Recently I talked to my Mom and
she was very upset telling me that society thinks that if you are 70 plus
you are automatically considered stupid...
We live in a youth-oriented society, where the fastest growing group, the Baby
Boomers, learned, “Never trust anyone over thirty".
They’ve probably extended that limit by now; I haven’t checked recently to see
what it is. 60? 70? I turned 50 a week ago...could I be trusted ;)?
We see ads everywhere for products and services to erase wrinkles, get rid of
flab (painlessly and quickly), and make your teeth whiter than nature intended
(without giving up coffee or red wine).
So let’s look at a few facts:
So let’s look at a few facts:
Aging
starts when you are born. Not at an age you have mentally selected as “over the
hill,” but from the start. Change is inevitable; the question is, “What
change?”
And
more importantly, what determines that change? If you shrug and say, “It’s just
my genes. My mother/father was the same,” you aren’t up to date on the latest
findings.
Would
you believe that beliefs are possibly the most important determinant of how
you age? Not when you age, but how. So watch what you believe.
Do
you believe 50 is over the hill? 60? 70? Oh, well, not until 80? Whatever
you believe, you will experience. You will look for signs of aging and
because you look, you will find them.
Let’s
say you or someone near you has a memory short-circuit. If the person is 18, we
say, “how careless.” If the person is 80, we say, “senior moment.”
Do
you have some physical problems that get in the way of your full enjoyment of
life, and you say, “Well, I’m just getting old?” Perhaps you don’t remember the
tragedy (it seemed like a tragedy) of adolescent acne, crooked teeth that
needed straightening, or overly-oily hair that wouldn’t behave (but your mother
insisted you go to school anyway).
Everyone
has physical problems, mental problems, emotional problems, at any and every
age. How you explain those problems determines whether you are a
problem-solver, dedicated to finding a solution (or at least a way to co-exist
with the problem while continuing to pursue your dreams).
Your beliefs will, in turn, guide you to make wise choices in what you
eat, what you do, how you organize your day, who you select to share your time
and your life. To
live a healthy, vigorous life, you must believe that you can make an important
difference in what happens to you.
We
all know our time on this planet is limited, but finding simplistic solutions
to the challenges we face and providing an explanation (“It’s just old age”)
that releases us from the responsibility of dealing effectively with those
problems doesn’t make that time pleasant. Focusing on pain and loss, not
surprisingly, leads to more pain and loss.
Remember
when you were told you were too young to do certain things? And how much you
resented it, longing for the day when you were old enough? Then, poof, you were
old enough, and then, another poof … the culture tells you … you’re too old.
Some
people do more than just survive for their time on the planet; they thrive.
They participate eagerly in life, continue to grow, invent new dreams when old
ones disappear or are realized, and recognize that love and excitement are not
limited to a group of people in a certain age bracket.
The
French say, “ If youth but knew; if old age but could.” Here’s the final
secret some of us already know, and here’s what you can learn: you CAN have
both wisdom and the ability to fulfill your dreams at the same time.
Use
your wisdom to develop beliefs that lead to actions that make your path here a
joyful one.
Need additional help and guidance? Discover
how mindful eating coaching program can help you stay balanced and ageless.
And don’t hesitate to drop me a line at info@inesemillere and we will schedule 20 min free conversation.
And don’t hesitate to drop me a line at info@inesemillere and we will schedule 20 min free conversation.
