fewer mistakes.
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How to Succeed in Life as a Late Bloomer
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Know your strong points. These include reflection, consideration and patience.
Use these to build up your self-confidence and to tide yourself through life's low
points when you feel that you are swimming against the tide.
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How to Succeed in Life as a Late Bloomer
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Keep an "Ideas Book" handy - perhaps next to your bed or in your bag.
Whenever ideas strike you (and late bloomers have many ideas), write them down.
You may be wading in indecisiveness at the time but that idea has significance and
may be very useful later on when you come back to it.
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You should not be envious of friends and colleagues who have already "made
it" or seem better adjusted to the world than you. You are just taking longer than
them because results matter a lot to you. For you, the journey matters as much as
the outcome. There's no point in comparing yourself to others. Accept that you are
an individual human being going on an individual route at an individual pace.
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How to Succeed in Life as a Late Bloomer
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Recognize that others may turn to you when they need to calm down. Use that
skill to help them. Also realise that this is an important skill that you can use in
choosing a vocation, career or lifestyle.
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How to Succeed in Life as a Late Bloomer
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Enjoy your eventual success and build on it. It took you a long time to get there
but bets are, you know what you are doing far more than those who got there earlier
and people will start to come to you as they have great confidence in your
experience, knowledge and the fact that you have thought so deeply about
everything and reached your own conclusions rather than parroting someone else's.
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How to Succeed in Life as a Late Bloomer
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Record your thoughts. Your process of getting to where you are will likely help
someone else, especially other family members. Traits like this can be easily
inherited and if your children or another family member can be helped through you,
then you will have made life better for someone else.
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9. July 7, 2013
How to Succeed in Life as a Late Bloomer
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Always trust in yourself and your abilities, for you are getting there and you
will conquer the difficulties in ways that others can only dream of. Instant
achievement is not always a fairytale come true - think of the people who are so
afraid because they do not know what they're doing. Late bloomers avoid that feeling
by making sure they do know what they're doing!