If you need some inspiration, look no further than a couple of nonagenarians who recently proved that major goals can be achieved at 90, that it's not too late to enjoy success, whether you want to earn a high school diploma, run a marathon, or date one of those cute youngsters, the ones who still have to show their IDs to get a discount at Denny's.

As a teen-ager, Uceba Babson of Florida dropped out of school to marry a farmer, but decided two years ago to take classes and fulfill a promise she made to herself. She received her diploma at age 90, a phenomenal achievement considering how much education has changed since her childhood, what with the discovery of fire and all.

Unlike many other students, Babson had to be self-motivated and disciplined, for she didn't have a grown-up around to say, "Go to your room and finish your homework, young lady. You've watched enough MTV for one night."

"I studied and studied ...," Babson told the Associated Press. "A lot of it was memorizing. You had to remember the rules and at 90, it's hard." The hardest rule to remember at 90: Don't refer to your teacher as "that smart kid."

Babson's courses at an Adult Education Center included math, science, English and social studies. When her teacher discussed historical figures such as William Shakespeare, Babson had to resist the temptation to say, "I met him! I met him!" No point in making her classmates envious.

"It's been a challenge, a wonderful challenge," she said, rightfully proud of her achievement. While so many of us let age stand in the way of our dreams, she looked in the mirror and told herself, "I'd better do this now. It's going to be a lot harder at 100. And what use is a high school diploma then?"

Fauja Singh, 93, brought a similar attitude to his challenge: running the marathon. He gave up running at 36, then took it up again at 89 after emigrating from India to Britain. Feeling homesick and bored, he was looking for an activity to occupy his time and -- strange as it may seem to his peers -- didn't get hooked on bingo and bridge. Not even shuffleboard and horseshoes.

Singh has since set world records for his age group, finishing the 26-mile London Marathon in 6hr 11min 09sec, which just happens to be 6hr 11min 09sec faster than I've ever completed the distance.

A follower of the Sikh religion, Singh wears a turban and faced taunts of "Hey, Osama bin Laden" and "Look at Saddam" from a few spectators at the New York City Marathon, but thankfully none of them could keep up with him. "I wasn't hurt by it," Singh told the New York Daily News. Having lived a long life, he had already seen plenty of Neanderthals.

Running a marathon at 93 is quite a feat, especially since many 30-year-olds lose their breath just running to the bathroom. Ask them to go 26 miles and they'll say, "OK, but you'll have to pay me for the gas."

Singh, who signed an endorsement deal with Adidas, hopes to become the oldest person to ever complete a marathon, a distinction he'll achieve in five years, if he keeps running. He'll be only 98 then, far too young to hang up his running shoes.

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Melvin Durai is an Indiana-based writer, humorist and occasional stand-up comedian. A native of India, he grew up in Zambia and moved to the U.S. in the early 1980s. To subscribe to his humor columns, go to his website: http://www.melvindurai.com