Help Was anyone a late bloomer and became successful later on?

[miles-away]

I'm 23, turning 24 this fall. I haven't finished my associates after nearly 6 years in community colege. Academically, I've always been an extremely shit student. I work minimum wage education jobs. I didn't get my first job till I was 21 as I struggled to get a job for quite while. Getting my first job was my re-entry into society after nearly 8 and a half years of being an agoraphobic shut-in. Since then, I've had two fairly lousy relationships, the first one being so pathetic I hate myself for ever letting myself stoop so low. I have ADHD and although I love reading and want to do a million different hobbies, I find myself mostly rotting in bed most days. I live with my parents and don't have a car.

I come across very socially awkward and mousy. Most people have this pitiful sympathy for me and treat me much younger than I am. I was in the military as a way to "correct myself' and separated after 5 months due to me hating the working enviornment so much. On my last day, in the military, I had someone tell me I was deeply immature for my age and tell me that I needed help but doubted I would ever put in the work to get better. I guess a less insecure person would let it go. But it made me finally pursue therapy seriously and get on medication.

I really want to get better. But I am scared that due to my track record, I'm just going to stall endlessly. So, I'm looking for success stories to hopemax on.

 

[lastappleonearth]

Well idk, I honestly think that you can already be quite proud of yourself for what you have achieved so far despite everything. I mean, choosing to seriously pursue therapy is a huge step imo and you generally really seem to want to put in effort in order to change, that's commendable. I'm a lil bit younger than you, but I wish I had the same courage that you have

 

[nayomi]

24 is not late bloomer lol, it is about the right time .

 

[never mind me]

Don't be so hard on yourself. After withdrawing from society for 8 years due to agoraphobia it seems normal that you need some time to get used to having a normal life. And you probably missed out on many of the normal experiences that take place during adolescence. So of course you need time to build confidence after all this time by yourself. It seems you achieved a lot despite your struggles. After all you are in college (even if you take longer than other people to finish) and have a job. And you try go get better with medication and therapy.
In my teenage years I didn't dare to ask other people to spend time with me for several years after being bullied for a few years at school. I only truly learnt to be more outgoing when I was 18 (the bullying was between 11 and 14 or 15) and only because I felt so lonely at the time that it caused me to be suicidal. But once I overcame this inhibition I didn't have any more problems to find new friends when I had to because of moving or similar things, although I am still not that extroverted. When I was too unsecure to ask people to hang out with me I was mostly perceived as arrogant, because I had learnt to put up a facade of being tough, so people wouldn't bother me. Obviously this was not the most helpful for making friends.