Age is just a number

30/11/2022

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Last weekend, I celebrated my 45^th birthday. Frankly, I don’t understand how or when I reached this age. Time has flown by so quickly. I don’t mind getting older at all; on the contrary, I say, “What a wonderful thing to have experienced another year.” There’s a classic saying, “Age is just a number,” and I believe it too. What matters is how you feel and keeping your dreams alive. Nothing in life has an age limit or a specific timeframe. You do it whenever you want. In this article, I’ll delve deeper into this topic.

In Turkey, no matter what you talk about, you’re always faced with a reference to age. People comment as if everything has an age limit. They’ll either say you’re too young or you’re too old.

Let’s start with some examples of early-age rhetoric:

Don’t start your own business so young. Get a job first, gain experience, and then think about it in your 40s (Why? There are thousands of people who became millionaires, even billionaires, in their twenties).
No one has done this before. Are you going to do something no one else has been able to do at such a young age? (Why? There are dozens of examples of people who achieved things and innovated in their teens or twenties)?
Don’t get married so young. Then, because you lack experience, you’ll find yourself looking for others. (Why? There are couples who marry in their twenties and are happy for life).

And then, there are statements made that refer to late age (I’ll give my response to these statements with the following examples):

Don’t wait until your 30s to get married; you’re basically stuck at home.
Is it possible to exercise this much after 40?
Is it possible to undertake work after this age? Etc. Etc.

As I turn 45, I feel like I’ve lived my life to the fullest and have accomplished a lot in this time. With this post, I won’t write another birthday post until I’m 50. Because I’ve said enough; it’s time to focus.

As for this post, I don’t know how to explain it exactly, but I feel like I’m just starting out. Especially after overcoming 2017, the worst year of my life, and the crises that followed… Let me share a summary of my past work as an example:

Professional life in a family business

2001 – 2006 Ritz-Carlton Asset Management

2006 – 2009 Coca-Cola Iraq Project Management

2009 – 2011 KFC and Pizza Hut Turkey CEO

Entrepreneurship

2011 – 2013 Hitit Solar: I sold the CSP (Concentrated Solar Energy) company I founded in 2011 to foreign investors in 2013 and exited.

2012 – 2019 EkoCCS: I sold the Call Center and Software Development Company I founded in 2012 to Turkish investors in 2019 and exited. My former partners, who were very creative, could not use the Eko name, so they later changed the company’s name to EchoCCS. You can access the company’s website at http://www.echoccs.com.

2013 – ongoing EkoRE: EkoRE, which I founded in 2013, continues its operations.

2014 – 2021 Moka: We sold the fintech company I founded in 2014 to İş Bankası in 2021. You can access the company’s website at http://www.moka.com.

Social Responsibility

In 2010, I founded Tider (Basic Needs Association). This organization, which supports those in need to meet their basic needs while helping them become self-sufficient, has helped millions of people over the years. You can access the association’s website at http://www.tider.org.
I served as Honorary Consul of Costa Rica between 2008 and 2021. I left in December 2021 due to the intensity of my work.

Some firsts and highlights in my life

Turkey – Türkiye: The campaign I launched on social media in 2019 to change the English word “Turkey” was successful, and the Republic of Turkey officially requested that its official English name be changed to “Türkiye.”

Solar Energy: I was one of the first to enter solar energy in Turkey. We faced significant challenges initially, but we have now succeeded in creating a sector with increasing growth momentum. I first entered the sector in 2011 by founding a company commercializing CSP parabolic trough technology, which generates heat. Two years later, we sold the company and established a PV company that generates electricity. We began by establishing a technical team responsible for project development, EPC, and operations.

100% Renewable Energy: I was one of the first to voice that Turkey should aim for 100% renewable energy. See: http://turkishpolicy.com/article/632/why-turkey-should-aim-for-100-renewable-energy-summer-2013

Fintech: I was one of the first to enter the fintech sector. Last year, we sold our company, Moka Payment Institution, which we founded in 2014 and operates with the classic model of Virtual POS, Web POS, and bill payment, to İş Bankası.

