We constantly use numbers to quantify the world around us, whether we’re talking about our age, weight, height, salary, number of people inside a room or while describing the latest mid-day traffic jam. Our entire lives can easily be summed within a coherent list of numbers, each followed by its own set of expectations and prejudices. You’re reckless in your twenties, family-oriented in your thirties, go through a crisis during the forties and live out the rest a peace and happiness, right?
Develop a positive attitude
Maintaining a positive attitude towards life is crucial for any type of change. You might not always be able to change the things happening around you, but you can always change the way you react to them. This is a conscious choice, which needs to be made every time you face an unfortunate situation. Instead of reacting with negativity and rage, you can try to accept reality for what it is and look for ways to turn the odds in favor. Framing the situation in a positive way will allow you to move forward through life with confidence and ease and be proactive with your decisions, instead of reactive.
Keep yourself busy
People are often hell-bent on finding that one single passion they are going to pour their heart and soul into it. The only issue is that they make an idealized version of their passion which may or may not be as pleasant in real life. A far better decision would be to try as many different things as you can and to experiment until you actually find your true passion. Try something you’re not really sure you’ll like and then ask yourself did you really like doing it or not. If yes, continue. If not, on with the next opportunity. The important things are to get yourself moving and working for your change instead of just nagging for it to happen.
Follow your own path
You are never too old to try out new things. Some people experiment when they’re younger and settle down later in life, others experience a peaceful youth and only blossom later in life. As the old saying goes, to each his own. Everyone has their own individual tempo and while competition in life can sometimes bring out the best of us, it’s not the only way to live it. Find out what your real goals and objectives are and reach them following your own rhythm. Slow down when you have to and hit the gas when you want to, just keep moving forward and the changes will follow.
Take care of yourself
People are capable of reinventing themselves no matter how old they are. However, you can enable and support that change as late as you want, as long as you take care of yourself throughout life, physically and emotionally. Maintaining a healthy body helps maintain a healthy mind and allows you to plan for both short- and long-term changes. Just have in mind that habits often tend to throw a monkey-wrench in the wheels of change, which is why we see more and more seniors deciding to move away from the traditional family-oriented life, and instead, prefer senior living where they are surrounded by the like-minded individuals who are more understating of their needs.
Overcome your fears
One of the main excuses people use to avoid change is to say they’re too old to change. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, now can you. The truth is, you can, both literally and metaphorically. Saying you’re too old for something is nothing more than fear speaking from within you and the moment you realize that your fears are doing all the talking is the moment you can start working on overcoming them. You are never too old, you’re just too scared and that is perfectly fine. Everyone gets scared, especially when facing changes and things we’ve never done and experienced before.
People change all the time without even realizing it. While some traits require a conscious effort in order to change them, the little things that make us who we change and evolve with us, we just don’t see it that way. The big things can also be changed, they just require a little more effort and a more positive perspective on life. Take your time and try to make your journey through change as enjoyable as you can, both for yourself and those around you.