Hello there, today’s post is a bit different from usual. I know lots of you feel discouraged, you lack motivation. I want to help you to change that. I want you to do whatever you want no matter what others think. Something is holding you back, and once you understand what it is you will know how to fight against it. Let’s share, what have you thought you were too old to do?
I am too old, people will laugh at me if I do this
How many times have you thought something like this? Probably more than once. We, humans, being social animals, care about what others think of ourselves. This is a matter of self-preservation, we think “If I behave like the others, they will accept me, therefore I will be safe”.
Pretty understandable.
But, will you be happy?
Imagine yourself being a healthy 120-year-old woman/man (what? I want you to live a happy and long life). You got it? Fine, I want you to ask yourself the following question:
If I live by other people standards will I regret having done so at the end of my life?
The answer to that question, my own answer, changed my mindset. And it will probably change yours. In other words, what is the point of doing or not doing things just because of what other people might think about you? As long as it is legal and doesn’t hurt anyone, why not?
What if today was your last day?
You probably know Fight Club, either the novel by Chuck Palahniuk or its film adaptation featuring Edward Norton and Brad Pitt. If you didn’t know Fight Club was based on a novel, take a look at this article: 6 movies you didn’t know were based on a novel.
This story is amazing, there’s a lot to say about Fight Club. But for now, let’s focus on this powerful and liberating scene:
See what Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) did there? Raymond K. Hessel wanted to be a veterinarian, but he didn’t fulfill his dream.
“Tomorrow will be the most beautiful day in Raymond K. Hessel’s life.”
Tyler’s last words are exactly why we are here, no fear, no distractions.
See where this is going? you are reprogramming yourself so you can’t have excuses anymore!
Am I too old to…
No, you are not. Such a question is just reflecting your fear. The question “Am I too old to” can be rephrased as “I want to do this but am I too old to…”. This rephrasing is really powerful because this way you realize you really want to do such an activity. If it’s your desire to do it, what is stopping you?
I can hear yourself saying “age maybe?” I thought the same. But think about it, age itself does not stop you in any way if you are in perfect physical and mental conditions to perform the activity you want to do, then why is age actually a problem? Just take a look at 50-year-old Tony Hawk, an American professional skateboarder, his age is not preventing him from doing this:
What now? Looks like age is not an excuse. You might say “yeah, but that’s Tony Hawk, he’s a pro” Precisely. Being a pro means he’s been on a skateboard since ever, even so, despite his age, he seems to be more than capable to ride a skateboard.
Tony Hawk is a great example here because skateboarding is considered a dangerous sport, there are lots of skateboarding injuries which Tony Hawk might have suffered, even so, he seems to be in perfect condition to do such impossible skateboard tricks.
Not enough? Did you see the featured image? that man is Glenn Quillin, he was 100 years old when he skydived. Come on, no excuses.
Therefore, age is not a problem. In any case, it would be a bad physical condition associated by age. As a result, you might ask yourself, is my physical (or mental) condition good enough? If not, can I improve it? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then what stops you?
The real reason we ask ourselves “Am I too old” questions
Looking back, it’s funny how I have wondered this several times. Such a question has misled me so often. When I was 12 I wanted to play the guitar, but I thought “Children start playing musical instruments at an early age, you are probably too late to learn how to play the guitar” I was only 12, and I was already finding an excuse not to learn! At 26 I wanted to start skateboarding, it’s so cool, and the same question arose. Looks like no matter the age, the “Am I too old” questions seems to be there to stop our dreams become true.
One day I realized something, when I ask myself “Am I too old” I do this because:
-I want to do certain activity that for others (society) it does not fit my age and I don’t want people to laugh at me.
-I sabotage myself so I don’t do new things (getting out of the comfort zone).
For me, these are the two real reasons why we wonder if we are too old. As said before, WE WANT TO DO IT. See? It’s not a matter of age, it’s just an EXCUSE and SOCIAL VALIDATION.
My personal story
I have thought of starting skateboarding, several times. I have been about to buy a skateboard on different occasions, but every time I sabotaged myself, “you are too old, people will laugh at you when they see you practicing”. I was 26 at that moment, and it felt frustrating, why can’t I do something I want to do? I thought. Then, something changed, I don’t know why but the Fight Club scene I showed you before popped on my brain.
Then, my mindset changed drastically: You are too old for what? Okay, if you want to be Tony Hawk’s heir you might be a bit late (maybe not), but you want just to “surf on the road”, maybe a few basic tricks. You want to do it, why not give it a try? Who cares what others think?
I finally bought a skateboard, and let me tell you something: it is one of the best choices I have ever made in my life. I am not a pro, but I learned the basics, and it’s fun!
Skateboarding is great, but it’s not only about that. It is the fact that I started doing something regardless of what society thinks, despite of my self-doubts and auto sabotage. As a result, every time I go skateboarding I feel proud of myself. I am happy because I did my choice, despite what others think, despite my self-doubts.
What people think about they are too old for:
These are the most searched “Am I too old” questions on Google. You would think people would wonder if they are too old for what would be considered impossible things. In fact, I must confess I expected top searches to be like “Am I too old be an NBA player” or “Am I too old to be a professional gymnast”, activities that I would consider difficult to achieve. Turns out, it’s not the case at all. These are the most searched questions:
-Am I too old for tinder?
-Am I too old to learn the piano?
-Am I too old to join the military?
-Am I too old to become a doctor?
-Am I too old to learn guitar?
-Am I too old to go back to school?
-Am I too old to join the army?
-Am I too old for law school?
-Am I too old to become a nurse?
-Am I too old to get a mortgage?
-Am I too old to become a pilot?
-Am I too old for medical school?
-Am I too old for braces?
-Am I too old to start running?
-Am I too old for college?
-Am I too old to start running at 60?
-Am I too old to change careers?
Am I too old for purple hair?
-Am I too old to start boxing?
Surprising uh? yes, the most searched question is actually “Am I too old for Tinder”, what the hell? right?. If you take a look at these questions, you will realize how not only these are pretty similar but most of those have the “being too old thing” more related to social approval rather than to physical condition issues.
Being too old to learn an instrument
You are definitely not too old to learn an instrument. Just get one and start practicing. I play the guitar, and I started when I was 18, which would be considered late. I’m certainly not Van Halen, but that’s because I haven’t practiced that much 😋
Being too old for tinder, purple hair, for braces
Tinder is about matching with others, why not let others decide? I am quite surprised how purple hair is one of the most searched (I would expect “dying my hair” but not a specific color, and definitely not purple!). Regarding the braces, if you want to wear braces then do it, you will not regret after seeing your perfectly aligned teeth!
About the mortgage, lenders can’t discriminate based on age.
Being too old to go back to studying, change careers, etc
it’s never too late to study, it will always be good for you. Same goes to change career. Unless there’s an age limit for this, which according to my research there might be only for joining the army and becoming a pilot, why limit yourself?
Being too old to practice any sport
No matter if it’s boxing, or if you want to start running at 60. If your physical condition is good enough, give it a try. However, depending on your age I would recommend visiting a healthcare professional in order to make sure you won’t have any issue and get the proper training tips. Aside from that, keep running!
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