How Old Are You, Really?

We tend to think of getting old as linear age. It comes at the end of our lives. We’re getting older every day, and eventually we get old. Then, I suppose, we die. In truth, all along we have been aging, and we are getting older. Period. There is nothing else. It doesn’t lead to anything. Age is just a number. It doesn’t mean anything. Unless we make it so.

We are getting older every day, from birth. A toddler is older than a baby, a teenager older than the mightiest 11 year old. Everyone is getting older, day by day, minute by minute. So what? When did we put restrictions on aging? How often do the words…”that’s me, getting old; I’m having a senior moment; at my age, I probably shouldn’t be doing this”…come out of our mouths? Too often! Actually, they should never be uttered. Here’s why: your brain is listening. And responding. It makes your lie the truth.

When you voice drama about aging, your brain believes you, and limits what you can do. If you vision narrows, don’t blame your age. Use it or lose it. We get better at what we practice. Put effort into increasing your vision. Stop staring straight ahead at a computer, a television, an iPhone for hours on end. Look out into the wild yonder several times a day; see how far you can see. Can you focus on the tree off to the side without moving your head?  Look down with your eyes as far as you can, then look up, moving only your eyes, and try to see your eyebrows. Practice if it’s hard. It is not your age; it’s your lack of repetition. We improve what we practice; we lose what we don’t.

What if, instead of obsessing about it, we give aging no power? Who cares how old we are? What is important is how well we are moving and with what clarity we are thinking. I am responsible for my aging process, for how well and to what degree I age. I will do cartwheels until I can’t do them anymore. I will work on my arm strength so I can do cartwheels everyday until the day I drop dead. How about that for an attitude?

That’s Aging Intelligently.