6 Reasons Why It’s Never Too Late To Quit and Start Over

“I wish I started earlier” Have you ever told yourself that? Or how about “It’s too late” or “it’s not going to happen for me anymore”. My follow up is: Too late for what? Too late for who? Who made up these rules? We are all made to feel that we need to have our lives figured out by 21, but to put that false expectation on yourself is absurd. Our current education system is teaching us subjects not problem solving, emotional management or self awareness. Without experience under our belts, we rush into making bad decisions. Realize there are benefits in starting later, and many people have like Samuel Jackon and Stan Lee! Today you’ll get a brand new perspective and start becoming the person you should’ve been. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Jay Shetty?

  This episode is brought to you by AG1. Are you feeling September reset too? Shorter days, longer to-do lists, earlier alarms, all those routines you promised yourself you'd pick back up. It can feel like your whole life is recalibrating. And when everything around you is changing, it helps to have a few things you can rely on. AG1 Next Gen is one of those easy habits to keep. It's the clinically-backed, comprehensive daily health drink that supports your gut health, energy production, and foundational nutrition all in one scoop. AG1's ingredients are sourced from quality partners for absorption, potency, and nutrient density to deliver the foundational nutrition your body needs. And alongside a proper diet,

• 0:44Jay Shetty?

  AG1 Next Gen meets 94% of nutrient requirements and it's clinically shown to enrich the gut microbiome. For a limited time, save 20% on your first subscription order of AG1 Next Gen or AG1 Pro at drinkag1.com/onpurpose. That's drinkag1.com/onpurpose. This episode is brought to you by AG1. Are you feeling September reset too? Shorter days, longer to-do lists, earlier alarms, all those routines you promised yourself you'd pick back up. It can feel like your whole life is recalibrating. And when everything around you is changing, it helps to have a few things you can rely on.

• 1:29Jay Shetty?

  AG1 Next Gen is one of those easy habits to keep. It's the clinically-backed, comprehensive daily health drink that supports your gut health, energy production, and foundational nutrition all in one scoop. AG1's ingredients are sourced from quality partners for absorption, potency, and nutrient density to deliver the foundational nutrition your body needs. And alongside a proper diet, AG1 Next Gen meets 94% of nutrient requirements and it's clinically shown to enrich the gut microbiome. For a limited time, save 20% on your first subscription order of AG1 Next Gen or AG1 Pro at drinkag1.com/onpurpose.

• 2:10Jay Shetty?

  On purpose, that's drink A G one dot com forward slash on purpose. This episode is brought to you by Mazda. Confidence isn't something Mazda finds, it's something they practice. That's the thinking behind every Mazda. With proactive safety features designed to help keep you more aware, more connected and more engaged with the road ahead. It's why Mazda has been named Consumer Reports safest new car brand and has won more twenty twenty six I I H S top safety pick plus awards than any other car brand. As of July twenty twenty six, visit W W W dot I I H S dot org to learn more. A lot can happen when an accident doesn't. Visit Mazda U S A dot com to learn more.

• 2:53Jay Shetty?

  Consumer Reports does not endorse products or services. What would my younger self be sad that I stopped doing? Is it that I stopped playing an instrument? Is it that I stopped playing a sport? Is it that I stopped being entrepreneurial? Is it that I stopped being risk taking? What is it? For me, when I asked that question, it was that I stopped using words to express my feelings. I stopped sharing that with the world because I loved writing when I grew up. I love poetry, I love spoken word, and I stopped using words in that way.

• 3:30Jay Shetty?