Food Banking: I was one of the first to initiate food banking in Turkey. Over the years, we have helped millions of people in need through the food banking model we launched at Tider, where I was the founding president.

Disaster Platform: I was the founder, originator, and early spokesperson of this platform, which enables over 20 NGOs to come together and act in a coordinated manner during disasters.
Coca-Cola Iraq: Coca-Cola Iraq was the first investment after the war in Iraq. We also managed this project, managing its planning between 2006 and 2007, its construction between 2007 and 2008, and its operations between 2008 and 2009. In 2009, we sold our shares in the family company and exited.

Organizing the first official visit from Central America to Turkey: During my time as Honorary Consul of Costa Rica, we organized the first official visit from Central America to Turkey in 2009 by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias. We made history in diplomacy.

First Green Restaurant KFC Bostancı: We opened KFC Bostancı, the first green restaurant for Yum International, owner of KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell. This LEED-certified restaurant features a rooftop solar energy system (SPP), and its kitchen and restrooms are specially designed to minimize water consumption.

First Vending Machine Food Bank: As pioneers of food banking, we also launched the first vending machine food bank. This means those in need can receive aid from a vending machine, following a plan we developed with the Kadıköy Municipality.

Hilda Hidalgo Visit: We organized the Turkish premiere of the film “Love and Other Demons” by renowned Costa Rican director Hilda Hidalgo. Hidalgo’s famous film was screened at Istanbul Modern: https://www.istanbulmodern.org/tr/sinema/hilda-hidalgo-ile-bulusma_366.html

Jose Sancho Exhibition: The exhibition “Erotic Nature” by Jose Sancho, one of Costa Rica’s most important sculptors, was held at the Pera Museum. This summer exhibition also marked the first exhibition of this caliber by a Costa Rican artist in Turkey: https://www.peramuzesi.org.tr/sergi/jose-sancho/207

I still have a lot of work to do

Having accomplished all this, I sincerely feel, “I still have a lot of work to do.”

The truth is, you should never set a time limit for achieving your dreams in your work, personal life, and hobbies. As long as you feel healthy, you can achieve your dreams at any age. There are many examples of people who realized their dreams later in life. In this article, I will cover this topic in three categories: Professional Life (Entrepreneurship, Science, Art, Literature), Sports, and Personal Life (Marriage).

Now, let’s move on to those who realized their business dreams later in life. I’m listing them without any specific criteria:

Entrepreneurship

1) Sam Walton: Having entered the retail industry in his 20s and 30s, Walton was not very successful. In 1962, at the age of 44, he founded the American grocery chain Walmart, aiming to reach more customers and achieve greater profits in the long run by lowering prices. With his strategy, Walton found the cheapest goods and offered them to customers in a simple manner, enabling Walmart stores to rapidly grow and expand globally. Today, Walmart is one of America’s most valuable companies.

2) Henry Ford: Henry Ford, who produced standardized, single-type automobiles, was constantly seeking innovation. In 1893, he produced the first single-cylinder gasoline engine. Ford was 45 years old when he created the Model T in 1908. His Model T became known worldwide. It became popular with the American middle class, breaking sales records and becoming the third best-selling automobile in the world. Reaching its peak at the age of 45, Henry Ford is known as one of the world’s most successful car manufacturers.

3) Donald Fisher: 40-year-old Fisher, who opened the first Gap store with his wife in San Francisco in 1969, had no prior sales experience. However, the Gap brand quickly became fashionable, and today it is one of the world’s largest clothing chains.

4) Ray Kroc: Before acquiring McDonald’s, one of the world’s largest fast-food brands, Kroc worked as a salesman. Having worked in various business fields, Ray Kroc finally entered the marketing of mixer appliances. A large order brought him into contact with McDonald’s and from that day on, he realized the lack of fast-food restaurants in the market. He negotiated with the McDonald brothers, arguing that more branches should be opened. Kroc, who had a profit deal through McDonald’s openings in many parts of America, wasn’t satisfied with this; he purchased the company from the brothers, who gave McDonald’s its name, for $2.7 million in 1961, making the best investment of his life after turning 50.

