012: "Act-Your Age" Might Be Bad Advice If You Want to Be Longevity-Minded

How do you feel when you hear someone say, "Act your age?"

Maybe you've been guilty of saying it.

Or perhaps you've repeated it to yourself as you're icing a wound because you casually ignored the question and did it...anyway (you're feelin' me aren't' ya).

Or you might think it as you look at your reflection in the mirror.

Even so, I'm going on-record:

Acting your age might be bad advice if you want to be longevity-minded.

Why give up on your personal growth, your dreams, and your goals, in the second half of your life because someone flippantly told you to "act your age?"

So perhaps here you are - passively sitting and waiting, not growing, not trying, and consistently over-thinking your age - all because you or someone else drew a line in the sand to honor a particular birthdate.

Stop listening to the "age-police" (in your mind or otherwise) and become an "age-rebel"

This isn't about breaking the rules of aging (whatever those may be).

Rather, I'm more interested in re-writing the rules of aging so you can avoid the physical, emotional, and mental barriers to personal growth and longevity as you get older.

It's time to "act-up" instead of acting your age.

Here's what you'll discover:

• Age is a milestone not a millstone
• Age is a reminder not a memorial
• Age is wisdom not worthless

For the sake of clarity and to fix these ideas more firmly in your mindset, I'll use an acrostic.

Let's treat the longevity journey like the second-A.C.T. of your life and courageously rebel against the act-your-age crowd.

A-cknowledge your age (it's a milestone not a millstone)

I'm all-in on the age-is-a-number idea.

Your age - be it 45, 49, 55, 65, 75, 80, or 90 - is merely a number unless you give it permission otherwise.

Permission for you might be telling yourself to slow down, listen to the aging crowd, hang your "number" around your neck like a millstone and let it drag you into the depths of being "tired," or worse, into culture's unfulfilling...what now version of being "retired."

On the other hand you can acknowledge your age as the milestone it is and get on with your life.

Who said you had to stop (whatever it is you enjoy doing) when you reach a certain age?

Who said you can't say, do, wear, listen to, learn, become, go, or whatever because of the number of candles on your birthday cake?

Be a milestone-thinker not a millstone-thinker!

• Celebrate your age as a magnificent story of experiences you've had, failures you've overcome, beliefs you've tested, struggles you've survived. The younger and inexperienced don't have these yet...but you do...leverage them!
• Cut yourself loose from the thoughts, media, people, experiences, and mindsets that drag you down. No one sets your second-half game plan...you do...so keep playing until the whistle blows.

C-ount yourself in (age is a reminder not a memorial)

Your age doesn't count-you-out!

What counts?

You!!

If you're reading this you're still in-the-game!

It's time to count yourself in as you age.

• Treat every day is a gift. A sense of entitlement doesn't favor the longevity-minded.
• Avoid memorializing the past. New ideas, new thoughts, new creations, and new opportunities favor the growth-minded.

T-ake advantage of it (age is wisdom not unworthiness)

Remember - being personal growth and longevity minded creates leverage. And the best use of your leverage is to keep creating a lasting legacy as long as you are capable to do so.

Think about what’s left undone if you acted your age. The age you've achieved gifts you with ongoing wisdom.

• Use your wisdom to try new ideas. Nothing is worthless that's tried and learned from in the process - age gifts you that!
• Use your wisdom to deepen your understanding about life's challenges, failures, and disappointments - age encourages that!
• Use your wisdom to simplify life's complexities - age empowers that!

You have full permission to stop acting your age

It's time to:

• Acknowledge your age and create meaningful milestones for yourself and those you love and care about.
• Count yourself in and embrace the untapped potential of new ideas, new experiences, and new growth.
• Take advantage of your age and be honored for your legacy of wisdom, understanding, and simplicity.

Press on...

Eddie