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The idea of change when you’ve grown used to living a certain way, can be daunting.
Many people gripped by fear or doubt are afraid to step out their comfort zone and most will never come to the following awakening.
That your age, doesn’t need to define what you’re capable of accomplishing.
Whether you’ve got 10 or 50 years left on your lifespan (which we’ll never know for sure anyway), the fact remains. You can change the way you experience life at any point.
Firstly, a question.
What does ‘being old’ really mean?
Thanks to the advancement of the medicinal field, humanity is living longer on average than we ever have in the past.
It’s not really the age you are, but the age you feel you are.
I repeat.
It’s not really the age you are, but the age you feel you are.
Here’s an article by Women of Faith that sums up this concept perfectly.
Have you ever met someone you thought looked a certain age and once they shared their actual age, it had you left in shock (for better or worse alike).
What I’m saying is, it’s not simply about what you look like because looks can be deceiving.
It’s how you feel.
How you feel, can greatly impact how you look.
The mental state of our brain and the brain of our stomach have great influence.
Let me explain.
How you think (or what you think regularly), can dictate the state of your wellbeing.
The state of your wellbeing can manifest in the state of your physical health.
Similarly, what we eat can impact our physical health which can consequently have a knock-on effect on our mental state of being.
Have you ever been in a mood and lost your appetite?
Or similarly, have you ever eaten a meal or tried to follow a specific diet and had a change in mood soon after?
What I’m saying is we must think well and eat well, to live well.
Doing so, can shave off years from our actual age.
Physical activity should never be overlooked either – here’s a blog I’ve written providing more detail on that specifically.
We’ll feel better, vibrant and more optimistic when our state of being is in a healthy place – mind, soul and body.
When I was extremely inactive and living an exceptionally unhealthy lifestyle in all areas, for a 26-year-old, I mentally and physically felt more in my late 40’s.
It’s been well over 10 years since that time and although I’m actually now closer to 40, I feel and ironically look closer to 26.
One young lady I worked with in the past was shocked to discover I was the same age as her mum after enquiring on my university studies (as she thought me a school leaver).
As you may imagine, I was gravely flattered but also not too surprised.
That isn’t me being arrogant, I’m simply self-aware of the work I do knowing it radiates.
My personal example is simply to highlight the actual importance of age being that age itself, doesn’t matter.
The state of your mind, body, health, spirit and soul are what determine your quality of life and how you’ll feel on a majority basis (because we all have off days).
Once we work to elevate our mental and physical state, we can become unstoppable regardless of age.
No matter how old you are, if you feel stronger, have more stamina, increase in self-confidence and operate from a place of mental peace, calm and emotional stability, it’s easier to seek out your dreams with intention.
More importantly, it’s easier to stay committed.
Another question.
If age wasn’t a factor, what would you be doing with your life right now or what would you like to do?
The reason I focus so intensely on the wellbeing of the mind and our physical state, is because our overall makeup is a strong foundation for where we then position our ‘ability-capability’.
When we make ourselves more capable, we become capable of handling life better overall.
From our core we become solidified and mentally, we’re less susceptible to the external ever-changing conditions of life.
Investing in our holistic health, indirectly changes our life because it changes us.
Investing in ourselves will alter our perspective for the better and once we defeat the mental hurdles of fear and doubt, anything becomes possible.
We become fortified in the way we see ourselves and our beliefs pertaining to what we think achievable, evolves.
We’re no longer bound by the dictations or expectations of world views. It’s our opinion of ourselves that will matter most.
The world can view our dreams and ambitions as delusional or insane.
For some of us, this is especially true when our age is viewed as a factor but once we achieve the thing, they’ll call it ingenuity.
So no, age doesn’t matter.
Rather, it’s the state of your being that matters more.
Therefore, whatever your response was to my earlier question asking what you’d like to do, is what you should begin doing.
We get one chance at life. There are no retakes, repeats or playbacks.
This is it.
I repeat.
This is our only opportunity.
All the outside noise we tend to fear, will one day be gone along with us and none of it will have mattered.
We mustn’t restrict ourselves because of social norms or expectations.
We’ve got one opportunity to do what we feel we should or can do. One opportunity to bring our aspirational thoughts to reality.
Our age at best, may only put us at a slight disadvantage and that’s OK.
Ultimately, age is never reason enough to cripple your own development, goals or growth.
When you decide to seek a better path, no matter how that journey evolves, the only thing you’ll ask yourself is why you didn’t start earlier.
Making real changes has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever decided to do.
Not so much because the changes were in and of themselves impossible but rather, the awareness that this was the life I was choosing – permanently.
It was the adjustment to feeling uncomfortable and knowing I intended to make it my new normal.
After a lifetime of sticking to my comfort zone, I chose to abruptly abandon what I knew and start again.
I was choosing consistency. I was choosing discipline. I was choosing to ignore my emotions and I was choosing to do it over and over and over, continuously.
That’s what made it hard.
As hard as it was, life has never been the same.
I’ve developed a new level of self-respect and admiration for the evolved me.
What I once viewed as comfort I’d now consider my worst nightmare. Back then, I couldn’t picture me elevating from that state of life.
Today, I can’t fathom how I stayed in that state for so long.
By working on me, I developed a solid foundation from which I could then work on my dreams.
Although I’m nowhere near my business goals yet, I’ve learnt to master myself.
The skills I’ve developed in the process, I apply to all areas of my life.
I no longer quit at the sight of discomfort or failure.
I value my time, I know how to better prioritise, I appreciate I may fail a lot but I’ll choose to be resilient twice over.
Most importantly, my age doesn’t perturb me.
Rather, it’s simply an approximate guide of how long I may have left to achieve the things I want to do – which serves to help me plan my monthly tasks appropriately.
All I know is, I’ll achieve everything I’ve set out to do despite how old I may be because I appreciate that what I think, matters more.
The opportunity to achieve never ends, until life itself has ended. There will always be room for growth whilst we remain alive.
Never let your age be a hindrance. It really is, just a number.
For man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. 1 Samuel 16: 7 (b)
