It Is Never Too Late

We used the EORTC QLQ-C30-questionnaire (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life) to assess global quality of life (QoL). A higher score (max 100%) represents a higher quality of life [23]. The module EORTC QLQ-CIPN20 and neurotoxicity subscale (NtxS) of FACT&GOG (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy/Gynaecology Oncology Group) were used to estimate CIPN severity. For CIPN20, we calculated a sum score and five sub-scores (sensory, motor, autonomic, upper and lower extremity). Each sub-score ranges from 0 to 100, where higher scores represent more severe symptoms or impairment.

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Freiburg (399/13). All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Written informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Recent studies, using predominantly visual tasks, indicate that early bilinguals tend to outperform monolinguals on attention tests. It remains less clear whether such advantages extend to those bilinguals who have acquired their second language later in life. We examined this question in 38 monolingual and 60 bilingual university students. The bilingual group was further subdivided into early childhood (ECB), late childhood (LCB), and early adulthood bilinguals (EAB). The assessment consisted of five subtests from the clinically validated Test of Everyday Attention (TEA). Overall, bilinguals outperformed monolinguals on auditory attention tests, but not on visual search tasks. The latter observation suggests that the differences between bilinguals and monolinguals are specific and not due to a generally higher cognitive performance in bilinguals. Within the bilingual group, ECB showed a larger advantage on attention switching, LCB/EAB on selective attention. We conclude that the effects of bilingualism extend into the auditory domain and are not confined to childhood bilinguals, although their scope might be slightly different in early and late bilinguals.

Citation: Bak TH, Vega-Mendoza M and Sorace A (2014) Never too late? An advantage on tests of auditory attention extends to late bilinguals. Front. Psychol. 5:485. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00485

They're people who might have started college right after high school, but never finished. They might have had a lot of really great work experience and can't afford to quit their jobs in order to go back to school. They might have military service. Maybe they've received some technical training and leadership experience. Maybe they are raising a family.

So you spent the first half of your life as a couch potato, and think it's too late for exercise to do any good? Think again. An observational study published online March 8, 2019, by JAMA Network Open links exercise to a lower risk for an early death, even if you wait until middle age to start a regular routine. Researchers analyzed health and exercise surveys from 315,000 older adults in the 1990s, then followed up to see who was still alive in 2011. Compared with people who never exercised, older adults who'd exercised consistently since they were teenagers had a 36% lower risk of dying during the study period. Those numbers were similar to the results for people who'd been inactive in their youth and only began exercising regularly in their 40s, 50s, and 60s. That group had a 35% lower risk of dying, compared with people who never exercised. The findings suggest that it's never too late to start an exercise regimen. Try brisk walking, swimming, or any exercise that gets your heart and lungs pumping.

Sign up to get tips for living a healthy lifestyle, with ways to fight inflammation and improve cognitive health, plus the latest advances in preventative medicine, diet and exercise, pain relief, blood pressure and cholesterol management, and more.

I'm not saying that being an entrepreneur is easy or the answer for everyone. Change is never easy, but it is worth it knowing you're living the life you're meant for -- the one you've been capable of all along. Everyone has different paths they're destined for in life, and it's up to you to make your dream a reality.

Success can come early in life. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were in their early 20s when they started Microsoft and Apple, respectively. Certainly they were born to be entrepreneurs. But there are many others whose success was unexpected and perhaps unplanned. It's fairly well-known that at 31, J.K. Rowling was depressed and on welfare as a single mom in the U.K. In 2004, Forbes listed her as the first billionaire author, and she's been kind enough to give away much of that fortune to charitable work over the years. Sam Walton managed a variety store at 26; 18 years later, in July 1962, Walton opened Walmart when he was 44 years old. Henri Nestle was born in 1814 with the name Heinrich as one of 14 children. He worked in a number of industries before he developed powdered milk for infants in 1867. He was 53. By the 1870s, he was selling Nestle products throughout the U.S. Colonel Harland Sanders spent his early years as an insurance salesman and filling station operator, until he began selling his secret recipe for fried chicken during the Great Depression. In 1952, at 62 years old, he opened the first KFC franchise in Utah.

So, why do these stories matter? These aren't just people who made a fortune with reputable, worldwide brands. These are entrepreneurs who serve to inspire. It doesn't matter if you're 10 years old selling lemonade on your neighborhood block, or you're 60 and you've determined how to solve one of life's annoying challenges. It is never too late. If you don't try, you'll never know if you would have succeeded. And if you don't, that's OK, too. Life is a learning experience, and it's meant to be lived. I'd sure rather be at the end of my life thinking of all the adventures throughout my journey than all the days unlived, the words left unsaid and the dreams left unfulfilled.

(Great thanks to Karen Pfeiffer Jones @nykaren24 whose inquiry gave impetus to QI to formulate this question and initiate this exploration. Special thanks to Rebecca Mead and Leah Price for their very valuable efforts.)

Honestly, this is advice every doctor probably has given to patients. But this recent study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, adds to a growing body of scientific research that supports the idea that dietary changes later in life can have a positive impact on your health.

Play can stimulate your imagination, helping you adapt and solve problems. Have you forgotten how to play? Does it seem too silly to dance around your living room to your favorite song, or play a game on-line, do a craft, or something bigger that falls into the category of play or fun for you?

I was one of three girls in my family. Many years ago, my sister wanted us to go on a hot air balloon ride when we vacationed together in Arizona. We had to get up terribly early to start the adventure at sunrise. After the balloon was inflated and the passengers were boarded, up we went.

Stromwell collapses, sobbing "Michael... Michael...". A voice answers, "I'm here, Arnie". The old priest steps into the light, Father Michael Stromwell. He wasn't killed but lost a leg, something for which Arnold never forgave himself. Out of guilt, he angrily rejects Michael's offer of help, only to be reminded of the current dismal state of his life: his family is broken, his son is gravely ill, his empire is crumbling, and his enemies are closing in. Michael appeals to Stromwell, asking him to do the right thing, for his family and for himself. Stromwell hugs his brother, sobbing. 2b1af7f3a8

It Is Never Too Late

Subscribe Form