Don't Let Your Age be a Dream Snatcher!

I find myself at that awkward stage in life, somewhere between 50 and death . That being the case, at this stage in my life I better become whatever it is I want to become. Actually, I like being older better than being younger. When you are younger the potential for screwing up is so much greater, and the consequences can last a lifetime. I think I’ve made most of my major mistakes by now, and have learned from most of them. Now I feel brave enough to embrace success or risk failure. If I make a mistake that lasts the rest of my life, well I’m 50… how much longer could that be? I am not going to let my age be a dream snatcher.
At 50 everyones motto should be “If not now… when?” and let the journey begin. The first step to getting where you want to go, is knowing where you want to go. The problem is that most people at 50 have less confidence in their ability to manifest what it is they want in their life than they did when they were 30. The reasons for that are many. They range from feeling too old to have a positive impact on the young culture in corporate America, to being browbeaten over the years by an unsupportive spouse, to fear of failure and the list goes on. That is the bad news. The good news is that you can change it. It is all dependent to the largest degree on how you see yourself and your life. Your point of view is the only point of view that matters for that is the map that you will follow. How you feel about yourself will either give you the confidence and courage to try to get what you want, or, keep you in a safer more discontented state. My experience is that most people take more time and effort in picking out the paint color for their bathroom than they do trying to find out what they really want in their lives. This current economic downturn has served to take some people to a place they never thought they would be. For many it has been at the same time the worst thing that ever happened to them, and the best thing that ever happened to them. Some lost jobs that were too stressful and were no longer fulfilling. In the process they decreased their stress levels, and found more fulfilling employment. It is not uncommon to see bankers, becoming teachers and stockbrokers becoming chefs. The problem most people have is they fire themselves before they begin to apply for the jobs they want.
I had a client and when we talked about what she would want to do if she could do anything she said almost in a whisper “I always wanted to be a hairdresser, but I’m 58. What? I’m going to go to school now, and then try to build up a clientele? I’m too old to start over, and I wouldn’t be able to compete with the younger ones. No, I should stay at my job as a clerk in my small insurance company. Retirement is only be about 10 years away.” I actually heard that conversation, how sad. She thought being a hairdresser was the most unattainable impossible goal in the world. She was also willing to stay in a place where she had absolutely no job satisfaction, and where she worked well below her potential and the trade off was that she could feel safe.
I hope anyone reading this knows that her view of her options and her life was not quite accurate. She could go to school, and her years of experience as a member of the human race, would bring a whole different energy to any salon. She would probably have at least the same if no more enthusiasm than a 22 year old, because she had overcome more to get it.
All the challenges in our lives that we have faced and overcome are the things that give us our life muscle. Age... for most jobs is not the obstacle. It is our view of our age, that is the obstacle. Most people will underestimate what their worth is, and very often they will gravitate to people who will help them to stay exactly where they are.
If you are one of the brave ones, or want to be a brave ones, there are a few things you can do to work on your life muscle.
1. Do something you are afraid of, take a yoga class or a public speaking class.
2. Define what you want and make a realistic plan on the steps you have to take to achieve it.
3. Read positive books , and find more positive friends that will support you.
4. Remember your life is important and you have plenty of more years to live and you should want them to be happy ones. 5. Take the time to figure out what you want to be and what you want in your life. Believe you can get it, cause you can!
6. Write, Write, Write! Write what you want to be, what you want your life to look like. It is your own story and it will help you sort out your fears, and your dreams .
7. Ask for advice, get support, do your research and act like your life depends on a positive outcome, because it does.
8. Realize everyone is afraid, and that failure isn't fatal, and when you lose don't lose the lesson.
9. It ain’t over till it’s over. Doing the thing you thought you couldn’t can be a lot fun.
10. Think of what a great role model you will be and remember 50 is the new 40!