Are you anxious about aging? Don’t be.
I recently read David Bowie’s quote and smiled: “Aging is an extraordinary process where you become the person you always should have been.”
I’m being mindful of that mantra every day of my life since the age of 50.
We all know that age is more an attitude than a chronological number and that attitude influences your thought process and your behavior. So if you feel energetic and young, your age won’t matter. But if you are holding on to self-defeating thoughts about what you are going to do with the rest of your life, you can’t live life to the fullest. And life won’t be any fun at all.
Aren’t you jazzed about the idea that you can choose your own destiny and live a joyful, passionate and healthy life no matter your age? I sure am!
So, why are some people anxious and depressed about aging? There is nothing to fear about aging if you think about aging as an extraordinary process where you become the person you always should have been. Thanks, Mr. Bowie.
The first way to get rid of our anxieties about aging is to celebrate your age with a positive and healthy attitude so that you can take on the challenges of growing older. If you are mindful about the aging process, you can get the life you want and deserve. Yet, there are people who live in a mindless state of worry about money, a job and relationship and who escape into a mindless mental state. These are simply excuses that keep you from getting to the top of your game.
What’s holding you back from being the person you always should have been?
Resistance
Stephen Pressfield in his book, The War of Art, calls resistance “the most toxic force on the planet; the root of more unhappiness than poverty, disease, and erectile dysfunction; it crushes our spirit and makes us less than we were born to be.”
And that’s really boring because resistance allows us to make endless excuses not to do what we really want to do. Resistance takes away our energy, stifles ingenuity, and obliterates creativity. Resistance is the thousand pound elephant that holds you back every day of your life.
The Antidote to Resistance is to get up every morning, every day, one day at a time with an intention to do the most important thing in your life – something that brings joy and satisfaction, gives you positive energy, raises your temperature, or fulfills a need. Make no mistake: resistance comes for you every day, so be vigilant, be aware, and be clear about exactly what you want to do so that you can pursue your passions and your dreams and be the person you were meant to be.
Empowerment
There is a myth floating out in the universe that you become invisible as you age. Those who feel badly about aging perpetuate this myth and they spread their negativity to others while they sit mindlessly in front of the television and throw themselves a daily pity party. That’s not a party you need to attend.
Another negative myth about aging is that you have reduced potential. It’s an anachronistic mindset that you are incompetent technologically or are deteriorating physically. Maybe you have to ask your children or grandchildren several times how to do something on the computer, but, at least, you have the brainpower to ask what you do not know or understand. Hooray for you! And maybe you are planning a trek up Kilimanjaro. Just watch me!
Telling yourself negative stories about how crippling the aging process is and buying into the mythology of how your parents spent the last decades of their lives will never get you out to a tennis lesson, to an anthropology class, or to a 20 mile bike ride. Aging is an accomplishment to be cherished and celebrated.
Empowering yourself means to indulge in the things that are important:
- kissing at night
- 5 more minutes on the dance floor
- Getting lost in the moment
- Being kind to self and others
- Being proud to let go of what doesn’t add value to your life
- Spending more time being and not doing
Living Creativity
Maya Angelou said on the occasion of her 70th plus birthday: “I’ve learned that making a living is not the same thing as making a life.”
How much value are you placing on living creativity, which provides meaning and context to your life?
Joan Moran is a keynote speaker, commanding the stage with her delightful humor, raw energy, and wealth of life experiences. She is an expert on wellness and is passionate about addressing the problems of mental inertia. A yoga instructor and an Argentine tango dancer, Joan is the author of 60, Sex, & Tango, Confessions of a Beatnik Boomer. Her new book, I’m The Boss of Me! Stay Sexy, Strong & Smart at Any Age, is now on Amazon.
Visit her website: www.joanfrancesmoran.com
Follow Joan Moran on Twitter: www.twitter.com/joanfmoran