The Power of Seeing “Old” as an Opportunity
This week, I saw age from a new perspective.
I gained this new perspective when I watched a TED Talk entitled “It’s not too late to make a difference” by Jonathan Sackner-Bernstein. If you have 18 minutes to watch it, it’s worth the view.
A Life Lesson
As I get older and carry with me half a century of experiences and learning, I’m reminded to frame my future inside the viewfinder of opportunity and strength, not limitation and regret.
What I’ve been through, what I’ve learned, who I’m becoming, is the gift and contribution I have to share with those I meet. If I wasn’t this “old,” I wouldn’t have as much to offer or make a difference with!
“It’s not how old you are, it’s how you are old.” ― Jules Renard
“A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams.” ― John Barrymore
“Aging is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength.” – Betty Friedan
What Certain People Have Done After 40
- Mark Twain was 40 when he wrote “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” and 49 when he wrote “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.”
- Christopher Columbus was 41 when he discovered the Americas.
- Rosa Parks was 42 when she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger.
- John F. Kennedy was 43 when he became President.
- Henry Ford was 45 when the Ford T came out.
- Suzanne Collins was 46 when she wrote “The Hunger Games.”
- Charles Darwin was 50 when his book On the Origin of Species came out.
- Leonardo Da Vinci was 51 when he painted the Mona Lisa.
- Abraham Lincoln was 52 when he became president.
- Ray Kroc was 53 when he bought the McDonalds Franchise and took it to new heights.
- Dr. Seuss was 54 when he wrote “The Cat in the Hat.”
- Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger III was 57 when he landed US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River in 2009 saving all 155 passengers.
- Colonel Harland Sanders was 61 when he started KFC.
- J.R.R Tolkien was 62 when The Lord of the Rings came out.
- Ronald Reagan was 69 when he became President.
- Nelson Mandela was 76 when he became President of South Africa.
- Moses was 80 when we led the Israelites out of Egypt.
What limiting beliefs about age are keeping you from making a difference?
How old are you and what’s your opportunity?
About Cam Taylor
Coach, author, speaker, father, friend, leader, life long learner.
And Frank Lloyd Wright was 91 when he was putting the finishing touches on the Guggenheim. The also thought he was “washed up” in his sixties.
Thanks Jeff – that’s a great example. I wonder what it took for Wright to transition from “all washed up” to “let’s make some more masterpieces”? Sounds like a follow up post.
I absolutely love this blog, Cam. I am going to print it out, and send it to Garry’s brother in North Bay, Ont. and to others who are struggling , “getting old”…..as I say, I’m not “old,” I’m older and yes, I have opportunities yet to come. It’s good to focus on, each day, that is given to us, “old or Older.”