Making the choice to start over in your 40s or 50s (or 60s!) is likely equal parts scary and exhilarating! Sometimes, we need a little nudge to push past the scary and actually make the move to pursue our dreams! A little bit of encouragement can go a long way.
Or maybe we just need someone to blaze the trail for us. If you’ve been following us during the month of April, you know we’ve been looking at other women who did just that. Our first spotlight was on Phyllis Diller who was a journalist before she made her way to the stage. During the second week of April we focused on professor-turned-author, Toni Morrison. But, these two inspiring women are not alone! Consider this week’s spotlight – famous chef and author Julia Child!
When Child first started her career, becoming a famous chef wasn’t even on her radar. In fact, she attended Smith College with the intention of becoming a writer. She was indeed a copywriter for a short time before she shifted gears and landed a job as a researcher for the Office of Strategic Services during World War II. In lay terms, she was a spy. (Oh, the intrigue!) She met her husband Paul during that time and the two moved to Paris.
As fate would have it, Paris is the place where Child’s culinary aspirations were awakened. According to the website Fifty Is the New Fifty, she had a meal in Paris that was so delicious that she became determined to learn to cook for herself. She promptly enrolled in the famous culinary school, Le Cordon Bleu, fanning the flames on her new passion.
Just shy of turning 50, Child published her first cookbook in 1961. When she died at the age of 92, she had written a total of 18 cookbooks, been the host of her own TV show, made several other TV appearances, and won several awards.
So broad was her influence, Child is often credited with changing the way America considers food, making fancy food accessible to everyone.
The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude. – Julia Child
Little did she know that her legacy as a chef would also inspire the rest of us to pursue our dreams at any age. For those of us who have embraced the lie that “it’s too late”, women like Diller, Morrison, and Child remind us to set aside any excuses or obstacles. Their lives testify that success is attainable at any age.
Check back next week for our final installment in this series of inspiring women who proved that success is not just for the youthful!
