We don't stop playing because
we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.
George
Bernard Shaw
Take a moment and think about last
year at this same date. Does it feel like a lifetime ago or does it feel like
if it was yesterday? Have you changed much or not at all? Has your life? How
about 2 years ago? How about 4? If you have kids, do you remember how big they
were two years ago and feel like they are so much bigger now than they should
be?
Time will pass, no matter what you
do. How much do you have to show for it?
I ask these questions because every
time I tell someone they should pick up a new hobby, learn a new skill, going
back to school, or making a lifestyle change; their immediate reaction is
usually “I’m too old to start now” as if we only have a limited amount of years
for self-betterment.
I know that as we grow older, we are
less likely to deal with becoming a novice again, the notion of realizing just
how little we know, how much work we need, and just how much help we require.
But that’s the beauty of time, it passes whether you want it to pass or not. How
long does it take to learn a new skill? A week? A month? A year? If that time
will pass anyway, are you willing to put up with being a beginner for a short
period of your life, one that will pass anyway, to become more?
The other typical excuse is just how
hectic our lives are. Let’s assume that you would take up a hobby, is your
schedule so packed and complicated that you can’t take a couple of hours off a
week to go to class? How long is your commute? Instead of listening to random
babble on the radio, you could take that time to put on a conversational language
lessons. Instead of dozing off in the metro, you could read a book on the topic
of your interest. Your day’s full, wake up an hour earlier and practice before
your usual chaotic life starts. Instead of cooking any old thing, add in half
an hour to the prep time and try out a new recipe. Get on that treadmill or
work out while watching TV, or simply turn off the TV for a bit. The reality is
that forcing yourself to take a break for a couple of hours a week from your
usual rat-race will actually help you perform better in your daily routine.
Instead of thinking about the time
it will take, which often seems daunting, consider how long it took. Waiting a
week often seems like a long wait, yet last week doesn’t seem that far off.
Start considering time in the past sense instead of the future sense. Just
think how far into that exercise regimen you would be if you started last Monday
instead of waiting till next Monday. Consider how skilled you would already be
if you registered for that class last semester instead of putting it off till
the next one.
The reality is that you are never too
old to learn or too busy to take time for yourself. It’s all about priorities.
If your priority is to feel old, then yes, you are too old to learn. If your
priority is to feel busy, then yes, you are too busy. But if your priority is
to grow as a man, then neither age nor time will never be a barrier.
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