Too Young to Think About Getting Old?

 

A subscriber opted out the newsletter giving this reason: 

“Being 58, I think 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, 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 stay forever. Intellectually, you know that’s not true, but human nature being what it is, you probably choose to ignore reality. 

Youth is such a con artist; it mesmerizes you into ignoring reality. It sneaks away so imperceptibly that you don’t see it go. For example, you admire your waning youthful image in the mirror and in response to the seemingly unchanging reflection you see, you fool yourself into believing you don’t have to do anything “now” to keep what you see. 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. If that’s your attitude at age 58 (or any age over 40), you are living with your head in the sand. 

Most people still don’t pay attention to the reality 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 with either pain or joyful living. The indisputable fact of increased longevity makes it imperative to plan ahead for the kind of life you want to be living. 

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 reality 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.

One of the best ways to avoid premature decline is to keep moving, and walking is an excellent but overlooked tool. If you sit in front of a TV for even a half hour a day, consider investing in a treadmill. If you use it consistently, it will pay huge dividends in keeping you agile and fit. 

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