# I am not a young prodigy. by [[Joan Westenberg]] 👋 Hey, it’s Joan! @Westenberg is a weekly column about tech + philosophy + humans 🍕 [[Newsletter]] [[Wisdom]] [[MentalHealth]] [Read on Omnivore](https://omnivore.app/me/i-am-not-a-young-prodigy-18fdc2d5bbe) [Read Original](https://omnivore.app/no_url?q=305a98d8-08b4-46c2-a392-447ba1443ac2) ## Highlights > But we shouldn’t mistake precociousness for the only path to high achievement. For every wunderkind, countless examples of people found their stride later in life after accumulating years of hard-won knowledge and experience. Success has no expiration date, even if the limelight tends to linger on dewy, fresh-faced brilliance. [⤴️](https://omnivore.app/me/i-am-not-a-young-prodigy-18fdc2d5bbe#596f9c8c-141f-418c-8f64-0857d3250182) ^596f9c8c > History is full of figures who bloomed marvellously in their middle and later years. Alfred Hitchcock hit his creative peak in his 50s. Sam Walton founded Walmart at age 44\. Julia Child published her first cookbook at 49\. Laura Ingalls Wilder began writing her Little House books in her 60s. [⤴️](https://omnivore.app/me/i-am-not-a-young-prodigy-18fdc2d5bbe#3332a13e-c9a0-4616-bff7-75cebb75da9c) ^3332a13e > A well-lived life is less about a spectacular launch than a steady upward trajectory, less about a single defining flash than a sustained glow that builds over time. The glow may be less eye-catching than the glare of a supernova, but it has a beauty and warmth all its own. And it’s available to us all, whether we had our moment in the spotlight or not if we have the patience and persistence to keep kindling it through all our years.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ [⤴️](https://omnivore.app/me/i-am-not-a-young-prodigy-18fdc2d5bbe#bbfdde88-5ba9-4f89-8a8d-3631f0ce7550) ^bbfdde88 > The real outlier achievement, I’m learning, is the ability to sustain that growth and progress over the long haul, to keep pushing forward even when the spotlight has moved on to the next batch of superstars. [⤴️](https://omnivore.app/me/i-am-not-a-young-prodigy-18fdc2d5bbe#91571f35-c563-4758-9c09-34577ab4a890) ^91571f35