  Hey, everyone. Welcome back to On Purpose, the number one health podcast in the world. Thanks to each and every single one of you. I'm genuinely so happy and so grateful that you listen in every single week to learn, to grow and to invest in your mindset, to invest in your happiness, to invest in your joy. And I love seeing the messages that show me that you leave these sessions feeling that joy in your life, that you leave these sessions feeling equipped, feeling focused, feeling direction in your life. And that's all I'm trying to do is I'm just trying to facilitate growth. I'm trying to facilitate you to have the resources to make the changes

• 4:15Jay Shetty?

  and the difference that you're seeking in your life. It means so much to me that you're here right now, whether you're walking your dog, whether you're commuting, whatever you're up to, and that you're so fascinated to learn the six reasons why it's never too late to quit something and start doing what you love. Now. Here's where we kind of get it all wrong. Here's where it starts to get complicated in our minds. So we're made to feel that we need to have our lives figured out by 21. How many of you have been in that position? Nod your head, raise your hand, say yes out loud. How many of you have been in that position where you felt when you were 21

• 5:00Jay Shetty?

  that you needed to have your life figured out? You needed to know what job you were going to do. You needed to know how and where you were going to live. You needed to know so many things. There was so much pressure around that age or whatever age you graduated. And that's the thing. It's usually the year we graduate college or maybe we start working. And it's crazy that we expect people to know themselves, know what they want to do and start doing it. Like, it's actually a ridiculous notion that the education system currently as it stands, which is teaching us subjects, not really teaching us thought patterns, not really teaching us problem solving, not really teaching us the management of emotional wellbeing and intelligence. What we're really being taught is subjects.

• 5:45Jay Shetty?

  What we're really being taught is retention. What we're really being taught is a bit of connection, but we're not really being taught application or experimentation. We're not being taught self-awareness. These would all be super useful skills to be able to be clear by 21 about what we want to do, but we've never had that. So to put this false expectation on ourself, to have everything figured out by 21, actually seems highly unrealistic. It's actually absurd based on the fact that when we're 21 or 25 or even 30, we've had very few experiences that we've been exposed to to actually make a valuable decision.

• 6:29Jay Shetty?

  And that's why it's never too late to start anything you want to do. Because we're almost made to decide too early, right? There's this pressure to figure things out early. And because it is too early, we recognize that we need more time. And we can find that more time. It makes a huge difference in our life. So this is kind of how it goes for all of us. And of course, it's slightly different for each and every one of us. But I see these trends. So in our twenties, we think we have to commit to a job, start working hard. Because it seems like the adult thing to do. And at that time, what we really needed to do was the opportunity to explore, to experiment, to try new things and learn about ourselves.

• 7:09Jay Shetty?

  Now, in the traditional way of kind of how it works is we do what's expected in our twenties. We work hard, we commit to a job. In our thirties, we start realizing, wait a minute. I actually didn't get to explore anything. I didn't get to learn anything. Like, I have different passions. Wait a minute, I don't understand myself. And for a lot of us, our thirties is when we start taking alternative routes. Our thirties is when we start trying out new and different things. Now, if we had used our twenties to experiment, then our thirties are a time we can get in the groove, get in the zone and start focusing. Notice how different it is when you have time to figure yourself out, when you have time to learn about yourself and you have time to grow.

• 7:54Jay Shetty?

  Notice how different it is, right? It's just a completely different experience. And I'm fascinated by that because I think so many of us miss out, right? So many of us miss out on these opportunities. For a lot of us then, we really start exploring at the age of forty, at the age of fifty, at the age of sixty, at the age of seventy, whenever it may be for you, at the age of thirty. That's when you start exploring, learning about yourself, self-awareness, your passions, your purpose. And it's funny, so many of us think that's late. So many of us think that's behind. So many of us think we came late to the party. I speak to so many thirty, forty, fifty year olds who say, "Oh, I wish I started earlier."

• 8:39Jay Shetty?

  Well, the truth is, of course you wish you started earlier. That makes complete sense. But what doesn't make sense is to quit now. What doesn't make sense is to now finally having this realization and saying, "Well, it's too late." Too late for what? Too late for who? Who made up these rules? This is a question I ask myself all the time. Whenever I hear something is too late, too early, you know, not enough, etc. I'm like, "Who made these rules? Who made these norms?" And these norms really govern so many decisions in our life and what we decide to do with our life, and they really dehabilitate us. That's what I notice about norms. Norms actually dehabilitate us

• 9:24Jay Shetty?

  because we start comparing ourselves against the average. Now, if you compare yourself against the average, guess what? You become more average, right? Because that's what you're comparing yourself against. But if you compare yourself against to, "I want to live my passion and I want to do what I love and grow", then that's what really makes the difference, right? That's what's really going to have the experience. So what I wanted to share here is that there are certain things that we're better off doing when we're younger, like learning a language is easier when you're younger. Learning how to walk, of course, is easier and more natural when you're younger. There are certain things that we pick up more naturally at a younger age. And I'm sure you can think of some things now that you're like, "Yeah, you know what?