5) Harland (Colonel) Sanders: Harland Sanders, known as Colonel Sanders, lost his father at the age of five and began working at an early age. Sanders, who held various jobs, founded the now-popular KFC in 1952 at the age of 62. Over the next 12 years, he expanded the chain and sold it for $2 million. Sanders, who agreed to be paid $250,000 annually to remain the official face of KFC, passed away at the age of 90, leaving behind a multi-million dollar brand.

6) Asa Candler: As the first president of The Coca-Cola Company, Asa Candler was one of the most influential figures in the brand’s growth. In 1891, at the age of 40, Candler developed the Coca-Cola company’s vision and made a name for himself. Initially sold only in Atlanta, Candler promoted the drink throughout America through advertising campaigns, eventually expanding it globally.

Known as one of The Coca-Cola Company’s most successful CEOs, Asa Candler achieved many firsts and made his name in history.

7) Taikichiro Mori: At the age of 51, an academic turned real estate investor founded Mori Construction Company. Thanks to his brilliant investments, Mori became the richest person in the world in 1992 with a fortune of $13 billion.

8) Robin Chase: Chase founded Zipcar in 2000 at the age of 42. He left the company in 2011 to pursue other careers, including his membership in the World Economic Forum.

9) Tim Zagat and Nina Zagat: The 51-year-old lawyer couple launched their first collection of restaurant reviews under the Zagat name in 1979. Their collection became a household name in the culinary world.

10) Jack Ma: Jack Ma, who had never written a line of code in his life and first started using a computer in his 30s, describes his pre-Alibaba life as a complete loser. Not even considered qualified to work at KFC and having failed the university entrance exam three times, Ma struggled through over 30 unsuccessful jobs before finally discovering computers and soon founding his first internet company, generating $800,000 in revenue in three years. Following China’s Yellow Pages initiative, Jack Ma founded Alibaba.com. Although the company failed to generate profit for the first two years, it is now among the world’s most valuable brands. Achieving all this without writing a single line of code is a remarkable success story.

Science

1) Charles Darwin: Darwin spent most of his life as a naturalist. He forever changed the world of science with his work On the Origin of Species, published in 1859 at the age of 50. Although he began his scientific adventure as a researcher at 22, it took him almost 30 years to complete his work.

2) Alexander Fleming: Sir Alexander Fleming (August 6, 1881 – March 11, 1955) was the Scottish bacteriologist who discovered penicillin. He worked in the vaccination department of St. Mary’s Hospital in London from 1924 to 1948. Beginning in 1927, at the age of 46, he studied the properties of a mold in the genus Penicillium. Lacking the financial means to produce penicillin, he waited until 1939 (at the age of 58). He was assisted by scholars such as Sir Howard Florey and Ernst Boris Chain, and together they completed the morphological and clinical studies of penicillin at the Oxford University School of Medicine. Thus, industrial production of penicillin began in America. He and two friends won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1945 (at the age of 64).

3) Jack Cover: Cover, who worked as a scientist at organizations such as NASA and IBM, became a famous entrepreneur with the Taser stun gun he invented at age 50.

Art

1) Samuel L. Jackson: Jackson, a sought-after figure in Hollywood for years, had only appeared in a few small roles before appearing in the award-winning Spark Lee film “Jungle Fever” at age 43.

2) Anna Mary Robertson Moses: Known as Grandma Moses, she began her painting career at the age of 78. In 2006, one of her paintings sold for $1.2 million.

3) Betty White: Award-winning actress White is one of the greatest actresses in comedy history. She became an icon when she joined the cast of The Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1973 at the age of 53.

4) Stan Lee: Stan Lee, who created his first comic strip, “Fantastic Four,” in 1961, was 39 years old. Within a few years, he created the Marvel universe, which became American icons like Spider-Man and the X-Men.

