Starting late still counts as starting. Most people never start at all.

Lateness is measured against a schedule nobody actually agreed to. The comparison that matters is not you against someone who began at nineteen, it is you against the version of you who keeps waiting for a better moment. Almost everyone who intends to do the thing never opens the door at all, which makes arriving late a considerably better outcome than it feels like.

Begin at a size small enough that the lateness stops being relevant. One lesson, one page, one call. The clock you are behind on is one you invented, and the only way to stop hearing it is to be underway.