We live in a world obsessed with early achievement – from getting straight as at school and earning a spot at

a famous university, to securing the job of your dreams by the time you’re 25. And yet most of us don’t start
out life being exceptional; instead, we discover our talents and gifts at a more gradual pace.

This is exactly what happened to author Rich Karlgaard. He got average grades at Stanford University and
spent much of his twenties working odd jobs. It was only years later that he started a high -tech magazine in
Silicon Valley, and eventually became the publisher of Forbes.
In these blinks, you’ll discover the science behind why some people bloom later in life, as well as the strengths
you can tap into if you take your time to achieve your goals.

Along the way you’ll learn

 why our fixation with early achievement is damaging to young people’s mental health;
 how culture affects the way we define success; and
 what to do when you hit a sticking point.
Let’s begin with a story of an early bloomer – a person who matures faster than average.
Pop-neuroscience writer Jonah Lehrer was born and raised in Los Angeles, and began his journey to success
when he won a thousand-dollar prize for a NASDAQ-sponsored essay contest at the age of 15. He later
attended Columbia University, where he majored in neuroscience and co-authored a paper about the genetic
origins of Down Syndrome.

But Lehrer wasn’t just a science whiz; he could also write well. By the age of 31, he’d already published three
books – and had even made the New York Times best-seller list. It was the kind of success many people his age
desperately wanted for themselves.
The key message here is: The rise of the wunderkind set a standard of early achievement for millennials.
In between hosting radio shows and appearing on TV, Lehrer began a lucrative side career as a paid speaker.
Soon, he was earning up to $40,000 for an hour-long talk. Eventually, he was able to buy a million-dollar
house in the Hollywood Hills.

Lehrer’s rise from bright student to media phenomenon marked the entry of a new cultural hero: the early
bloomer, also known as the wunderkind – which literally translates to “wonder child.”
The archetypal wunderkind develops early and reaches the pinnacle of their chosen field faster than anyone
else. They’re also likely to become rich and famous in the process. This is often because they have some kind
of special talent – like being mathematically or technologically gifted – or because they have family
connections to help them along the way.

Wunderkinds are everywhere in our society – from actors like Margot Robbie and Adam Driver to musicians
like Jacob Collier and Beyoncé. The media is also obsessed with the wunderkind ideal. For example, every
major magazine has a yearly issue based on a list of early achievers, such as Forbes magazine’s “30 Under 30”
list of outstanding entrepreneurs.
The problem is, our culture’s obsession with the wunderkind ideal pushes a dangerous message: if you haven’t
disrupted an industry, opened a billion-dollar company, or banked seven figures by the time you're 30, then
you’ve failed. As we’ll discover in these blinks, this message is damaging to young people, all of whom develop
in different ways and at different times.
In the mid-twentieth century, the United States began to change from an aristocracy to a meritocracy – where
people could become successful based on ability, rather than money or social position. In response to this,
students, parents, and employers became obsessed with test scores and college rankings.
Nowadays, it’s pretty normal for teenagers to take college preparatory tests like the SAT multiple times during
their junior and senior years, just to demonstrate their academic potential to colleges. But there’s a high cost.

Parents spend thousands of dollars on expensive tutors and preparation classes every year, hoping this will
help their kids win a ticket to an Ivy League school. Students, meanwhile, pay the price with all the added
stress.

The key message here is: The pressure to achieve early is affecting young people’s mental health.
The test preparation industry generates nearly $1 billion every year, with some tutors – like New York-based
Anthony-James Green – charging up to $1,000 an hour. These inflated prices show just how much students
and families are locked into college admissions “arms race,” in which people fight, and sometimes cheat, to
get ahead.

This pressure-cooker environment has led to a mental-health crisis in the US. According to a 2014 survey by
the World Health Organization, depression has become the number one cause of illness in adolescents. As a
result, suicide rates are rising.

For example, three talented students at Gunn High School in Palo Alto, California died by suicide between
2014 and 2015. During the same time, 42 students were hospitalized or treated for suicidal thoughts.

