Remember when I said it takes time for people to know what they want in life or be successful? Well, today, I'm compiling a list of people who celebrated or became successful during or after they’ve turned forty. I hope it motivates you and makes you feel better if you are struggling with the beaten track!
1. Hilary Forde-Chalkly
Hilary Forde Chalkly, unlike other people on this list, isn't a super successful businessman or a wealthy novelist. However, she is an ordinary woman that has achieved something. At eighty-two, she completed a Master's degree in creative writing at Kingston University in 2019. Which may seem like a less worthy degree teaches you a lot. On top of that, a University degree (especially a Masters degree) is a huge success no matter the age. It shows you are never too old to make a start or be in education.
2. McArthur Binion
McArthur Binion is an artist based in Illinois. His work is classified as Minimalist abstract paintings. The artwork has appeared in many galleries and Museums, such as the Studio Museum in New York. Unlike his contemporaries, it was a modest success. So he ended up taking a job as a Professor of Art at Columbia College in 1993. He quit in 2015 after gaining a renaissance of interest in his work thanks to representative Kavi Gupta. He was sixty-nine
3. Gorgio Armani
As I was researching for this list, I wasn't expecting the world-class designer Gorgio Armani to be mentioned. However, the Italian designer initially studied medicine and was in the army before working for influential designers like Baguetta and Hilton. He formed his company, Armani, in 1975, aged forty-one. The change from medicine to the army to influential luxury brand and designer shows you can always change the path your on to get what you want, and its never too late.
4. Stan Lee
A household name and maker of childhoods as big as Stan Lee couldn't be off the list. Stan Lee wasn't a significant success till 1961 at the age of forty, when he published his first superhero comic, The Fantastic Four and well, the rest is history. The man has captured hearts and made notable cameos in all our favourite Marvel movies. It goes to show we aren't all fantastic at twenty. Excelsior!
5. Harry Bernstein
Harry Bernstein worked as a script reader for movie productions and as an editor for trade magazines. He also wrote as a freelancer for many publications till retirement at the old age of 62. Like most writers, Bernstein wrote in obscurity until he published his first book in 2007, The Invisible Wall: A Love Story That Broke Barriers. He was ninety-six at the time when he reached bestselling author success.
6. Julia Child
Julia Child is now a household name for Americans, thanks to her French cuisine. However, the copywriter only had her first French dish at thirty-six after working for the OSS in post-war France. and only went on to host The French Chef at fifty-one after studying the cuisine and culture. The change of career from copywriter to an award-winning chef is another reminder that jobs can change. Any career path is possible even if copywriter and French chef, and TV host have weak links!
7. Ray Kroc
Now I know what you are thinking. You've read the name and made the assumption this is the man that founded Crocs. However, you're mistaken. Ray stumbled on the McDonald brothers restaurant in California and bought the restaurant, which became the big franchise we know and love today! He was fifty-two at the time!
8. Bram Stoker
The Irish born writer is well known for his influential addition to Victorian Gothic Literature with Dracula. However, that wasn't his first novel, and he was another obscure writer until the worlds most iconic vampire was penned at the modest age of fifty. It goes to show publishing is a waiting game. And another example is you can be 'old' and still achieve success.
9. Vera Wang
Vera Wang is another luxury fashion brand and designer known around the world. You'd assume that the fashion powerhouse would've founded the company in their early twenties. However, that would be wrong. She didn't create the company until she was forty after leaving her job at Ralph Lauren.
10. Charles Darwin
We are all aware of Charles Darwin and his theories on natural selection and evolution. However, the scientific community didn't accept the findings for many years due to Darwin being ill and re-editing the work after travelling on the HMS Beagle. However, the report 'On the Origin of Species' was finally published in 1859. He was fifty when the naturalist became famous for his findings.
I hope you enjoyed reading this list of people over forty who have become successful. I hope the mix of the ordinary and the mega-rich helped motivate you and made you feel better if you feel like you need success straight after university or are of a similar age and still feel like you haven't made it!
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