Once you commit yourself to accomplishing a goal, there's no telling what you can achieve — no matter what stage of life you are in. In fact, late bloomers often sprout the biggest and brightest petals.
While others' aspirations may wilt and fade, those who work hard and commit to their dreams will transform them into lifelong passions, showing there's no right or wrong time to go after what you want.
From models to marathoners, these ten amazing people are living proof it's never too late to accomplish your goals and exceed expectations, including your own.
1. Nicola Griffin started modeling when she was 53 years young.
2. Life's a marathon, not a sprint ... unless you're 105-year-old track star Hidekichi Miyazaki.
While others' aspirations may wilt and fade, those who work hard and commit to their dreams will transform them into lifelong passions, showing there's no right or wrong time to go after what you want.
From models to marathoners, these ten amazing people are living proof it's never too late to accomplish your goals and exceed expectations, including your own.
1. Nicola Griffin started modeling when she was 53 years young.
Nicola Griffin began her second career as a model after she was discovered by White Hot Hair while waiting in line at the bank. She first came on the scene as the poster woman for the company's gray hair products before making headlines as the oldest model to appear in Sports Illustrated's swimsuit edition in an ad for Swimsuits for All.
Most recently, she proved sexy never gets old in a lingerie shoot for SLiNK magazine. "Women in their 50s and 60s are so used to being ignored and pushed aside in the fashion industry … but things are changing now," she told A Plus in a previous interview. "I feel very honored to be a part of this changing tide in the industry."
2. Life's a marathon, not a sprint ... unless you're 105-year-old track star Hidekichi Miyazaki.
Many retirees enjoy taking up new hobbies, Hidekichi Miyazaki is no exception. His main hobby, however, just happens to be breaking world records in sprinting. After taking up track and field in his 90s, the Japanese centenarian became the oldest competitive sprinter in the 100-meter dash at the Kyoto Masters Athletic Autumn Competition in 2015. He finished the race in an impressive 42.22 seconds, but still pushes himself to do better.
"Today my target was 35 seconds ... I shed tears of disappointment because I was not in good condition. I am not satisfied with today's time," Miyazaki said after the race to Guinness World Records. "But I am satisfied that I could cross finish line." He continues to train — running and even practicing the shot put — every day with these high standards in mind.
3. Neal Unger proves you really can "teach an old dog new tricks" — as long as they're on a skateboard.
Known as "The Dude," Neal Unger is a far cry from the typical skateboarding teen. Born in 1957, Unger began surfing at age nine before eventually transitioning to skateboarding. Now, at 59, he keeps shredding, trying out new tricks, and posting awesome videos to his YouTube channel.
When people told Unger he was "too old" to skateboard, that just motivated him to work harder. Even when he could only do one or two tricks, he kept pushing himself to learn more. "I would skate more because I'd say, 'You can't make me stop. You're not gonna tell me what to do,' " he said in a recent video for Old Skateboards, a German company.
Passing on his life lessons to the next generation of skaters, Unger is currently a volunteer mentor for the Next Up Foundation, which offers community programs to kids and teens in underserved communities.
4. Julia Scotti started cracking wise at the ripe young age of 63.
Julia Scotti, a 63-year-old stand-up comedian began her audition for America's Got Talent not with a joke, but with a harrowing declaration: "I want to show people that age has nothing to do with it. You know, you don't stop just because you got gray hair." She wasn't joking around.
After launching into a colorful and hilariously shocking set, filled to the brim with material making fun of her age, she wowed the crowd and the judges. All four voted "yes," and Scotti advanced all the way to the quarterfinals. Since then, she's appeared on Comedy Central and Showtime and also performs regularly in Atlantic City, Las Vegas, and Reno.
She's not just breaking down barriers as an older comedian, but as a transgender one as well. "For the first 28 years of my life, I was known as Rick Scotti," she told the judges. "So this is big for me."
Her dream has only gotten bigger since — and she's working harder than ever to achieve it. "I'm always surprised when people say that they are too old for this thing or that," she told A Plus. "Here's the way I look at life: If the next time you go to a wake and you aren't lying there in the coffin, you still have time to dream … and do!
"Now if you'll excuse me," she added, "There's this neurosurgery course at the community college I'm just dying to check out."
5. Eighty-year-old Ernestine Shepherd proves age doesn't go before beauty — they go hand in hand.
While Ernestine Shepherd now holds the official title of World's Oldest Performing Female Bodybuilder and the unofficial one of world's "Fittest Grandma," she didn't start pumping iron until she was 56. She started exercising with her sister Velvet, and continued to work even harder after her sister passed away unexpectedly.
In 2007, she asked Yohnnie Shambourger (former Mr. Universe) to train her to compete as a bodybuilder. In her first bodybuilding competition, the Natural East Coast Tournament of Champions, she took first place in her class, out posing women years younger.
According to Shepherd's website, she has never been happier or felt more fulfilled. But she knows true health and wellness doesn't just start and stop with herself. She trains other senior women five days a week, inspiring them "to reach their physical potential," just like she did.
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