• 10:09Jay Shetty?

  I picked that up at that time. I'm not sure I could pick it up now." Maybe it was riding a bike, right? It was easier to pick up when you were younger. But there are certain things like that. Maybe it was surfing, whatever it may have been. There are a lot, there are a few things that were easier to pick up when you were younger.

• 10:25Jay Shetty?

  But the interesting thing is that actually, science shows that there are plenty of things that we actually pick up as we get older. And this really fascinated me when I read this Business Insider article talking about how these studies show how we actually perform better in specific strengths at different times in our life. So it was really interesting for me to see in that same article that people between the ages of eighty-two and eighty-five reported the highest psychological wellbeing, right? Nobel Prize winners were more likely to make their big discovery at forty, right? Forty years old. And so many of us are, you know, wanting to be published by thirty

• 11:10Jay Shetty?

  and all of this kind of stuff. But things happen a bit later. And there are a few more here that I want to share with you.

• 11:23Jay Shetty?

  This episode is brought to you by Indeed. I know how important every hire is for a business. If you need to make the right hire, this is a job for sponsored jobs. Indeed sponsored jobs helps find quality candidates when you need them most. You can reach who you need based on whatever criteria you're looking for, like skills, certifications, or location. In fact, people are finding quality hires on Indeed right now. In the minute I've been talking to you, companies like yours made twenty-seven hires on Indeed, according to Indeed data worldwide. Spend less time searching and more time actually interviewing candidates who check all your boxes. Listeners of this show will get a seventy-five-dollar sponsored

• 12:02Jay Shetty?

  job credit at indeed.com/podcast. That's indeed.com/podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need to hire? This is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs. This episode is brought to you by Vinted. Value can be found anywhere, even in the clothes sitting untouched in our closets. That's where Vinted comes in. Vinted is a secondhand marker place app where you can sell clothes you no longer want and get more value out of them. Whether you're running out of space, moving, or simply updating your wardrobe, listing items is a quick and simple process. And once something sells, Vinted creates a prepaid shipping label for you. And the best part, there are no seller fees, so you keep what you earn.

• 12:42Jay Shetty?

  It's a simple way to clear out your closet, be less wasteful, and maybe make some extra money along the way. And if you've been thinking about a wardrobe refresh, this can make it feel a little more worthwhile. You're not just letting go of clothes, you're getting more value from what you already have. Give your clothes a second life with Vinted. Download the Vinted app for free to start selling with no seller fees, so you keep every dollar you earn. This episode is brought to you by State Farm. We talk a lot about intentional decision making, and that extends to the practical stuff too. Like making sure your coverage actually works for your life. State Farm is there to meet you where you are, and they know how sweet it is to feel good about your decisions.

• 13:23Jay Shetty?

  Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can choose to bundle and save with a personal price plan. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Prices are based on rating plans that vary by state. Coverage options are selected by the customer. Availability, amount of discounts and savings, and eligibility vary by state.

• 13:42Jay Shetty?

  This one really fascinated me that we're best at understanding other people's emotions and feelings in our 40s and 50s. That's a huge, huge thing. I mean, whether it's business, whether it's content, whether it's empowerment, whatever it may be. Understanding people's emotions and being able to communicate with them, being able to connect with them. If you're only really getting good at that in your 40s and your 50s, of course, if you're going to accelerate it, that's great. But the point being that there's a lot of things that we actually grown when we're older and we think we grown when we're younger, right?

• 14:21Jay Shetty?

  So this is so, this is really interesting stuff for me because I'm just like, we, we kind of think like, oh, if I didn't do it when I was young, then it's really hard now. And actually, the, the opposite is true, that actually, if, you know, as time goes by, you're learning a lot more. So what I want to share with you in this podcast is the six reasons why it's never too late to quit what you don't want to do and start doing what you do want to do. Because I don't want you to give up. And I'll tell you the biggest reason why I don't want you to give up.