Jean M. Twenge, the author of more than 140 scientific papers and books on teenagers, has a theory about
why young people’s mental health is declining. Her research connects the increase in depression to a shift
from intrinsic goals to extrinsic goals.
Intrinsic goals are related to your own development as an individual, and include things like becoming
capable in certain activities or establishing a strong sense of self. Extrinsic goals, on the other hand, are
related to material gains and other measurements of status, including test scores, high income, and good
looks.

Twenge believes that society values the extrinsic goals of wealth and academic success over the intrinsic goals
of developing self-knowledge – or simply being happy. It’s no wonder that young people are suffering.
 .

At the age of 25, the author was floundering. He’d graduated from college with average grades and had few
career prospects, so he took a job as a security guard.

One night, while on patrol in a truck-rental yard, he made a shocking discovery. His colleague – who was
patrolling the neighbourhood lumberyard – wasn’t a young guy like him, but a vicious Rottweiler barking at
passers-by.

In that moment, he realized how meaningless his job was – especially since it could be done even more
efficiently by a dog. Meanwhile, Steve Jobs, who was also 25 at the time, was about to take Apple public and
transform the computer industry forever. How could anyone ever catch up?

The key message here is: Young people progress at different rates, depending on when their brains mature.
In his late twenties, the author reached a key moment in his career. It was at this point that he felt as if his
brain had suddenly “woken up.”

He was able to read publications like the New York Times instead of watching TV news. He was also able to
spot entrepreneurial ideas and write complex business proposals, whereas beforehand he could barely write
a coherent sentence.
So, what caused this sudden awakening?

According to emerging research, most people between the ages of 18 and 25 aren’t yet fully adult. In fact,
they’re living in what’s known as post adolescence – where they’re a few cognitive processes short of having a
fully functioning adult brain.
In young brains, the prefrontal cortex – responsible for things like planning, organizing, and problem-solving
– is the last part to develop. This means that adolescents are, quite literally, not ready to bloom until later on
in life.
For proof, consider the findings of a study of longitudinal brain development sponsored by the National
Institute of Mental Health. The scientists followed 5,000 children aged 3 to 16 up to their early adulthood,
and found that their brains didn’t fully mature until the age of 25 – or even later.

This is why young people’s drive to achieve early success doesn’t make sen se. It also doesn’t make sense for
parents to expect kids to be cognitively exceptional when their brains haven’t even properly developed yet.
Instead, children and young adults should be taught that they can bloom at any age. Taking their time to
discover their talents and interests is essential for long-term happiness and success.

“Our current obsession with early blooming is a human construct, not supported by science.”
Nowadays, the traditional path of finding a job and getting married has changed. Young people are taking
longer to finish school, become financially independent, and start a family. Instead, many prefer to remain
unattached to romantic partners or permanent homes.

A large-scale national study conducted in the US since the late 1970s has found that today’s 25 -year-olds are
twice as likely as their parents’ generation to still be in school, and 50 percent are more likely to be receiving
financial support from their parents.

So, what we would generally call “adulthood” is happening later than ever. But that’s not necessarily a bad
thing.

The key message here is: Emerging adulthood is an important period of self-actualization.
Jeffrey Arnett, a psychology professor at Clark University, thinks that social and economic changes have led
to the need for a new life stage between adolescence and young adulthood. He calls this period emerging
adulthood, and it happens roughly between the ages of 18 and 30.
The cultural changes that led to this concept include fewer entry-level jobs, the need for more education, and
less of a rush among young people to get married.

As a late bloomer himself, Arnett believes that our twenties are an important time of discovery – where we
embark on adventures, travels, and relationships with a sense of freedom we may never feel again. He also
believes that prolonging the period of emerging adulthood has a number of cognitive benefits.

For instance, taking a year or two off before, during, or after college can help maintain brain plasticity – your
brain’s ability to rewire itself by forming new connections. It can also foster independent thinking and the
acquisition of new skills, as well as boost motivation and drive.
Prolonging the period of emerging adulthood doesn’t just mean chilling out and watching the world go by. It
means engaging in cognitively stimulating and demanding activities.

