When you say it’s too late, check whether you really mean it’s too comfortable.

Lateness and comfort produce the same sentence and mean very different things. One is a real constraint and the other is a reluctance to begin badly at an age where you were hoping to be past that. It is worth knowing which one you are actually reporting.

Test it plainly. Ask whether you would start if the awkwardness were removed and the timeline stayed the same. If the answer is yes, the obstacle is not the clock. Most of the doors people describe as closed are simply uncomfortable to walk through.