You Are Not Too Old
There is a wise maxim. I think it’s Confucian. It goes..
The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is now.
I love this. It’s honest. You cannot get your time back but you can choose to become who you were supposed to be today. At anytime can you choose to change your life. Nothing can stand in your way of this if you don’t let it.
For me the biggest barrier to trying new things has always been my age. I am 39. I understand that for someone in their 50’s I am still quite young but I am not a young man. Many of life’s opportunities have passed me by.
Many but not all.
I am too old is a limiting self believe. Something we tell ourselves and soemthing we choose to beleive. We can choose not believe it too.
How..
By refusing to let this negative belief stop you doing anything. Tell it to fuck off and do it anyway. For me this means starting new things like dancing and networking. Talking to women and asking for phone numbers. (I am single) Most importantly it means reorienting my career to something I want to do for the next 25 years that aligns with my values and will provide the amount of money I need to live a simple life. A simple life of reading, writing, good relationships and travel.
In my experience we do not have just one negative self belief. We have a cluster of them. Usually things like:
I am not smart enough to talk to these guys, they’ll laugh at me.
I am not wealthy enough to approach this woman. She will tell me to get lost.
I am not strong enough to handle criticism and rejection.
I am too old to change course now.
I am no good and everybody knows it so why bother.
Do any of these sound familiar?
How many of these beliefs help us?
None. All they do is perpetuate a life of regret and missed opportunities.
You do not need to believe these sabotaging lies if you don’t want to. You can challenge them and do the opposite. The best book I have…
