How old do you think you are? I say you are as old as your thinking suggests you are. That is all a matter of attitude. I think you can gauge this pretty well by assessing how often the idea of trying something new comes into your head. Do you like new situations and new activities, or do you like a routine that you can count on? Do you like meeting new people? Do you read to find out what is new and what you might be able to add to your life, possessions, business ventures or activities? Or are you more concerned about security for the rest of your life and how to survive on a fixed income?
Admittedly, the things of youth must eventually be surrendered. Surely the stupid things of youth should go first. The thought of skydiving gives me no pleasure, but the thought of pushing my ‘Vette into a 120mph turn gets me wishing to be there, so it is more a matter of what excites you than the element of risk itself. But how risk feels to you is the key parameter in the internal sense of how old you believe you are. If apprehension is your dominant feeling, you are already very old.
There are things you can do to change that feeling. My biggest breakthrough in life came with reading “Unlimited Power” by Anthony Robbins. When the words “Personal power is the ability to take action” rang in my head, my life took a new direction. I had spent a lifetime dreaming and fantasizing about many projects I would undertake – someday! But I rarely made concrete steps to make the dream a reality. Some call it ‘paralysis by analysis’; but I think for me it was an internal sense of not having the resources to even start – not enough time, not enough money, not enough knowledge – you name it, but a sense of poverty of resources, including personal power.
When I realized it was just a matter of taking a next step – any next step as long as it is movement – it got easier. What can I do next to make some incremental progress toward my current goal – what action can I take that moves me from thinking to action? The second part of this was realizing that mistakes are rarely fatal, and always teach something. What a paradigm shift – from fear of failure to ‘let’s make a mistake, because it will reveal where I have to go next’ – the sooner, the better! The reality of life is that every day is, in fact, a start over! The illusion is that there is any real security whatever. The primary factor in living to the fullest is to maximize the time you get to spend doing what you love to do. That is why I started this website, and I love this pursuit.
Good Living - Frank
