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- January 11, 2009
Don’t Make Age an Excuse
How many times have you heard a woman say she put her own dreams on hold so she could take care of her family?
Too often we put off working toward our dreams because “family comes first” or we feel that it would take too long, or that we will be too old once our “foundation” has been put in place.
Maybe you dream of owning your own business—or of becoming an attorney, a real estate broker, an interior designer, an artist, or a writer. To become expert in any of these fields takes time and often requires going back to school for several years or more. But so what? If the children are grown, what better time than now to go out and pursue your passions? Time and time again I have heard people say something to the effect of: “I’d go back to school, but by the time I finish and start working I’d be too old.”
It’s interesting to see what people define as “old?” Some people mean 30, 40, or 50 or more. But none of these ages is too old to begin a new, highly successful career doing something that you love.
Some people will say that learning new skills becomes more difficult as we get older, so going back to school or studying part-time would be too difficult. That theory has been completely disproved. It’s been shown that the brain can handle learning at any age perhaps not as readily as when a child, but well enough to become expert at any advanced skill or field of knowledge. Today, distance learning and Internet education is ideal for more mature individuals, enabling them to continue their educations while still involved with jobs and family.
Don’t use your age as an excuse for starting to move in the direction of your dreams. Don’t tell yourself: “In five years I’ll be too old to enjoy it.” Five years will pass soon enough, and you’ll realize how foolish your excuse was.
2 Responses to “Don’t Make Age an Excuse”
This is so true. Yet what stops a lot of women taking the step is not the WHAT but the HOW. A few things that help are:
Envisioning yourself in your new life – picture it, smell it, feel it, hear it.
Think about what you are prepared to say ‘Yes’ to in order to get there and what you are prepared to say ‘No’ to.
Think about who you would have with you as your allies. We all need them and they come in different shapes and sizes. There’s the person who’s going to champion you along your way; the one who will be there to support you; the one who will come and get you when the going gets tough, and so on.
Above all, enjoy the process of getting there. It’s not just the destination that counts.
By Lynn Hull on Jan 17, 2009
I agree. I’m in what I call my 3rd life now. I started my career as a teacher which I very much enjoyed. After 17 years, I became a client representative for IBM and did that for another 17 plus years. I found there were aspects of each career which were exciting, interesting and at times dissatisfying. It’s not over until you decide! Now in my third “life”, I am writing books. I love the writing part but the sales and promotion/marketing can be exhausting. The point is, I’m still learning, growing and enjoying life. I published my first book at 60. Am I too old for this? Boomer’s are never too old for anything.
By Arlene on Jan 25, 2009