Don’t Be Afraid of Getting Older

I’ve been thinking a bit about what it means to be getting older. I’m looking forward to what my life will bring, and embracing all of the things that come to me as I age. One thing I’ve noticed is that so many people are afraid of aging. I’m not even talking about those who are nearing the end of their lives, in the sixties or seventies, or eighties, but people who think they will be old when they are 25, or 30. I’ve been struck several times by the cognitive dissonance of my feelings about aging being at odds with how society tells me how I should feel.

Having passed both 25 and 30 some time ago, I can promise you, that you are not old. Your life is not over at thirty. You youth isn’t even over then. For many of us, thirty is not even the halfway point of our lives. At twenty-five we haven’t yet fully learned or embraced our power. There will be so many more fun times and memorable moments in the rest of your life, those memories are not limited to being formed in your teens and twenties. And by the way, the people that you think have it all together, so many of them don’t, and a lot of them aren’t even aware of how clueless they are. The way we place such value on youth will push you to try to live your life in fast forward, please don’t let it.

Life is long. Don’t try to live all of it at once. Don’t let these x under x lists have you thinking that you are a failure because at 23 you haven’t yet started a business, or gotten a job with a six-figure salary. Baby girl, at 23 your brain isn’t even fully developed yet. You are not meant to reach all of your goals in the first decade of adulthood. Embrace the achievements of your life so far, and I promise you, that there is more for you as you age. It is a blessing to age, never forget that.