Most people think I admire Stan Lee because he created Spider-Man or The Avengers. True, I definitely give him his super-hero props. As a comic book reader I grew up seeing his name in comics and hearing his voice in Saturday morning cartoons.
But that’s not why he’s one of my role models.
What makes Lee special to me would hit me later in life. It was when I learned he didn’t work for Marvel until his his 40’s!
When I left my insurance job for Marvel Comics I was in my 30’s. Even though I snagged my dream job, I still had a ton of head trash. Why couldn’t I have done this earlier? I should have went to art school. Everyone is so much better than me!
The list goes on…
Once I learned Lee didn’t work his magic till his 40’s. That helped me clean up all my negative self talk about what I should have done . Or all those missed opportunities.
And don’t think Lee didn’t have head trash too.
“I used to be embarrassed because I was just a comic-book writer while other people were building bridges or going on to medical careers. And then I began to realize: Entertainment is one of the most important things in people’s lives. Without it they might go off the deep end. I feel that if you’re able to entertain people, you’re doing a good thing.”
Let me tell ya, everything you have done to this point makes you uniquely placed to do something. I don’t care what your age is.
Oprah Winfrey said, “The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams.”
So suit-up like the X-men, and live YOUR adventure. Head trash is like your mother-in-law. It doesn’t go away but you ain’t gotta listen to it either.
Excelsior!
Adam