Are You Too Young to Think About Being Old?

by Barbara Morris, R. Ph.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

A subscriber opted out of my newsletter giving this reason:

“I think being 58 this is not for me yet.”

If not at 58, then when will it be time to think about putting old on hold?

Unfortunately, an “I don’t want to think about getting old now” mindset at age 58 usually results in premature decline. At age 58, if you are not actively preparing and making an effort to Put Old on Hold, then you are setting yourself up to become part of the traditional decline oriented senior culture.

At age 58, if you are not thinking about the future, that means you are living mindlessly, accepting life as it happens. When you do that, one day, perhaps after a couple of years in passive traditional retirement, you will be dealing with some kind of decline issue that could have been avoided and you will be asking yourself, “How did this happen?”

It is also unfortunate that at age 58, when you are relatively healthy and everything in your life is going reasonably well, there is the tendency to assume your present condition is how it will be forever. Intellectually, you know that’s not true, but human nature being what it is, you probably choose to ignore reality.

Right there, in a nutshell, in the above paragraph, is why you get “old”, the definition of “old” being, “experiencing decline that could have been avoided.”

You are satisfied that you are holding your own. Thinking beyond next week is not a priority. You rationalize that you will start to exercise “soon” and you will start to eat a better diet “soon.” Partying with Jack Daniels is more important right now. At age 58 (or any age over 40) if that’s your attitude, you are living with your head in the sand.

Most people still don’t realize that the lifespan has increased by 30 years in the past century. They are not mindful of those potential “bonus” years that can be filled either with pain or joyful living. The indisputable fact of increased longevity makes it imperative to plan ahead.

It could be argued that in spite of what you do to prepare for the future, bad things happen to good people who try to do all the right things. That’s life. But you also have free will to decide how you try to live your life. The truth is that the sooner in life you think about and prepare for the future, the better your chances will be that in spite of possibly being hit by life’s curve balls, you can hit home runs with wise choices made before decline takes hold.

Yes, at age 58, you had better prepare and plan for the future you want. That’s the only way you have a chance to beat Mother Time at her aging game. She will win if your mindset about anti-aging preparation and information is “I think being 58 this is not for me yet.”

Read this five-star Amazon review of my newest book, I Don’t Wanna Be My Mother. The reviewer “gets it” and hopefully, you do, too:

“I’m a 40-something year-old daughter witnessing her mom rapidly aging way before her time. In a state of panic and depression, I found this book on Amazon. While the topic of discussion is one that none of us want to face, it’s an action plan and is empowering. Nothing like hearing it from one who’s not only been there and done that, but made the right choices and gracious enough to pass on the information. I don’t understand why her work has not been published by a large publisher so her pearls of wisdom reach a wider audience. No doubt she is not popular with the pharmaceutical companies! Barbara, you’re my hero! Thank you! I’ve ordered her other two books.”