You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. -C.S. Lewis
How old is “too old”? I am often curious about this question. Especially when I hear statements like “I am too old to change”, “this is the way I have always been”, “maybe when I was younger, but….” ……..and the list goes on and on. I can’t deny that I sometimes limit myself with similar statements. But I had the opportunity to revisit this curiosity of mine in a couple of ways this week.
It started with a couple of my patients. Both people are beyond the 7th decade of life and working on movements that are typically reserved for my much younger patients. Why are we working on these “advanced movements”? Because they want to. So, we do. And every week, I am reminded that age really IS just a number.
The other story that gained my attention this week is of Carl Allanby. Carl has spent his life as an auto repair shop owner. By all accounts, he has been successful in life. At the age of 36 he returned to college originally pursuing a business degree. However, returning to school made him realize that he had given up on his childhood dream of becoming a doctor, switched gears, and now at the age of 51 is Dr. Carl Allanby.
What is it about age that makes us stop envisioning a better future? And at what age does this start to happen?
Is it when you graduate from college?
“Finally”, send your kids to college?
Make your first million?
“Finally” retire?
What would life look like if the answer was “none of the above”? What would the world look like if the answer was none of the above?
In an interview, Dr. Allanby talks about how his experience owning an auto repair shop made him value empathy and customer service.
“At my automotive business, the failure of transportation left customers in despair with unknown costs, an unknown length of time [during] repairs and the necessity to form contingency plans while their vehicle was down,”
He goes on to say that, as a Doctor, he has learned “providing empathy, compassion and reassurance is often as important as providing appropriate medical care.”
Last week I was speaking to someone who told me she was notified by her doctor’s office that she had terminal cancer and 6 months to live……….over the phone. Forgive my lack of restraint, but that is FAR from compassion and empathy.
Imagine a healthcare system of “Dr. Allanbys”.
Now imagine a world where this compassionate, empathetic, caring Doctor thought he was “too old” to pursue his childhood dream. I imagine not only would Dr. Allanby have been deprived, but so would the people who are lucky enough to be in his care.
How often do you let age limit you from making positive changes in your life?
Maybe you tell yourself,
“I am to set in my ways to change the way I eat”
Or
“I am too old to start exercising”,
“People at my age can’t get better after a stroke”
“At my age, I could never do X movement”
What would life look like if you removed that statement from your mind? What would your health look like? How much better would you feel about yourself? What would your actions teach your kids and grandkids about age?
More importantly, how can Dr. Allanby inspire you to
“ set another goal or to dream a new dream.”?
And
What does that dream look like?
Now, go do it.
Other articles you may like:
Movement over Emotion
If you have moments when you feel overwhelmed, congratulations. You are on the right path to your next big accomplishment. In the physical performance world, the overload principle simplified is the body’s adaptive response to physical stress. The result is growth....
Don’t judge a book.
“Judging others is bad”. Don’t judge a book by it’s cover. From our earliest age we are taught not to “judge” people. My definition of “judging” is when an opinion about someone is attached to a “value”. “Good people” and “Bad people”. “Good behavior” and “bad...
Strategy over “strength”
I am a “fixer”. I see problems or potential problems and I immediately jump in headfirst to “fix” said problem. I can also sometimes be an “avoider”. Look ahead to avoid potential problems. Finally, and most importantly, I am NOT a “tread-er.” Rarely do I find it...
Don’t believe your lying eyes
If you want to change an area of your life, start with the smallest habit you can consistently do to move you in that direction. Seeing is believing. Personally, this strategy has been effective with fitness, academic, and business goals. If you want to run a...
The tail of two nails
Whether you believe it to be true or false, you are right. A british journal published a case of a construction worker who jumped off a plank landing on a nail that punctured straight through his shoe emerging on the other side. In terrible pain, the man was sedated...
When “fantacy” overshadows reality
When was the last time you remember having to think about how to retrieve a glass of water from a table? If you are a healthy adult, probably never. You see, there are skills that require “motor planning”. However, most activities of daily living are automatic. That...
Why you strive for more
Health is the greatest gift; Contentment is the greatest wealth - Siddhartha Gautama Feeling a little bit of discontentment is an extremely effective motivation to move toward a specific goal. Folks with financial “wealth” will often credit their drive to growing up...
Choose your gemstones
Feeling frustrated by your lack of progress? If so, you are on the right track. BIG things are about to happen. Frustration is a sense of discouragement, anger, and annoyance because of unresolved problems or unfulfilled goals, desires, or needs. I don’t like feeling...
Why do you do what you do?
Why do we do what we do? “Good” behavior or “bad”, if progress is a high priority, it’s an essential question. Are you doing what you need to do to make progress? If not, you aren’t alone. I think we have all had a time in our lives when we lacked confidence in our...
Secret to win the game of life
"Just look on the brite side". I was recently watching a self-proclaimed “optimist” teach about all the benefits of optimism. His second most jarring statement was something like, “You must be an optimist to succeed.” I will “circle back” to number one....