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In the last few days online (I’ve been on vacation and completing vegging), I’ve discovered an amazing array of talented people who vary widely in terms of abilties, age, privilege, and attractiveness. They have all gone “viral” in some way or another and have all been wildly succesful in terms of getting attention and making money (if either of those are your thing).

They include:

A woman who just published her first book at age 58 and is rewarding herself with a solo trip to the Galapagos islands.

A woman in her 60s who is brand new at cycling and just cycled 250 miles with her son.

A woman who creates Tik Tok livestreams in which she acts like an NPC and pops corn using a hair straightener.

A woman who is not conventally attractive or rich or privilged (bascially a nobody) who has a wildly successful podcast in which she interviews celebrities. She has only posted 9 episodes! Her unique approach is to be really, really bad at interviewing. People love her!

A little old man who livestreams himself eating his lunch.

WHY have I included these examples?

Because you can do anything you want.

I repeat: YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU WANT!

I grew up in the 70s and 80s and was an adult in the 90s. It was a time when gatekeepers had all the power. I was told I couldn’t be a writer, a photographer, or a playwright. Back then, when there was no internet, you bascially had to be independently wealthy to pursue those dreams. Instead, I became an English teacher, which I LOVE, and since then, with the rise of the internet, then Web 2.0 and interactive digital media, social media, and creative sharing sites like YouTube, you can do anything and be anything.

IT DOES NOT MATTER:

How old you are.

How much you weigh.

How attractive you are.

Where you starting from.

Right now, I want you to spend a few minutes thinking about and reflecting on what you’d like to do and who you’d like to be, WITH NO LIMITS.

I’ll start first. I’m 52 years old and I’m writing my first novel. I want to finish it (it’s HARD work) and I want to sell it. I want it to become a best seller and I want to make a ton of money off of it. This is actually possible, and if I don’t sell it, I will publish it myself on Amazon, which writers can now do for free.