For example, the Mormon religion actively encourages young men and women to take a break from college
and go on two-year missions. This means that many of them graduate from university when they’re 24 years
old – instead of the typical 22.

What this means is that, in a neurological sense, they’re much closer to full adult capability before they search
for a job, go to graduate school, or get married. If other 20-somethings followed this example, they might be
more prepared for the challenges and responsibilities of adult life.
There comes a time in life when we forget things more easily or make silly mistakes. At this age, it’s common
for people to think that they’re “past their prime.”

And yet the idea that we achieve a cognitive peak in our youth and decline slowly from then on is simply
untrue. In fact, science has shown that we actually get smarter and more creative as the years go by.

The key message here is: We develop new skills and uncover new strengths as we age.
In 2015, scientists Laura Germine and Joshua Hartshorne made a radical discovery. After meas uring the
cognitive abilities of nearly 50,000 subjects through online brain tests, they found that different cognitive
skills peak at different times.

For example, the speed at which we process information peaks in our late teens, while our short-term memory
continues to improve until around the age of 25 before leveling off for another decade.

The ability to evaluate complex patterns – including other people’s emotional states – peaks when we’re in
our forties or fifties. Also, our crystallized intelligence – our lifetime accumulation of facts and knowledge –
only peaks when we’re in our late sixties or early seventies.
So, while aging leads to cognitive decline in some ways, it leads to cognitive gain in others. This becomes clear
when you consider the findings of the Seattle Longitudinal Study from the University of Washington, a project
that began in the 1950s and still continues to unearth just how adaptable our brains really are.

Sherry Willis, the current study leader, recently discovered that air-traffic controllers tend to decline in
mental processing speed and short-term memory as they age, but their performance remains intact. This is
because spatial reasoning and emotional calm – two skills that are crucial for air-traffic controllers – improve
throughout middle age.

The adult brain is capable of a lot more than we give it credit for. It can rewire itself well into middle age,
incorporating years of experiences and behaviors. For example, research shows that the middle-aged mind is
calmer, less neurotic, and better able to manage social situations.

This is all good news for late bloomers. As long as you invest in your health, your education, an d your curiosity
in the world, you can enjoy many cognitive peaks throughout your life.
When you were younger, what did you imagine your career would be like?

Perhaps you pictured traveling the world, meeting interesting people, or starting a company that would
change thousands of lives.

Sadly, many people struggle to achieve goals like these. That’s because the typical career path doesn’t allow
for it.

From a young age, we’re taught that we should take a job and stick with it long enough to get paid more. Too
much experimentation? That’s just a waste of time.

We’re also told that retiring at the age of 60 is totally normal. And while that view might have made sense
once upon a time, it needs to change.

The key message here is: We need a new career pathway that allows for continual blooming.
In most companies, good employees are rewarded with fancier titles, more authority, and bigger paychecks
– until the day comes when this no longer works.

Once employees have maxed out on their capability and their willingness to work long hours, companies can’t
keep raising their salary; it costs too much money and prevents younger employees from getting promotions.
This is why many employers get rid of people once they’ve reached their peak – a practice known to law and
accounting firms as up-and-out.
While this makes some sense, it’s also a waste of human capital. Many people that get laid off at the accepted
age of retirement are still talented, experienced employees with a lot to contribute.

According to the author, society needs to flip this mindset. Instead of looking at careers as a linear, up-and-
out path, we should look at them as an arc – or a series of arcs – where even senior employees “past their
peak” can still do valuable work.

What does a career arc look like? First, there would be no forced retirement age, but pay rises would stop and
salaries might even decline. Also, titles would eventually stop accruing – for example, a vice president might
evolve to be a senior consultant.

Everyone deserves the opportunity to grow and develop in their own way. That’s why it’s time for society to
recognize and celebrate the fact that we’re all different. And thanks to our diverse backgrounds and skills,
each of us can create a unique path toward blooming.
When he was growing up, Erik Wahl was taught to get perfect grades, go to a top college, and get a job that
would make him lots of money. And for a while that mentality worked.

