Ageless Attitude: Flipping the Script on Feeling Old

“Reclaim your curiosity, your sense of adventure, and have some fun. Don’t take every moment of your life so seriously. Allow yourself to enjoy life.” – Akiroq Brost

Why do we start identifying as OLD long before having gray hair and wrinkles?  

I realized last year that I was treating myself like I was an old person.  I was “careful” at the gym, I would try not to do anything too much or too fast… I was looking at 20-something-year-old babes killing it!  

Yeah, I do have limitations due to injury, but I am only 41 years old.  That is NOT OLD!! I am fit as a fiddle and am cable of doing anything I set my mind to! 

But at some point, I decided that I had “aged out” of most activities I could once enjoy, and I began to see myself as an “older woman”.  I see people younger than me who behave in a way that one would think they are pushin’ 90! 

Several years ago, I decided it would be a cool idea to race my teenage boys across the parking lot.  I work out. I got cardio.   I used to be fast in track… I’ll smoke them😎.  I fully intended to win… but as I took my first three strides, I quickly realized I had made a huge mistake😅. They blasted past me… my legs immediately cramped; I almost ate dirt.  I was horribly embarrassed, and I could barely walk for a week! 

Does all that mean that I am OLD?  NO. That means I am a silly woman who never, ever uses her fast twitch muscles and, for some reason, thought a sprint would be a good idea.  I could have easily walked away from that situation thinking, “Oh man, I’m getting old!”  But guess what? If I spent a couple of months training for sprints, I could give them a run for their money.   I choose not to because I don’t want to put my sons to shame. You know how it is.😌.

The danger is the MINDSET “I am old or older, I can’t….” fill in the blank.  You have embraced being “old”, regardless of your age.  

What is happening?  What is up with that mindset?  Talk about the enemy robbing us of life!

I am married to an older man.  He just completed three weeks of side-mount technical dive training with a personal instructor at depths that require you to breathe trimix gas (19% oxygen, 35% helium, and 46% nitrogen). It’s beyond dangerous; most people only dream of doing such things. Not him.  He refuses to identify as being old.  His friends all do; they all act much older than they are.  When we spend time with them, he always leaves a little bit sad that his friends have just embraced it and have given in.  He tells me, “Don’t ever let me just get “old”, I want to live YOUNG!” 

“The idea is to die young as late as possible.” – Ashley Montagu

We have all heard the saying, “Tell me who you hang around with, and I will tell you who you will become.”

I would like to challenge your crowd….😉 It may be time to change up the people you are surrounding yourself with!  

Have you ever met an “old” person who doesn’t know they are old”?   I did just recently.  He was 78, in excellent shape, and is going to be Rich’s dive partner on a shipwreck scuba diving trip later this year.  He doesn’t know he is “old”.  

But what if your body doesn’t cooperate?  That happens.  But you can still have a spirit of adventure; you can still learn something new every day; you can still overcome and conquer at new levels.  You DEFINITELY can still move, even if it is limited.  

Identifying as “old” will rob you of LIFE.  

There have been numerous studies done on the effect that one’s mental state has on our physical state.  In one study they took a group of elderly men to an environment reminiscent of their youth. They were told to make a psychological attempt to be the person they were 22 years earlier. 

“As a result, in comparison to a control group that didn’t participate in such an elaborate recreation, the men who had changed their mindset experienced improved dexterity, posture, and physical appearance. Incredibly, even their vision improved. This study was repeated decades later with similar results as part of a BBC TV special.” – Jordan French from Thrive Global

Studies have also shown that those with a positive mental attitude about their age tend to live 7.6 years LONGER than those with negative views about their age! (Ok Jesus, renewing my mind as I type!)

Jason Bliss, the founder of Healthy Living Network, explains, “Our bodies believe what our minds tell us. We know that mental attitudes affect our physical and emotional well-being at any age, but this impact becomes even more pronounced as we get older. I’ve found that the happiest and healthiest people among the elderly population don’t dwell too much on what their birth certificate says. Instead, they focus on what they can do.”

How powerful!!  Do you identify as being “old”?  Do you limit your life and bring your learning and adventure to a halt because you are identifying this way?  Renew your mind! Challenge yourself to learn something new REGULARLY! Go on those adventures, break the routine, take on difficult challenges, and live your life to the fullest!! Don’t let the enemy rob you of another day, experience, or a chance to LIVE your LIFE!  

Here are some awesome quotes for you to save: 

“Don’t take life too seriously! Nobody gets out alive anyway. Smile. Be goofy. Take chances. Have fun. Inspire.” – Dawn Gluskin

“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln

“The saddest summary of a life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and should have.” – Louis E. Boone

“I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.” – Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 NIV