Is 30s a Bit Too Late to Come Out? Let’s Talk!

Aren’t we all tired of measuring our achievements against our age? For too long, we’ve conformed to societal norms, burying our true selves while letting the outside world dictate what success should look like.

We’ve been told we should be married by 25, have children by 28, and have everything figured out by 30. If we don’t meet these milestones, we risk being labeled as “failures” or “uncelebrated.”

The era when society held all the power is over. In the past few decades, countless beliefs, once seen as timeless truths, have changed.

Growing up, Sage M. Forman, the author of Somewhere Between ‘Just Fine’ and the Emergency Room, rarely saw examples of women who were single at 40, thriving in their careers, and choosing to remain childless without guilt. He had no mentors to guide him, so he decided to become one for Gen Z and Gen Alpha. He wants them to know they can live life on their own terms without feeling pressured.

Of course, someone who marries young and has everything sorted by 30 can be looked upon as an example or a source of motivation for many.

However, we must recognize that life doesn’t follow a single path for millions of people. By promoting only one definition of success, we overlook many who take longer to find the right partner due to past trauma or those who lack educational opportunities and must start from scratch just to meet basic needs.

We also forget those with medical conditions that prevent them from starting a family by 30. These expectations can render many individuals unproductive members of society. In reality, they could be the next Marie Curie or Albert Einstein—brilliant minds who faced their own challenges.

In the recent century, we have examples of individuals who have started “late” but managed to make a bigger impact on the world.

• • Jack Ma: He started his company, Alibaba, at the age of 35, which has now become one of the leading and trusted e-commerce brands. He stated in his interview that he got rejected more than 15+ times by multiple companies, but he didn’t lose hope.
• • Reid Hoffman: Popularly known as the Co-founder of LinkedIn, he started his career with LinkedIn at the age of 36. Before that, he worked with multiple tech companies, which made his path a lot easier to create a platform like LinkedIn.
• • Martha Stewart: At the age of 41, she launched her first book and catering business, eventually founding Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. She became a household name in lifestyle and home improvement.
• • Arianna Huffington: She is phenomenal among all our candidates. When she turned 55, she founded the Huffington Post, one of the most popular news websites, which changed the meaning of modern journalism.

It’s disheartening that society often fails those who don’t fit the mold. For a long time, many people neglect their inner voice just to fit in and survive. Like millions of people, Forman played the role of a married woman until, one day, he chose to be honest with his husband. To his surprise, he accepted him as he was. That moment brought him immense joy and changed his life.

Sage spent most part of his life being someone he was not. So why feel hopeless? You deserve better than that. Be resilient and live your life authentically. After all, we only live once—so make it count. Grab your copy of Sage M. Forman’s Somewhere Between ‘Just Fine’ and the Emergency Room to know you’re not alone; it’s never too late to come out!