You may have seen ads for a site on the Internet called RealAge.com. This service is supposed to tell you how old you “really are,” based on certain health factors, and help you lower that age. I haven’t ever used it, but I understand the focus is on your physical age and condition. That’s a good idea; many people would probably benefit from an evaluation of where their bodies fall on a continuum of age.
I think we’d also benefit from thinking about where we are, emotionally, on a continuum. Some people have decided, as early as 40 or 45, that they are “old,” and that there is not much they can do to improve their lives simply because they’re “too old.”
I know a woman about to hit 40 who is so excited by the prospect that she’s already reading magazines for over-40 women. Why? Because she has worked so hard on being who she wants to be in recent years that she sees 40 as her opportunity to really embrace who she has become. For her, “Life begins at 40” is the truest statement ever spoken.
I also know people who ascribe to the philosophy "50 is the new 40." What’s the difference? I think it all comes down to believing that age is a gift.
Maturity, anyway, is a gift. Age is something that happens, but we mature because we work at it. Of course I’m talking about emotional and mental maturity. But I think those are the kinds of maturity that really matter, because that’s how we become who we are. People who mature well are people who constantly strive to be more than they are at the moment. These people, and maybe you’re one of them, are always trying to improve themselves. They learn, they exercise (body and mind), they discuss, and they express themselves.
On the other hand, people who believe themselves to be just getting older, and not better, tend to sit in a dark room, sometimes literally. They may not go out, get involved in groups, or try to live life fully, especially once they reach a point they consider “old,” whether that’s 70 or 50.
Think about how old you are, in an emotional and spiritual sense. Are you maturing gracefully, like my friend who’s turning 40 with a huge enthusiasm for life? Are you suffering from the blues about your age? Are you of the opinion that it’s all downhill from here, so why keep going the way you used to?
I fully believe life is designed to be lived. Not just until we get a little older and not just until we decide we’re “done.” Life is to be lived.
You can embrace your life and keep maturing by:
- Thinking about how old you feel, and whether that’s where you want to be.
- Finding an activity, at home or outside, that stimulates your mind.
- Resolving to keep becoming more and better than who you are at this moment.
Written by David B. Bohl
