Why ageing is something you shouldn’t worry about
/The truth is, life is lived well beyond youth and original career plans. Life goes on well after we’re young … and the best is yet to come!
If you’re over 50, you may be feeling old. That’s understandable. Everything in today’s society says that we are.
Top to bottom, society is obsessed with youth. TV advertising only casts young actors to sell anti-ageing skin creams, sports cars and soft drinks. Large international corporations look to employ early-20s kids straight out of college. Politicians always seem to talk about ageing as an economic problem rather than an advantage.
By placing emphasis on the young, our culture echoes the message that only the young have anything to contribute.
Such thinking could not be further from the truth!
Age is just a number!
Many people achieve their greatest successes at an age that today’s world thinks old. Remember Colonel Sanders? He didn’t start Kentucky Fried Chicken until he was 62.
Opera tenor Andrew Bocelli was originally a lawyer. The great chef Julia Child was an intelligence officer until her 40s. Walt Disney was a nobody before he was 40. Fashion designed Vera Wang didn’t sell a dress until her 40s. Ray Kroc didn’t open his first McDonald’s until he was 52. Sam Walton founded Wal-Mart at 42.
Less famous people also found satisfaction and their future changing careers later in life:
- Former Olympics team physiotherapist Mark Alexander, a long-term Olympics team physiotherapist and Hilary Harper’s Saturday program in Melbourne, earned an MBO and now runs the Centre for Business Analytics at Melbourne Business School.
- Sydney’s Catherine O’Gorman began and continued her career in IT until her 40s when she earned a degree in psychology. She’s pursuing her Ph.D. now while wrapped up in a rewarding counselling career.
- With the support of her family Catherine enrolled into a four-year psychology degree in her mid-40s and now works in the psychology department while also completing a PhD. She finds her new profession of more value personally than her old job. “It’s all consuming,” she says.
- Melbourne’s Sharon, 57, began life as a nurse 30 years ago. Putting her career on hold for family reasons, she worked in her husband’s business until their divorce. At 53, she became a successful paramedic.
- After 20 years in nursing, Box Hill’s Ann tired of it by 40. She went back to school to study library science and now runs a school library.
- Jock Brown of Sydney was unemployed after years in IT when he realized he was nearing 50. So, he retrained as a florist able to use his hands in creative ways.
The truth is, life is lived well beyond youth and original career plans. Life goes on well after we’re young … and it can be fantastic.
Every year, we celebrate our birthdays, and every year the number increases.
Ageing is in the eye of the beholder!
We can stay young. It’s not a matter of fashion and facials. The “true” age of a person really comes down to their outlook on life. It comes down to having a positive attitude, living life with a spirit that welcomes change and embraces growth.
A person in their mid-20s can be old because of a negative attitude. A 70-year old can be young because of a positive, excited and grateful outlook on life.
If biological ageing is inevitable, you can redirect your focus on how you’re living and what you see in life. Then, age becomes nothing more than a number.
There’s plenty of time!
If you’re at or near 50, if you feel like you’re running out of time, slow down.
Modern medicine tells us that if we’re careful about what we eat, look after our bodies, and maintain a positive outlook, we can all live to the age of 100. That means, if you’re in your 50s, you’ve only reached the midpoint of your life!
It also means, you’ve still got 40 to 50 years ahead to do all the things you’ve always wanted to do. You may be ageing chronologically, but there’s no calendar on your passion, dreams, or drive. If you take care of yourself, time will become your best friend.
It’s time to learn something new!
We often tell ourselves it’s impossible to do certain things after a certain age. We believe what others say, “You’re just too old to …
- learn a new musical instrument.
- cook a new cuisine.
- start a new business.
Yet, if you can wake up in the morning, make coffee, eat breakfast, read the news, go to work, and watch TV into the night, you’ve still got a fully functional mind. And, with a fully functional mind, you can learn to do new things.
We only stop learning if we tell ourselves we can’t learn anymore. All you must do is get out of your own way. All you need to do is say, “Yes, I can!”
You have plenty to offer!
The world hurtles forward. Technological advances are transforming the way in which the world does business. And, these changes may leave you feeling like your skills and knowledge have become obsolete.
But, at 50+ years, you’ve been in the work force for at least 30 years or more. This means you have a great deal that younger people don’t have.
Experience …
While modern business practices use technologies that are new, experience lasts forever. The trick is to repackage your experience in a way that is appealing to a new less-experienced world.
Looking for an opportunity? Say “Yes” to yourself. Say “Yes” to reinventing and repackaging your skills and experience.
Ageing is nothing. At most, it is a midpoint after which you have everything to gain. And, half a lifetime of life and work experience to pass onto the next generation.
If you’re looking for an opportunity, my Boomer Booster Online Business School is the perfect way to stay engaged with life and find deeper fulfilment.
