At the age of 40 Colonel Harland Sanders was running a gas station in Kentucky where he also fed hungry travelers. Receiving lots of positive feedback about his chicken recipe, he moved his operation to a restaurant across the street.

After having to close this same restaurant when he was 65, he found himself penniless. He retired and received his fist social security check for $105. Though retired from work, he was not nearly retired from his passion for his chicken, and at an age where most people assume it's time to call it quits and retire, the Colonel traveled door-to-door to houses and restaurants all over the local area trying to find partners to franchise his chicken recipe.

For those of you that may know the story, his relentless pursuit for his dream was unshakable – the legend goes that he was turned down 1,009 times before he got his first yes. Let me repeat that, he was turned down 1,009 times before being told yes once.

The deal he made with the first store was that each piece of chicken the restaurant sold would earn him a nickel. So to ensure he could keep the recipe safe for profitable use with future partnerships, he would ship pre-made packets of herbs and spices for cooking. By 1964 Colonel Sanders was operating 600 franchises and sold his company for $2 million. In 1976 he was ranked as the world's second most recognizable celebrity.  

There's a great quote from Forbes editor Rich Karlgaard that reads – "what a late bloomer really is, is somebody who blossoms on their own schedule."

Or equally as powerful, a quote from the famous Victor Frankl that reads "Those who have a why to live can bear almost any how."

It is never too late to be great. Whether you're a transplanted agent from another line of work looking to make a new start, or a seasoned veteran unsure if you've reached your peak – it is never too late to be great. History is filled with the names of individuals whose fame was achieved in their later years or after numerous professional flops. So long as we are relentless in our pursuit of our dreams, it is never too late to be great. Remember friends, the best is yet to come…

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 I appreciate you joining me today, hopefully you can find a way to apply your shot into today, until tomorrow, have a better day today than yesterday.

The views of this blog, "Your Morning Shot" podcast, and on this site in general are solely those of the authors, Matt Weaver (NMLS-175651) and Zack Lewis, and do not express the views or opinions of Finance of America Mortgage.