There’s a legal age for when you can drink, drive, vote, and run for president. But that’s where the restrictions pretty much end.
Work. Service. Entrepreneurship.
Those things don’t have a start or ending age. There are 6 year olds who run businesses, and there are 60 year olds living abroad, volunteering their time in the name of charitable service.
‘As soon as’ thinking.
As soon as… I grow up, graduate, live on my own, have enough money or time, then I can do something great. When one or all of those things are in place, then I can make a difference, start a business, volunteer, or create things. But, if you’re old enough to read and understand this, then you already know that there’s always going to be something else. There will always been another thing needing or begging for your attention. Life doesn’t slow down, time is not a renewable resource, and if you’re waiting for the perfect conditions, you’re really just making an excuse.
Whether you are a full-time student, working full-time, or raising a child, there is always time for the things that are important. If it matters to you, it’s up to you to set aside the time to do it.
If you want to learn something new, or get back into drawing, dancing, running, etc. get to work. If you have a business idea, if you see a problem in your family, community, or country that you have a solution that could resolve it, you have to make it important enough to work on it.
The people we admire most, the buildings we marvel at, the design that inspires us, the movies we love, all those things exist because some person decided to see them through. One person made a decision and dedicated their time to that thing and kept at it.
Hard things, big things, and even small and meaningful things take time and dedication. They require patience and perseverance, they may even demand that you put other things on the shelf for a little while.
If it’s worth doing, it’s worth working hard for.
Get to work, chump.