In case nobody told you: You’re capable of creating the beautiful life, no matter your age. We’ve all heard people say things like, “Do it while you’re young!” or “just wait til you get older and can’t do that…” Or, on the other end, they might say, “I’m too old for this” or “I should’ve done this when I was younger.” These kinds of statements yank us into the world of scarcity, where someone somewhere said that age is limiting and once you hit a certain age, it’s too late to learn a new skill, grow, or do something you always wanted to do.
In this article, we’ll discuss why it’s never too late to try something new, and how to have self confidence at any age. You’ll learn practical ways to boost your confidence and do those things you always wanted to do, no age limit required.
A little about me
I’m about to turn thirty years old at the time of writing this, yay! Thirty is a great age… so is twenty, and forty, and fifty, and sixty… every age is great! Each season of life brings something new, including new opportunities, experiences, and challenges. The beautiful thing is that we’re always growing, maturing, and becoming.
Honestly, I am so, so, so tired of people saying you’re too old to try something new or reach your dreams. It’s a lie, and one that we need to debunk. When I passed age twenty-one, I worried that I’d be too old to get married (because of the community culture I was surrounded by). I got married at twenty-five and I literally would not have it any other way. I published my first book at age twenty-nine. I’m sure I will do new things as I get older.
There is seriously SO much time! And I’m excited that there’s a long future ahead for me. I get to continue improving my craft of writing, publishing books, and continuing to learn. I realized, There is no age limit to growth. Hopefully this article inspires you to go for that thing you always wanted to do and create the beautiful life of your dreams. You’re never too old to start!
Who decided people are too old to stop learning anyway?
I don’t know who decided that some people are too old for things. Of course physical ailments that come with age can limit some people. But we’re never too old to start getting healthier, pick up a new instrument, or even create better relationships.
I’ve been around a lot of old people throughout my life. I’m from Hawaii, so the culture is very respectful of kupuna, the older folks. The many tutu and tutu kane I grew up around were full of advice. In fact, the adage at any gathering or social event was to “respect” and “listen” to your kupuna. I was always careful though, because sometimes kupuna gave negative advice. Many had the scarcity mindset that “once you’re old you can’t do anything” and that’s not true. Besides, who even decided what age is considered old? Sure some people get senior passes for specific things but there were a lot of people I knew who loved their senior passes. They took advantage of them and actively participated in community events and recreation.
I learned something from the old people in Hawaii: It’s all about mindset. You can either look at age and aging as a negative thing, or something to embrace. We will all grow old, but if we can look at it in a healthy way, we’ll know that it’s just another season of life.
Age gracefully
There was an older woman I really admired during my days as a teenager. She was one of my youth leaders but she always held herself so poised and graceful. I’d never seen an older woman who embraced her age, including her looks, yet took such great care of herself. My mom described this as “aging gracefully.” I aspire to be like that woman, and we all can. Aging is not something meant to stop us from growing and becoming better people. When we embrace it, we see that it’s a healthy and natural part of life. Everyone will grow “old,” but the opportunities, doors, and experiences are always there for us. It’s up to us on whether we’ll go for it, or let our age pull us back.
There’s no better time to start than now
One day, or day one. You decide.
I think we’ll never hear someone say, “I wish I had spent more time on social media” or “I wish I watched more Netflix shows” when they die. We’ll usually hear things like, “I wish I tried that one thing” or “I wish I spent more time with so and so.” It’s never too late to change your life, whether you’re nineteen or ninety years old.
Too many people limit themselves and say things like, “Oh it’s too late to try that” or “I’m too old to learn that now.” It’s never too late, and there’s never a better time to start than now.
Want to make YouTube videos? Go for it! Want to write a book? YES! Want to visit that place that’s been on your bucket list for years? Gooooo! Maybe it won’t turn out the way you want it, but you can gain self confidence in knowing that you put in your all and you DID it!
The dreamers and the doers
A few weeks ago my husband and I put some earnest money down on a property that we’re not even sure if we can find the money for! But even though we’re young, and the people who bought the properties next to our reserved lot are much older and experienced than us, we’re not deterred. Because it doesn’t matter how old you are. Believe in yourself, and go for it.
When we talked to the loan officer, he said, “This earnest money represents the difference between the dreamers and doers.” I thought about that as we left. It’s wonderful to dream—we all need dreams to keep us going. But there’s another part to dreaming, which is doing. Don’t just be a dreamer, but be a doer too. Do that thing you always wanted to do. Reach for the stars. Start now. You got this. 🙂
Have self confidence and believe in yourself
There’s something that every person wants, even if they don’t admit it out loud. I always wanted to write, publish books, and get married. I knew I’d find someone eventually, and I even planned to marry at age twenty eight! When I moved to the mainland, I quickly learned that in the community I lived, it was expected that people get married young, as young as nineteen to twenty one (especially for women). It was honestly quite frustrating, because being from Hawaii, there had never been issues with people’s ages. You are your age, and that was that.
The culture seemed to say, if you’re not married by twenty one, then somehow you’re behind. This simply isn’t true, because every person is on their own journey, and every person’s timetable is unique and personal to their life and their experiences. Furthermore, we all go through seasons of life, whether it’s getting an education, preparing for marriage, having a baby, starting a new career, and so forth. There is nothing wrong with any of these seasons, and there are no set time tables for the seasons of our lives either. We are all unique, and our life story and journeys are different, so please don’t compare your life with someone else’s. Their timing and seasons are different from yours.
You’re not behind–you’re right on time
To continue the story, I just lived my life. I didn’t care if people made jokes about my relationship status. When I went to family events, I was guilt tripped about not dating, when, really, I was doing a lot of good things in my life, education, and career. What I learned is that self confidence starts with us. For me, at the time, I realized that my life didn’t revolve around my relationship status, and that I was doing a lot of great things to work towards my dreams and goals. It didn’t matter if I was married or not—that would happen when it was supposed to happen. And I wasn’t old (I was still in my twenties, for crying out loud).
The scarcity mindset towards age is limiting and unhealthy, and I didn’t want to be a part of that. Every single experience had led me to the point I was at, and I felt grateful for my journey and all that I learned. Age and aging would happen naturally, of course, and I could embrace it. I hope you can embrace it too.
People will make fun of age, unfortunately. I wish they wouldn’t because it seriously doesn’t matter. What matters is that you believe in you. No matter the age, know that you’re going to get your dreams. There’s something exciting about looking forward to your dreams and working towards them, and that transcends any age. So have self confidence and believe that everything is going to work out as it should. Maybe it won’t happen in the time table that you would like, but, usually, it’s for a reason.
Furthermore, you’re not behind. You’re right on time and where you need to be in your journey. Keep going, my friend!
And don’t forget this…
And of course, trust God, trust the process and progress, and have self confidence. You’re right where you need to be, and as you work towards your hopes and dreams, you’ll create the beautiful life, no matter the age!
What are your thoughts?
Did you learn something from this article? Have you ever felt limited because of your age? How do you overcome a scarcity mindset when it comes to your age?
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