If you want to know how to age successfully, your best bet is to ask older adults who have figured out life’s secrets. Seasoned folks can be a source of wise words and sage advice on dealing with and enjoying life to the fullest. Take note of the following valuable perspectives and life lessons:
- We no longer think the universe revolves around us. We have moved away from all those silly, youthful, egocentric, concerns of yesteryear. We now have realistic perceptions of life. We are free to do what we please and are not held back by the opinions of others.
- We have redefined later life as a time of growth rather than a period of inevitable decline.
- We’ve learned that laughter is a great medicine. Nobody reaches old age without having gone through a number of trials and tribulations. A long life is never without painful memories, but one of the best ways of coping with bad times is to find the humor in situations. Many older people are renowned for their ability to laugh in the face of adversity, and this is a lesson that we can all learn from. A little humor goes a long way towards making bad times more bearable and good times more memorable.
- When we begin to seek out opportunities to serve, what we are truly doing is helping others, and by definition, helping ourselves, which will cause great goodness to flow into our own lives. We have learned so well that what goes around, comes around, so we seek to serve wherever help is needed.
- We cannot help someone (or thing) without helping ourselves; and, all things being connected, every act of kindness no matter how large or small, actually causes a reverberation of positive energy.
- We know ourselves, we know what makes us tick. We don’t worry about pleasing other people, living by someone else’s standards or rules. We live authentic lives and have set-in-stone principles that are unwavering, without compromise. We have earned the power to live our lives any way we choose, and to be faithful, and factual to the truth about ourselves.
- When we make a mistake it is not the end of the world. Sometimes, we even laugh at our faux pas. We’ve learned that no one is perfect and so we give ourselves a break and don’t beat ourselves up.
- We stop valuing stuff because stuff, is just stuff! And if stuff breaks, so what! The loss of something might sting but we know it was just STUFF! We’ve come to understand that if a loved one breaks something and we respond in a hurtful way, those words might never be erased. Loved ones are way more important than stuff.
- We stop judging folks. We have lived long enough to know that the child having a tantrum in the store might have special needs. The bald female cashier at the grocery store might have lost her hair due to chemo. The overweight woman who is strutting her stuff in a midriff top probably lost a lot of weight and wants to show off her new bod. We stop shaming folks for smoking, drinking or eating too much. We’ve learned to mind our OWN business and to live and let live sans judgment.
- We must have courage in the face of adversity. Life can never be about being happy every day, or else how would we be able to appreciate the good times to the full? We have come to understand that we have to take the rough with the smooth and hope it all balances out in the end.
- We know that we have got to stop and smell the roses and enjoy the time we have left to the fullest. We now totally get that tomorrow is not promised. When we were young, we thought we would never get old and yet, here we are! So, we revel in all that life has to offer and are grateful that we have made it this far.
- Finally, we have also come to realize that life after age 50 is actually better!