Just a couple of days ago, YouTube recommended me a video titled “I’m 57. If you’re in your 20s, please watch this.” It’s not the first time I’ve been recommended a video like this. In fact, similar titles seem to pop up frequently—each urging a group of 20- or 30-year-olds to pay attention to someone’s wisdom so that they won’t mess up their life. While I appreciate the intention behind sharing life lessons, I’ve realized something: these videos stress me out.

A few years back, I found myself in a phase where I was constantly being reminded of the remarkable achievements of younger people. These stories would always be accompanied by an emphasis on their youth, almost as if the age itself was the true measure of their accomplishments. It made me feel like I was behind. This sense of falling short reached a peak when I learned about Laurent Simons, a child prodigy who, at 8 years old, attended my university. At his age, he was breezing through courses in a way that made my progress feel sluggish in comparison.

I started to feel a subtle but persistent pressure. The more I encountered these stories, the more it felt like success in any area had an expiration date—one that I had already missed. The implicit narrative seems to be that if you haven’t “made it” by 30, you’ve somehow missed your chance. And as helpful as well-meaning advice videos from others can be, they too carry this implicit pressure: a reminder that there’s always something more you should have accomplished by now.

I think the focus on youth is misguided. There’s nothing inherently more impressive about achieving something amazing at 20 than at 40, or 60, or 80 for that matter. In fact, deciding to make big changes later in life—reevaluating your path and having the courage to start anew—is its own kind of success.

What we should celebrate more often is the resilience of those who take the time to reflect, to question the decisions they made earlier, and to have the courage to pursue new dreams at any stage in life. That kind of growth—the willingness to continuously evolve and redefine success for yourself—is something to be proud of.

If you ever feel like you’re falling behind, take a step back and consider what really defines success for you. Achievements don’t have an expiration date. It’s tempting to measure yourself against others, but your path is distinct, and greatness can be achieved at any stage of life.

Photo by Rod Long on Unsplash