He began his career working for an agency that booked entertainment and keynote speakers. Within a year,
he became a partner in the firm.

Then came the economic crash of 2008. Corporations stopped booking entertainers for trade shows, and,
within a few weeks, Wahl lost everything he’d worked for. Little did he know that he was about to gain more
than he had ever dreamed.

The key message here is: Separating ourselves from cultural influences can help us forge our own paths.
Because the old belief system that he’d grown up with wasn’t working anymore, Wah l found another route.
He started hanging out with artists – who he’d always admired for their carefree thinking – and began
learning how to paint.

At first, his paintings were terrible. But the more he tried, the better he got. Eventually, he was able to make
more money as a performance artist than he ever did as a businessman and investor.

If you think about it, all of us are influenced by culture – which is made up of our family, peers, and society.
This culture affects our expectations and our self-image, and can often lead us down paths that aren’t right
for us, just like Wahl’s pressure to conform led him away from discovering his artistic gifts.

So, if you feel like you haven’t yet had the chance to bloom, examine your cultural influences to see if an y of
them are holding you back.

For example, if your family is pressuring you to take a job that isn’t right for you, it might be time to declare
your independence from them. This doesn’t mean rejecting their love or rebelling against their expectations;
it just means choosing your own path that will enable you to bloom.

Of course, declaring true independence is never easy, especially when you’re dealing with people you love.
That’s why, in the next blink, we'll look at how you can shake off the cultural in fluences that don’t help you
bloom – and start shaping your own fate.

“Potential bloomers have to get off the conveyor belt and find a new path of discovery.”
Have you ever felt as if you can’t break away from an older, outdated version of yourself?

For example, you might have been “Katy the band nerd” in high school. But, two decades later, your friends
still call you by that nickname – even though you’ve grown up, had kids, and not touched the clarinet in years.

This kind of situation plays out in the workplace too, and late bloomers experience it far too often. No matter
how much you try to improve yourself, your boss will attempt to keep you in your current place. If that’s the
case, your real job is to break free.

The key message here is: Late bloomers have to reinvent themselves to reach their full potential.
When a flowering rose bush grows too large for its container, it has to be pulled up from the roots and
transferred to a different pot. If you’re a late bloomer that hasn’t yet been given the chance to develop, you
might need to do the same.

In other words, you might need to “re-pot” yourself to reach your full potential. This could involve spending
time with like-minded people, getting a new job, or even moving somewhere else. Yes, switching up your
environment like this might sound drastic, but it works.

Just look at late-blooming author Kimberly Harrington. As a copywriter and creative director at ad agencies,
she always wanted to write long-form essays and books. But life in Los Angeles wasn’t good for her creativity.

She knew everyone in the business, the environment was always competitive and highly charged, and it cost
too much to socialize and be “cool” all the time. So, she uprooted herself and settled down in rural Vermont,
where she was soon surrounded by academics, environmentalists, and people with a genuine interest in the
world.

It wasn’t long before her point of view started to expand. Running her own freelance business away from the
pressure-cooker environment of the ad world gave her the headspace to create – and allowed her to write her
first book at the age of 50.

By being brave enough to actively reinvent herself, Harrington found her path. All late bloomers can do this
as well; it just takes courage to leave behind the communities that try to box you in, and start creating a new
identity on your own terms.
The key message in these blinks:
There’s nothing wrong or unusual about finding your way later in life. In fact, when you take the longer road
to success, you can develop a clearer sense of who you are and where you want to go. Along your journey,
you’ll meet new people, acquire new skills, and find new ways of seeing the world. So, instead of seeing
yourself as wasted potential, abandon your fears and allow yourself to bloom.

Actionable advice:

Quit when you need to.

In today’s world, “quitting” is a dirty word. Quitting a job means that you can’t handle the stress, while
quitting a relationship means you lack the willpower to make it work. But if it forces you to pursue something
better, quitting can help you achieve your goals. So, if you’re stuck in a job, a relationship, or a social bubble
that isn’t serving you, don’t be afraid to quit. You’ll thank yourself later!