How to Discover Your Authentic Self -- at Any Age | Bevy Smith | TED

I am a late bloomer.

In fact, a friend of mine you may have heard of --

Chris Rock --

he once called me the most late-blooming mofo he’d ever met.

(Laughter)

Now, some people might consider that snide,

but I revel in it.

I’m 55,

and I’m here in this curvy body as someone who has done the work,

lived the life

walked the walk in these very high heels --

(Laughter)

and therefore is qualified to testify in the church

and in the court of law

that it does, in fact, get greater later.

(Applause and cheers)

Now coming to this realization wasn’t easy.

At the age of 38, I was a very successful fashion advertising executive,

and I was really living what most people considered a dream life.

I was jet-setting to fashion shows;

I was receiving free designer clothes;

I was double-kissing my way across the globe.

(Laughter)

I was.

And, you know, it was everything that I ever wanted it to be,

and then one day I realized I was only pretending to be happy.

But I couldn’t blow up my good life in my prime earning years, right?

Wrong.

Which leads me to lessons my mother Lolly taught me.

Lolly’s number one lesson:

don’t settle.

Don’t settle.

Now I’m aware that my well-paying, glamorous career

is not exactly the humdrum, “I hate my job” stereotype

that most people equate with settling.

But it was a settle for me,

because when I actually did quit my job at the age of 38,

it was with the intention that every day be a great adventure.

Now sometimes it was a very scary adventure,