From Latecomers to Late-bloomers

By Raymond Yung

Thinking of picking up a new hobby, skill or language? Are you hesitating because you are now more mature in life? Worried about being an “old dog” learning new tricks?

Don’t be discouraged! Learning is a life-long journey and we should continue regardless of our age.

From Latecomers to Late-bloomers is a concise, easy to read guidebook for anyone who wants to learn a new skill, but who is concerned that age makes learning difficult. It provides psychology, tips and practical exercises that will make learning a fun and exciting experience, no matter where in life you find yourself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Sep 14, 2014
• ISBN: 9781326018306

Book preview

From Latecomers to Late-bloomers

From Latecomers To Late-bloomers:

What has age got to do with anything?

Raymond Yung

Copyright © 2014 by Raymond Yung

All rights reserved. This ebook or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or scholarly journal.

First Published: 2014

ISBN 978-1-326-01830-6

This ebook is published independently by Raymond Yung

www.raymondyung.co

Cover and illustrations copyright © 2014 by Damian Yip

Visit www.raymondyung.co to order more copies of this ebook, also available as a printed edition.

Ordering Information:

Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, educators, and others. For details, contact Raymond Yung via his website.

Trade bookstores and wholesalers: please contact Raymond Yung via his website.

Dedication

First of all, I would like to thank my editor, Geoff Scaplehorn, for his patience, commitment and dedication that went far beyond the line of duty. His contributions have been vital to the publication of this book.

Secondly, my circle of dear friends and family has been more than helpful in providing me invaluable advice, feedback and support along the way. To name a few: my nephew Damian Yip for being the creative director of the book, responsible for its cover and illustrations; my niece Vivian Ho for being the first reviewer of the book and her unceasing encouragement, especially during my moments of self-doubt; my friends Cindy Chan, Ken Lo, Christina Miu and Claudia Schwalm for being the first group of reviewers of my draft.

Lastly, a big thank you to all who are interested in this subject, boosting its discussion and making it relevant to everyone.

In younger days I’ve told myself

My life would be my own

And I’ll leave the place

That sunshine never shone

For my life’s too short for waiting

When I see the rising sun

And I know again that I must carry on

Carry on, carry on, carry on.

Carry on Till Tomorrow

Lyrics: Tom Evans & Pete Ham

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Introduction

Thinking of picking up a new hobby, learning a new language or acquiring a new skill, but having doubts that you can handle it because you are more mature in age? Worried about that age old adage, You can’t teach an old dog new tricks?

Generally speaking, it is more difficult to acquire a new skill when one has passed a certain age. It becomes harder to retain new information, and we have more pressure on our time and attention. Even so, we should not be deterred nor discouraged when we face difficulties in learning.

Learning is a life-long process. We should continue to stretch ourselves throughout middle and older age. Of course, reaching your goal means something different for everyone; all of us have different ambitions and different horizons. The key is to take the shortest time for YOU, ignoring everyone else’s learning speeds. It is my firm belief that we should do our best in whatever we do and be part of the task force contributing to the advancement of our society. Imagine what the world would be if no one made any effort to progress!

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