Should I stop trying because I am old?

Naughty at 40. 40s is the new 20s. I have heard many things about turning 40. Turning 40 is considered a milestone. I fail to understand the reason. A friend of mine had marked 40 as the age before which he should earn his first million. He cruised past this line a few years back. Till date, I am not sure if realized his dream or not and I am to shy to ask him. When I approached 40, I had no grand dreams. I am thankful to sail past the line.

Did life offer anything special since turning 40? Yes, it did. An experience. Was it an eye-opening or a shocking one? That is a question difficult to answer. Recently when I was looking for a new assignment, I encountered a series of "No". It was disappointing. I have never seen so many closed doors one after the other in my life before. Every opportunity starts out very well and at some point, it fizzles out. Either I didn't have any relevant experience or I had too much of experience. While I was recounting this experience to a friend, the response was immediate. "Your are over 40. Nobody will take people like you!". To be honest, my face convulsed in pain when I heard it.

Turning 40 has not slowed my mind although it has slowed my body a bit. Should I stop trying because I am 40? As long as my mind is young, nothing should stop me. In case you doubt me, your brain can grown under the right stimulation. Read through the article on how taxi drivers' brains grow to navigate London's streets! If this isn't enough, have you heard about Carol Dweck's study of fixed mindset and growth mindset. It is all in your head!

I refuse to believe a story ends without a happy ending. I eventually found a new assignment. I am one of the youngest in the new group at present. Though, I will not remain the youngest for long.

Tags: Musings,40,Brain,Mindset

Comments

  1. Nona, this reminds me of a quote - Its not true that people stop pursuing dreams ccos they are old; they grow old cos they stop pursuing the dreams.. It is all in the spirits and as long as we are young at heart, there are lots and lots of things to do :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is a nice quote which is inline with what I was trying to address. As long as we have a young mind, all is well. :)

      Delete
  2. Oh Nona I remember when I thought 30 was old. Then 40. Now of course I realise we never get old, although our body starts to show some wear and tear:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. :) I think I wanted to the 18 because I wanted to apply for a driving license. I was very excited about it. Now with each year, celebrating birthday is important and nothing else.

      Delete
  3. Replies
    1. :) That is why we need to change the way the head thinks. That is the key to everything

      Delete
  4. Age is but a only a number. 52 is 25 if you put it the other way round.
    Great write!! I'm with you:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. :) Thank you for the support. Age is a number. I totally agree

      Delete
  5. Age is no barrier.It's a limitation you put on your mind :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We nee dot instruct the mind to forget about the age. :)

      Delete

Post a Comment