Think It’s Too Late to Start Something New in Your 50s?
Meet the 55-year-old janitor proving otherwise.
Have you ever attended a high school or college graduation where the speeches didn’t inspire graduates with messages like “Go for it!” and “Dream big!”?
Neither have I.
Dreaming big is a constant theme in our 20s and 30s. But, hey, if you’ve reached your 40s and haven’t accomplished those dreams, that’s okay; you still have time.
But what if you haven’t achieved anything “big” by your 50s? Is it too late? Are you doomed to accept that that ship has sailed and just push down the regret?
55-year-old janitor, “Mr. Richard,” decided it wasn’t too late.
As a young man, he used to belt out tunes on the radio, hiding his dream of stardom in the privacy of his bedroom. When it was time to “grow up and get a job,” he became a janitor at the elementary school only three blocks from his house. His real name is Richard Goodall, but the students affectionately call him Mr. Richard. He has faithfully worked there for 23 years and has lived in the same town his whole life.
Richard has had his fair share of hardship, too. He tragically lost his wife of 30 years to cancer.