5) Rodney Dangerfield: The legendary comedian achieved success with his film “The Ed Sullivan Show” at the age of 46.

6) Ang Lee: Taiwanese director born in 1954. Lee won two Oscars for Best Director: Brokeback Mountain (2005) in 2006 and Life of Pi (2012) in 2013.

Literature

1) Jose Saramago: He is one of the most widely read writers in the world. What many people don’t know about Saramago is that he achieved his first major literary success with the novel “Risen from the Earth” at the age of 58. This success, followed by other works, earned Saramago the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1988.

2) Penelope Fitzgerald: Due to numerous personal and literary challenges, the renowned British author Penelope Fitzgerald was unable to publish her first book until she turned 60.

3) Harry Bernstein: Harry Bernstein spent many years writing in obscurity. He finally achieved fame with his memoir, The Invisible Wall: A Love Story That Broke Barriers, published in 2007 at the age of 96.

4) Raymond Chandler: Raymond Thornton Chandler (1888-1959) was an American-British novelist and screenwriter. He began writing detective novels at the age of 44 after losing his job as an oil company executive in 1932 during the Great Depression. His first short story, “Blackmailers Don’t Shoot,” was published in the popular magazine Black Mask in 1933, and his first novel, “The Big Sleep,” was published in 1939.

Politics

1) Winston Churchill: Winston Churchill, who didn’t come to power until he was 66, is a prime example of those who achieved success later in life. Churchill was one of the most important statesmen in British history, changing the course of World War II. His only wartime defeat came from Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey. Having said that, I would like to clarify the core of this article, “Age is just a number,” through the comparison between Atatürk and Churchill.

Atatürk first won the Gallipoli Victory after a great struggle, then initiated and led the War of Independence, establishing the Republic of Turkey at the age of 42. For 15 years, until he was 57, he took revolutionary steps that would shape the fate of us all, building the modern and secular Republic of Turkey from the collapsing Ottoman Empire, known as the “Sick Man,” which was constantly losing territory. Here are a few examples where he demonstrates his genius: the alphabet revolution (the transition from the Arabic alphabet to the Latin alphabet), the dress revolution (the transition to modern clothing), gender equality (for example: Turkish women gained the right to vote 30 years before Swiss women), the Industrial Revolution (after founding the Republic of Turkey, they spurred the economic dynamics through these state-established institutions), etc. I recommend that my foreign readers unfamiliar with Atatürk read Atatürk: The Biography of the Founder of Modern Turkey, by Andrew Mango.

Churchill, on the other hand, became Minister of the Navy in 1911 at the age of 37. His successful political career began to decline at the age of 41 after the defeat at Gallipoli in 1915. His insistence that the Dardanelles could be crossed solely by navy and that Istanbul could then be easily reached led to a much more successful defense by the Turks than anticipated, leading to the historic defeat of the Allied army. Churchill, often described as the architect of this failure, found himself in a very difficult position before the British public and, under pressure from his opponents, resigned. However, in 1917, he was appointed Minister of Munitions and Minister of War. In 1924, he rejoined the Conservative Party and became Chancellor of the Exchequer (1924-1929). In 1940, at the age of 66, he succeeded Neville Chamberlain as Prime Minister. His war policy during World War II and the good relations he established with Roosevelt made him one of the most important statesmen in British history. He returned to power in the 1951 elections. In 1953, at the age of 79, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature. In 1955, he retired from politics, leaving his duties to Anthony Eden, the husband of his niece Clarissa Churchill. Churchill died in 1965 at the age of 91.

What I mean is this: Atatürk lived for 57 years, accomplished incredible things in that short time, founded a new state, changed and shaped the destiny of a nation. Churchill, on the other hand, despite great disappointments and defeats, became his country’s national hero after the age of 66 and accomplished significant work on its behalf until he retired from politics at the age of 81. That’s why we say, “Age is just a number; what matters is what you achieve and what you contribute to humanity during your lifetime.”

