It’s Never Too Late to Become Something New: Lynn’s Wisdom

Embracing something new isn’t new for Lynn.

Born in the Bronx, she’s worked in retail and fashion, as well as executive roles at companies like Unilever^® and Weight Watchers^®, before becoming a life coach at 72. She believes her innate curiosity has played a major role in her many personal reinventions.

Now 94, Lynn’s experience has reinforced a belief she wishes more people would embrace: “It’s never too late to become something you haven’t been before.”

That mindset has helped her approach each stage of life as an opportunity rather than a limitation.

Ignore the gremlins

Perhaps Lynn’s greatest change came while training as a life coach, when she learned to give up her gremlins.

“Gremlins are the little voices we develop in our brains that keep giving us negative messages about ourselves,” she says. “For example, when I was in second grade, I gave the wrong answer to a teacher’s question, and I was humiliated. So, I shrank into myself and didn’t want to risk raising my hand again.”

She says the paradox of these gremlins is that, while they reinforce limiting thoughts, they also protect us from future embarrassment. Her life coach training helped her understand that these protections are also limitations.

“When I finally realized I could let go of these gremlins,” Lynn says, “I told myself, ‘Now I’m free. I can do whatever I want.’ And I started doing whatever I wanted! But it took long enough. I mean, 72 years is a long time to be hidden.”

There’s no such thing as ‘too late’

Like most people during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lynn found she suddenly had more time than she knew what to do with, so she started writing.

While it began as a way to process her thoughts and feelings, writing became a part of her daily experience. When a friend suggested she set a goal to write 50 blogs, Lynn wrote 250.

“And I’m still writing,” she says.

Those articles have also been gathered and turned into a book for family and friends.

“I think curiosity is something that really helps you to get older and not get old,” Lynn says.

Lynn’s curiosity remains as strong as ever. In addition to writing, she continues to look for new friends, hobbies and interests at her Manhattan senior living community, Atria West 86.

“There’s no such thing as ‘waiting too long’ or ‘starting too late,’” she says. “It’s not a good idea to keep those words in your head. Go do whatever you feel like doing.”

In celebration of Atria’s 30th anniversary, we’re sharing Pearls of Wisdom from the wisest people we know – the residents in our senior living communities, who have navigated every chapter of life. Visit AtriaPearls.com to browse an archive of their advice and gather even more wisdom.