A late bloomer confession
It’s halfway through 2024 already. Four years have passed in the blink of an eye. I remember the last writing project on #mybrandmoments was done in 2020, during the pandemic. I joined 31 Hari Menulis to motivate me, and it worked like a charm.
After that, my life went downhill. I struggled to even survive day by day. My outlook on life changed dramatically, and I was going to give up.
Then I had the courage to talk to a professional and started building my life from there. I reconnected with my friends and openly talked about my struggles. I can never thank the universe enough for sending me those people and for them to accept all of me, even the difficult parts. They are one of the main reasons why I want to live and do my best to survive.
Last year in November, I turned 30. Frankly, I had no idea that I would survive this long. I never actually had a vision of how I would have been once I turned 30. But here we are.
A work in progress
Most of my friends have achieved career stability and even started their own families. I am happy for them and wish them all the best. The rest of us are still a work in progress.
Luckily, mine is not that bleak. Even though I am still struggling in romance (more on a different story), I can say that I am doing well so far.
Career-wise, I still can’t believe that I get to work in the IT industry. I work fully remote with reasonable working hours and decent pay. My financial situation is getting better, and I get to enjoy hobbies and activities that I had never dreamed of pursuing before (material for other stories as well, fingers crossed).
However, there is still one thing haunting me at the back of my head: my calling for writing more stories.
Now, I am the type of person who embraces the art of being late bloomers (because I am one myself). I admire people who keep trying despite their age and understand what it means to pursue something they genuinely enjoy doing.
Rich Karlgaard, an American journalist and author of “Late Bloomers,” defines a late bloomer as a person who fulfills their potential later than expected; they often have talents that aren’t visible to others initially.
According to his research, he found out that late bloomers tend to get out of their comfort zone and find their own new path. This is the type of mindset I have that gets me to where I am today.
I wrote something about Charles Bukowski, a German-American writer, and how he achieved success when he was in his early 50s. I always look up to Ricky Gervais, one of my favorite comedians, and how he got famous when he was in his 40s with “The Office.” Last but not least, how J.K. Rowling finally got her first Harry Potter book published when she was 32 years old.
All of those people make me feel a bit optimistic about how I can still do something even if I am not that young anymore. However, now that I turned 30, sooner or later I have to start somewhere.
Introducing #thirtysomethingy for neuroplasticity
Truth be told, most people whom I just met always say I look younger than my age. So I don’t always feel like I am old. There is no certain pressure (or at least I ignore most of them, lol) to achieve or do something as well. Right now, I just want to experience many new things and try to obtain new skills.
The first thing I did as a gift for my birthday was to sign up for a gym membership. It’s all thanks to Wendy Suzuki, a Professor of Neural Science and Psychology in the Center for Neural Science at New York University. I saw her video from my favorite Youtube Channel, Big Think, and she introduced me to neuroplasticity.
She explained about how exercise and being active physically will improve neuroplasticity. Especially the Hippocampus, one of the only human brain areas that can grow new brain cells in adulthood, which is responsible for better memory, and the Prefrontal Cortex, responsible for your focus and attention.
Since then, I researched more about neuroplasticity and how it can help with brain situations as we age. This has led to me being more active and healthier to reap more benefits and prevent dementia.
Aside from being active, as a way to improve my brain and be more consistent in writing, I also want to tell stories about every new thing I start or experience to document and celebrate what life has been for 30-something me. Thus, #thirtysomethingy is a project that (hopefully) I can keep to remind me of how much I grow as a human.
Cheers to more stories from me.