2) Michael Bloomberg: He left his position as CEO of Bloomberg L.P., the financial software, data, and media company, in 2002 at the age of 59 and served as Mayor of New York for 12 years. He has been serving as CEO of Bloomberg ever since.

3) Arnold Schwarzenegger: He was a world champion bodybuilder in his 20s and transitioned to acting and winning awards in his 30s. The second major change in his career was his entry into politics. In 2003, at the age of 56, he was elected Governor of California and served for eight years.

4) John Glenn: Known as the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth in 1962. Twelve years later, at the age of 53, he became a US senator from Ohio, a position he held for 24 years. He also returned to space in 1998 for a nine-day mission aboard the space shuttle Discovery.

Sports

1) Soccer – Essam Al-Hadary, Gianluigi Buffon: There’s a widespread belief that football, often chosen at a young age, puts strain on the body as we age. However, there are compelling examples proving the opposite. Egyptian goalkeeper Essam Al-Hadary, who played against Saudi Arabia in the 2018 World Cup, was 45 years old. He made history as the oldest player to ever play in a World Cup.

Another similar example is Italy’s legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. Buffon began his goalkeeping career with the Parma youth academy in 1991. On November 19, 1995, at just 17 years old, he made his Serie A debut against Milan, a match that ended in a 0-0 draw. His professional goalkeeping career, which began with Parma in 1994-95, continued with a transfer to Juventus in 2001. Buffon, who continuously guarded Juventus’ goal for 17 years, was transferred to PSG (Paris Saint-Germain) in 2018. A year later, Buffon returned to Juventus and returned to his starting place, Parma, at the end of the 2020-2021 season. A career filled with success, Buffon turns 45 next month and still plays for his club, Parma, competing in Serie B.

Buffon’s legendary performances weren’t limited to his performances in the Italian League. After making his international debut in 1997, he remained in goal for the Italian national team for a long time. Having earned a total of 176 caps, Buffon also achieved outstanding performances for the national team, in addition to the Italian League.

2) Speed Skating – Claudia Pechstein: Olympic champion speed skater Claudia Pechstein is another notable example of an older athlete. Having won five gold medals, two silver medals, and two bronze medals at the Olympics, Pechstein is among the most successful speed skaters of all time.

3) Basketball – Robert Jaworski, Nat Hickey, Nancy Lieberman: When it comes to basketball, there are dozens of examples of individuals who have achieved great success at an above-average age. Robert Jaworski, playing in the Philippines, is known to have left the basket at the age of 51. Jaworski’s reverse layup at the age of 50 is still remembered in the basketball world. Nat Hickey is the oldest basketball player to play in the NBA. He is known to have played his last game at the age of 45 and scored two points in that game. The same record for women belongs to Nancy Lieberman. The successful player, who played a WNBA game at the age of 50, later continued her career by coaching a men’s basketball team.

4) Tennis – Roger Federer, Molla Bjurstedt, Martina Navratilova: By the time Federer retired from tennis at 41, he had already become one of the greatest tennis players of all time, having won 20 Grand Slam titles. Molla Bjurstedt Mollary is the oldest Grand Slam champion. Mollary won her last trophy at the age of 42. Martina Navratilova, the renowned female tennis player who brought smiles to faces at Wimbledon at 47 and retired from the court at 49, is another unforgettable name in the tennis world.

5) Bodybuilding – Sam Bryant Jr., Ernestine Shepherd: Sam Bryant Jr., who started his sports career at 44, competed in his first bodybuilding competition just 11 months later and finished fourth. At 74, he won first place at the INFB North Georgia Championships and the INBF Southern Natural Classic in 2016. Weighing approximately 80 kg and able to lift 183.7 kg, Sam Bryant Jr. is one of those who believes age should not be used to define him. Another example is Ernestine Shepherd, born on June 16, 1936, in Maryland, USA. Her athletic career began at the age of 56. She and her sister decided to start exercising to embark on a healthy life, but her sister’s unexpected death left her alone. However, keeping her memory alive and fulfilling the dreams they shared became Ernestine’s lifelong goal, and she continued her athletic pursuits. In 2017, 15 years after starting her sport, at the age of 71, she participated in her first bodybuilding competition. In 2010, she earned her place in the Guinness Book of World Records. Shepherd, now a personal trainer, continues to run 10 miles (16 km) every day.