• 14:51Jay Shetty?

  I mean this when I say it, like I really mean it. I genuinely believe that you have something to offer the world. How do I know that? How am I sure of that? Because after spending time with thousands of people, after listening and hearing from so many people, I have seen that even people we underestimate, I have seen that even people that we didn't expect big things from, I have seen that even people that have underestimated you for years, we get surprised all the time. Think about someone from your school that you didn't think was going to do anything, right? That you didn't think was going to make it, but made it. Is there someone from your school, someone that you studied with,

• 15:34Jay Shetty?

  maybe even in elementary school or high school? Who was there in your life that you kind of wrote off, but then they grew up and surprised you? Doesn't it fascinate you? Fascinates me. I know that there were people in my school that wanted to break into music and people would never believe that they would break into music. And guess what? They broke into music and it was the same for every other field. And there are so many things like that, so many people like that, that actually grow and gather their life experience and actually get to where they want to later on in life. So often, there's no clues or there's no understanding when people are young and you only see that happens afterwards. So think about that. Take a walk down memory lane.

• 16:19Jay Shetty?

  Like if there's a person in school and you might even be wondering like, oh, what was their name? What was their name, right? But you know who it is. You can picture them in your mind and recognize that success isn't just, you know, I think we live in a culture right now where you have like so and so became a billionaire at 21 and so and so bought their 10th house at 30 or whatever it may be. And that kind of piles on this pressure that everything's happening earlier. And the truth is that everything will happen at the right time for you, when you're ready, when you're focused, when you're working about it, when you're obsessed about it, when you're committed to it. And so I really want these six reasons to get you started. I really want these six reasons to get you going. And I really want you to realize that I believe you have something to offer.

• 17:02Jay Shetty?

  And I believe that you have it inside of you, even if it's hidden away and you can't see it. But I want you to see it. And these six reasons are gonna help you unearth it so that you actually gain more confidence as well. These are the six that I wanted to share with you. So the number one, listen carefully. The number one reason why it's never too late to start doing something that you love is plenty of people started late. We have this assumption, like I was just saying, that everyone started early. And in an article by Richard Faloni in Business Insider, he talks about twenty people who became highly successful after age forty. Now, there's tons of these lists, but I took a few from this one that really stood out to me.

• 17:48Jay Shetty?

  And in the article, he mentions Stan Lee, who created Marvel at the age of thirty-nine. Vera Wang, who is a figure skater and journalist before moving into fashion at forty. Now, that's mind blowing because you think, oh, well, you know, I'm a figure skater and a journalist, how do I move into fashion designing at forty, which is amazing? Samuel L. Jackson started at forty-three, and then you've got people like Julia Childs and Martha Stewart, and the list goes on and on and on. And the point is that plenty of people have risen to heights later in their life, and you can too. And it's so easy to make the excuse to write yourself off that it's too late, it's not gonna happen for you anymore, there are enough obstacles in the way,

• 18:32Jay Shetty?

  things are only getting more complicated, no one's gonna care about me as I get older, whatever it is, any excuses that go in your mind. And it's just so, so important and so, so powerful for you to recognize that so many people in the world didn't start as early as you think they did. And that's really what it is, it's a mindset, it's a perception. If you keep telling yourself it's too late, guess what? It's too late. But if you recognize that actually amazing things have happened for me and for other people, so many things start to change. So I really, really want you to reflect on that point, and I want you to find the stories of people that inspire you who started later, so that you can remind yourself of them whenever that excuse comes to your mind, and that's what you really wanna do.

• 19:16Jay Shetty?

  If you can picture The stories, the response, the attitude of other people and how they dealt with your excuses, how they got through them, then you can actually bring them to the fore of your mind when it happens for you. So I really, really want you to think about that. Now, number two, this is a huge one. You have more experience today than you did yesterday. You're wiser, you're smarter, you've been through more, you've had more experiences, you're better at reading energies, you've worked with people from different backgrounds, you know how to deal with more.

• 19:58Jay Shetty?

