Hardly a day goes by without hearing the phrase, “I’m getting old” being said by a young person.
This is pathetic. And wrong. And frankly, there is no age where “I’m getting old” is an acceptable assertion.
You’re not getting old, you’re slowing down/getting inactive—and Old Man Gravity is sucking you into his orbit.
You’re violating the principle of use—”If you don’t use it, you lose it.” This phrase, recorded as law in the English language (and probably others) is ignored by anyone foolish enough to say they are getting old.
Getting old is something we’ve created.
“Some day, I’m sure I’ll have to be driven around by family” I heard someone say recently.
“I’m not as young as I used to be,” is lamented in a defeatist way by another.
And how many times have you heard someone say, “I can’t do X like I used to.” (Never mind the fact that they stopped doing X a long time ago, and have been sitting on their ass doing nothing for over a decade—that’s beside the point. Commiserate with this person, please!)
A belief that increasing age means increasing decrepitude (i.e. “getting old”) is a mental mistake equivalent to a belief that the sun revolves around the earth.
Oh, but Justin you fool, you’re nice, but stupid…because you see there is evidence of getting old all around us! Ignoring this evidence is folly! Get your head out of the clouds! I’m getting old and I like talking about it because I get gratification and nods of understanding and appreciation from others.
Look, we select what we pay attention to, and if our belief system supports this idea of “getting old”—this idea that as we age we get decrepit—we’ll find examples which support this belief. And worse, we’ll find ourselves getting old.
Let’s correct this mental mistake. Don’t analyze super-agers at the extremes of what is possible (another common mental mistake), just look in your immediate vicinity.
For convenience, I’ll separate what you’ll see into two classes of people: First, there is the sedentary old person who is 55 and looks 70 and is heard huffing and puffing at the urinal because he had to walk to get there—or peeing is just that difficult for him. Then, there is the 65 year-old active person who is energetic and fit—ready, if needed, to perform CPR on the old guy huffing and puffing at the urinal.
It’s simplified, but you know it’s true. Look around. Keep your mind open. You’ll see. You’ll see people aging gracefully and you’ll see people getting old, and the years are not the common denominator. More likely it’s attitude followed by decent habits. (And decent habits are all they have to be, don’t stress it.)
So, go ahead and assert to the world that you’re getting old and continue to propagate beliefs in weakness and decrepitude. Let that be your legacy to your kids: “Here’s my dad—he got old at 34. I’m so proud of him!”
I’m sure you don’t want this to be your legacy. And I’m sure you don’t want to grow old. Who does? So, shut your mouth and stop talking about how old you’re getting! Seriously—shut up! The world has had enough of people who adopt the limited view.
How about this: Instead of talking about getting old, start talking about feeling young, and then go live an active life and prove it to yourself. (I’ve written about Mike DiCerbo as an example.)
P.S. You might say, “Oh this getting old phrase is just tongue-in-cheek.” Maybe so. But language wields a lot of power—it’s how we form our thoughts. If our thoughts are clouded by limiting beliefs, we limit our potential. Why do this? Be on guard—watch and pray—let those limiting beliefs slip away!
P.P.S. There are resources on this site to help you. Get started with Sustainable Thinking and Weight Loss and Nutrition.