6) Championships after 60: There are also individuals who raised the bar even higher, achieving unforgettable successes in their seventies. Jerry Millner, a female athlete who won a gold medal in shooting at the 1908 Summer Games, was 61 at the time. Swedish Oscar Swahn was 73 when he won the silver medal in shooting, and Galen Carter Spencer, the Olympic champion in archery, was 64. Ernestine Shepherd, whose story I shared above, was 80 years old when she entered the Guinness Book of World Records in 2010 as the world’s “oldest competitive female bodybuilder.”

Personal Life

Celebrities who married later in life:

1) Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson

Married age: 47

Wife: Lauren Hashian

The famous actor, nicknamed ‘The Rock,’ took nearly 12 years to propose to his future wife. The couple, who met on the set of The Game Plan (2007) and began dating, married in Hawaii in 2019.

2) George Clooney

Married age: 52

Wife: Amal Alamuddin

Formerly a playful bachelor, George Clooney settled down shortly after meeting the beautiful and versatile Amal, and the couple married less than a year later, in September 2014.

3) Cameron Diaz

Married age: 42

Wife: Benji Madden

Cameron and Benji were also among those who fell in love with each other like lightning. Married just 10 months after their first meeting, the couple proved that when the right person enters your life, you can feel it.

4) Salma Hayek

Married age: 42

Spouse: François-Henri Pinault

Salma and François-Henri had not one but two wedding ceremonies in 2009: the first on Valentine’s Day, and the second two months later in Venice.

5) Daniel Craig

Married age: 43

Spouse: Rachel Weisz

Craig and Weisz tied the knot with a very small and sweet ceremony. Besides themselves, there were only four attendees, including one child from each previous marriage.

6) Barbra Streissand

Married age: 56

Spouse: James Brolin

Barbra and James were both in their 50s when they first met on what was known as a “blind date.” Streisand would later say that her first words to Brolin were a joke about her hair, and that James was instantly smitten. The couple, who married in 1998, are still together.

7) Richard Gere

Married age: 69

Wife: Alejandra Silva

Silva managed to fill Gere’s heart, who had been divorced twice and was approaching 70, with love again. They were a couple who proved we never know when life will offer us another fresh start.

8) Hugh Grant

Married age: 58

Wife: Anna Eberstein

Grant and Eberstein prefer to keep their happiness to themselves. After being together for six years and having their third child, they tied the knot in 2018.

9) Alec Baldwin

Married age: 54

Wife: Hilaria Thomas

Baldwin fell instantly and head over heels for the gorgeous yoga instructor and married her in 2012, less than a year after. In the 10 years since, they’ve had seven children together.

10) Harrison Ford

Married age: 68

Wife: Calista Flockhart

Ford and Flockhart began dating in 2002 but didn’t rush into marriage. Harrison finally proposed on Valentine’s Day 2009, and the couple married the following year.

As you can see from all the examples above, whether in business, personal life, the arts, or even sports, taking action early or later in life doesn’t really matter. The important thing is to pursue your dreams and achieve them sooner or later. As long as we don’t give up on our dreams, don’t lose the power to pursue them, and stay healthy. The rest is history.

As I’ve mentioned in many blog posts, everyone has a life story. The most important part of that story isn’t the introduction or the development, but the conclusion. What matters isn’t where you started your life and where you’ve been over the years, but the difference between where you started and where you ended. When you look back in your old age, you won’t have any regrets; you’ll have fulfilled your dreams and contributed to humanity. I wonder if I made myself clear.

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