  This will all make you, or help you, make better decisions. And I think we forget that. We look at time as a resource, a time, you know, time is a resource that we can't get back. You can't buy it, you can't loan it, you can't borrow it. But guess what? Maybe it's not about time, maybe that time actually made you wiser, maybe it made you stronger, maybe it made you smarter. And you've been able to develop so much, so strongly. And you're just putting that all aside for time, right? So we're only measuring one thing. So when we're measuring, like, oh, I could have started earlier, all we're doing is measuring time. We're not measuring the fact that, hey, what about my knowledge? What about my skills? What are my strengths?

• 20:43Jay Shetty?

  What about my abilities? All of that has changed and we just ignore that. And I think it's so important to recognize that you have more experience today, you have more to bring to the table today, you have more to grow with today than you did yesterday, and that's all going to help you if you recognize it. Whereas if you just think, oh yeah, it's useless because it's late, then you forget that. So what I want you to do right now, and I mean this, I want you to write down all the strengths you have, the experience you have, all the strengths that you have that you believe are going to be useful to you. Anything that you've learned from your job, anything you've learned over the years, write down at least three strengths. And I want you to write this down, and I mean this, I want you to write this down right now. I want you to write down three strengths, and if you can write down three, I want you to write down 10.

• 21:28Jay Shetty?

  Right? You can write down three, but if you write down three, I want you to write down 10. I'll tell you why. We are not aware of our own strengths. We constantly focus on our weaknesses and amplify them. We constantly get distracted by that which we're not good at, rather than that which we excel at. And I can't stress enough how easy it is to forget your strengths and start focusing on your weaknesses. When we actually need to focus on our strengths and slowly develop our weaknesses. Now, make sure you've done that, right? I'm being serious. Make sure you've done that. Make sure you've written down those three strengths that you have,

• 22:12Jay Shetty?

  that you've developed, that you've learned over time, that you know are going to be useful. And this is the practical piece of advice. You may not think you have transferable skills, but believe me, you do. Now, I'll give you an example of this in my own life. When I started my first job, I was 26 years old, because I lived as a monk, of course, and then it took me a while to find a job. And when I started, I was 26 years old. Now, everyone that I was starting with was 21. So by that account, I was late. I was late by five years, which at the beginning of your career actually makes a big difference. As you grow older in your career, it makes less of a difference because everyone grows their experience. But for me, that was a pretty big deal. Now, at first, I had the same fear. I was just like, oh, my God, I'm late. You know, everyone here is younger than me. They've got more time. They've got more energy.

• 22:57Jay Shetty?

  But hey, they don't have more experience. And guess what? I had to try and find the transferable skills of a monk, right? That was harder than just like, okay, I've got some skills. Like, I was like, wait, what do I have as transferable skills? And then I realized, I have self-awareness. I have the ability to manage stress and pressure. What else do I have from living as a monk? I have the value of discipline and focus. What else do I have? I love researching, and I love teaching, and I love learning, and I love presenting. So I started focusing on all those things and slowly forgot that I didn't have any of the challenges anymore, because I started to realize that I had more experience. And I had to play to that strength, right? And I want you to play to that strength,

• 23:42Jay Shetty?

  rather than me sitting there worrying about everything I didn't have. I could focus on what I did have. And that made a huge difference for me in the corporate world as I transitioned into that space. And I really think it will for you as well. Now, the number three point that I want to share with you is this. Just like you have more experience today, you have a broader network today. Right? You can actually ask people how to do things, take their recommendations and learn from their actual experience. Right? If you think about yourself at eighteen or twenty-one or twenty-five or thirty or whatever age it is. If you look at yourself five years ago, you knew less people. You knew less people who could actually help you. You probably knew less people in areas that you cared about.

• 24:27Jay Shetty?

  And as time went on, you started to find these people. And these people started to become your friends, they started to know you, they started to become friends of friends. And guess what? Now you have access to them. You didn't have that access before. That access means you waste less time, that access means you learn quicker, that access means that you no longer have to live in this world where you're thinking if something's right for you, you can actually go and do it. And this is how I'd like you to think about it. I'd love for you right now to write down three people in your network and they could be first degree or second degree connections. So first degree is people you know, second degree is people that you know that know people that you want to know. Right? And first degree or secondary connection or even third degree, write down three people that you're curious about.

