I felt alone, anxious and a little hopeful. It was 1995, and I was preparing for a new career by attending grad school at Texas Tech. I can still remember my first walk across campus.

Did I belong there? Could I succeed as a Ph.D. student? Or was I making a horrible mistake? Maybe I was too much of a dreamer.

I remember because I experienced the same thoughts today. I’m walking in unfamiliar territory, and the culture tells me that senior citizens are, well, senior citizens—nice folks, but not particularly strong or intelligent or successful.

Maybe we can succeed (sort of) on a golf course, but these years are not the time to start a new business or invent a new phone app, or write a new book or (you get the drift).

Maybe I’m too much of a dreamer.