• 25:09Jay Shetty?

  Write down three people that you'd love to learn about, three people's careers that you're intrigued about. And I want you to go and set up meetings. So I want you to do this right now and you'd write down those three people. And I want you to set up meetings with those people with no agenda apart from to learn about what they do. Because if you start saying it's too late, well, it's not too late because you know more people. More people means more access, more access means more opportunities, more opportunities means a potential transition. And we're so quick to write off, but actually we have the biggest strength sitting right there in our pockets. Right? Sitting right there for ease in our lives. And that is our network. And we, you know, we know this, we really, really know this.

• 25:53Jay Shetty?

  And we've heard it a million times, whether it's from Richard Branson and others of your network is your net worth. And my, and you know, this isn't even a financial thing. It's just recognizing that it's never too late to start because you actually have access to more people. And so what I'd love for you to do is not just sit down and talk to them, you could go and shadow someone. Right, you could interview someone and get to know them. You could ask them about what their role actually is. You're more likely to know people in roles that you're actually interested in now than when you first started out and you didn't know anyone in the roles that you really care about. So really think about in your network, who's your first degree, your second degree, your third degree connections that you want to meet with? And I want you to schedule those meetings this week. And I'm not, I'm not messing around.

• 26:37Jay Shetty?

  I want you to schedule those meetings this week. Right, take advantage of that amazing network. This episode is brought to you by Whole Foods Market. If you're talking about quality food, you can't forget Whole Foods Market, who've been holding themselves to the highest standards since they opened in 1980. That means you'll see thousands of organic products across their stores, from the produce department to the aisles. It also means you'll never see certain ingredients. They've banned artificial sweeteners and colors, high fructose corn syrup and more, so you can shop with peace of mind. Shop Whole Foods Market in-store or online. This episode is brought to you by Wayfair.

• 27:19Jay Shetty?

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• 27:59Jay Shetty?

  And if putting it all together sounds like a headache, Wayfair can handle delivery, installation and assembly. Join Wayfair Rewards today to get 5% back on every purchase and start saving on your next home upgrade. Head to wayfair.com to shop all things home. That's W A Y F A I R dot com. Wayfair, every style, every home.

• 28:21Speaker 01

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• 28:52Jay Shetty?

  Principle number four. This applies to some people, and it may not apply to everyone, but I do think it's important to throw out there for all of you listening, that it's never too late to start because you might actually be in a better place financially. When you first started working, you were scared because you were like, "I need to earn a living. I need to pay my rent." And now, maybe, it's not that you don't feel that way, but there is some system where you're a bit more organized. You've saved some money in the bank. And this applies to those of you who don't feel this way. You may want to save money before taking a break. And this is what I found. Like, my friends who were working as lawyers in the city or in the corporate world, I said to them, "If you experimented for a year and it didn't go right, you could walk straight back into your career without it being affected." Or for three months, or for six months,

• 29:36Jay Shetty?

  or for nine months, or actually for 12 months. And if you don't take this test or experiment, okay, you're going to come back to your career one year behind. But isn't that one year worth it? Because what if you came back and you're actually light years ahead? Right? What if it actually made the biggest difference in your life? So you could literally take a break for three, six, nine, 12 months, and come back and nothing would change. And if you're not in that position, you could save to make that change and see how it can happen. Now, that's something that only happens later on in life, to actually have that flexibility. Right? So that's something to try. Okay, and number five.

• 30:17Jay Shetty?

  This is more of a, you know, philosophical statement or a thought process statement that time becomes more valuable and you appreciate it more. So it's never too late to quit because you realize how valuable time is as time goes and you realize how much time you've wasted and how much you could use it more wisely. And I really want you to think about that point because that should motivate you that it's never too late, right? Because time's so valuable. It doesn't matter if you figured it out now. It's just important that you have time to figure it out, right? You have the time, you still have time. It's not all disappeared, it's not all gone away. So you can start here, you can start right now.

• 30:58Jay Shetty?

  And point number six. This is why it's never too late to start. Because if something's that important to you, it shouldn't have a deadline. If it's been on your mind for a few months, a few years, it's real. Trust it. Don't just get distracted, don't just make excuses. Don't just tell yourself it's too late because that makes you feel safe from failure. It saves you from your fears. Because guess what? Then you have to face the ultimate fear of never having tried, which is so much more painful. And a few years ago, this is what I did. And it really helped me.

• 31:39Jay Shetty?

  I asked myself, what would my younger self be sad that I've stopped doing? What did I used to do when I was younger that my younger self would be sad now that I'm older that I've stopped doing? And when I answer that question, I want you to write down your answer to that question. I really want you to think about it. And this is how a question meditation works. I want you to ask that question really sincerely, really deeply, really genuinely to yourself and wait for the answer to come to you in a day, in a week, right? In a day or a week, let the answer come to you and write down that answer and see how it evolves every day.

• 32:19Jay Shetty?

  Keep asking the question genuinely, not demanding the answer, but genuinely directing the question and saying, what would my younger self be sad that I stopped doing? Is it that I stopped playing an instrument? Is it that I stopped playing a sport? Is it that I stopped being entrepreneurial? Is it that I stopped being risk-taking? What is it? For me, when I asked that question, it was that I stopped using words to express my feelings. I stopped sharing that with the world because I loved writing when I grew up. I love poetry, I love spoken word, and I stopped using words in that way. And then I asked myself this second question, I want you to answer it as well.

• 32:59Jay Shetty?

  If you were, if fast forward to being ninety years old on your deathbed, a hundred years old on your deathbed, and ask yourself, what will you regret that you didn't do? Not what you will regret that you did do, what will you regret that you didn't do? And again, I want you to ask that question deeply and in a day or a week, keep re-asking that question and find the answer and write it down. And when I asked that question to myself, my answer was that I'll regret if I never tried to share wisdom in an accessible, relevant, and practical way, that I never tried to give people what I had learned and what I had gained through my amazing teachers, coaches, and mentors. And so I said to myself, I said, okay,

• 33:43Jay Shetty?

  now let me look at these two questions. The first question, it uses the past to empower the present. Whatever you didn't do, whatever you don't do anymore that you did in the past, and you could do it again now, you're using the past to empower the present. Because guess what, no matter what answer you give to that question, you can start doing that now. So if you're like, my younger self will be sad that I stopped playing an instrument, you can play that instrument now. So you've empowered the present from the past. If you say, what would my younger self be sad that I stopped doing right now? And your answer is writing, guess what, you can do that right now. You've just empowered your present with your past. And with the second question, asking yourself about what you'd regret on your deathbed that you didn't do, well, in that case, you're using your future to empower the present. Because in the future, if you're feeling, oh, I didn't do this, guess what?

• 34:27Jay Shetty?

  It's not the future yet, which means you can do it now. So both those questions, use the past and the future to empower the present because that's where everything happens. And I want you to know that, that no matter how late you think it is, no matter how you feel you've wasted time, your time is now. And the present is powerful, the present is the most powerful, and you can change anything, you can change your experience of the past and the future by what you do right now. So this is how And why there are six reasons why it's never too late to quit what you don't like doing and start doing what you love because number one, plenty of people started late.

• 35:11Jay Shetty?

  Number two, you have more experience today than you did yesterday. Number three, you have a bigger network that you can ask for help. Number four, you might be in a better place financially or you can train to be. Number five, you realize how valuable time is. And number six, if it's that important to you, it shouldn't have a deadline. I hope this podcast has got you empowered, powered up, focused and driven to make that change in your life. It's not too late. Get started today and thank you so much for listening to On Purpose. I'll see you all soon.

• 35:51Jay Shetty?

  Thank you so much for listening through to the end of that episode. I hope you're gonna share this all across social media. Let people know that you're subscribed to On Purpose. Let me know, post it, tell me what a difference it's making in your life. I would love to see your thoughts. I can't wait for this incredibly conscious community we're creating of purposeful people. You're now a part of the tribe, a part of the squad. Thank you for being here. I can't wait to share the next episode with you.