If you think you're old - you are!
Posted on 25th October 2024 at 14:48
Feeling like you're too old to chase your dreams? Think again. In this video on the Midlife and Beyond YouTube Channel I share personal stories, from a shocking hospital visit to conversations that challenged my views on aging. The words we hear, both from others and ourselves, have the power to shape how we live. If you’re telling yourself you’re too old to run that 5K, fall in love, or start a new career, then you might be limiting your potential. I challenge you to rethink those beliefs and see aging in a new light. Let’s break free from the stereotypes and embrace the possibilities that lie ahead!
Join the conversation in the comments – what limiting beliefs about age hold you back?
Subscribe to the channel for more conversations about life after 50, 60, 70.
TRANSCRIPT
If you think you're old, then you are. The words we use are important.
I had to go to hospital earlier this year because they thought I'd had a mini-stroke. I'll say straight away, I haven't, I'm fine. Apparently, I've got a good brain, who knew? But I had to have an MRI scan, I had to have a Doppler scan on my neck to see whether or not my arteries had furred up.
And after the nurse had finished, she handed me my notes and said, Could you take those to elderly care please? I said, excuse me, what? She said, can you take the notes to elderly care? Why? And she looked at the notes again and she said, well, you're over 60, so you're under elderly care. I don't know about you, but I don't like that word.
To me, elderly sounds feeble. It sounds as if you're aging very quickly as if you're old, old. I know they used to call it geriatric, didn't they? And I suppose elderly is better than geriatric. [00:01:00] But I'd rather be an elder rather than elderly. I don't mind being called an elder. That sounds to me like I'm wise. Have a little bit of respect, maybe.
But elderly, That's just the opposite to me! The words other people use, whether in the media or just in our culture generally, about people who are growing older, matter, they go in, they affect us. But the words that we say to ourselves are even more important.
When I was 48, I went to see an orthopaedic surgeon because I was having problems with my knees. I genuinely thought all they would do was wash out a bit of cartilage and Bob's your uncle, I'd be running up and down again. But he sat back and he crossed his arms and he just said, well, there's not anything we can do.
I said, well hang on a minute, of course there's something you can do. You're a doctor - fix me! I said, could I eat an anti inflammatory diet and he laughed in my face and said, what's one of those? But I said, well, come on, give me more than that. Give me more than we can't do anything. He said, come back and see me when you're 60 and your needs have reduced.
What? I said: that's not... What do you think I'm going to be doing when I'm 60? Sitting on the sofa, knitting, watching daytime TV? That's not what I've got planned for my 60s! I'm going to be traveling. I'm going to be having adventures and dancing. I'm not going to be sitting on the sofa. My needs aren't going to reduce.
Two years ago, I broke my ankle. All my examples are medical, aren't they? Have you noticed? Well, it was just at the end of the pandemic restrictions, so I was left at the Accident and Emergency Department on my own because nobody could sit with me. And I sat there for six hours in pain, with my mask on, until eventually I was wheeled through to see the young consultant.
And he sorted me out, and then as he reached the door, he turned back and he said, I hope you don't mind me saying, but I can't believe you're 60. And I didn't quite know what to say. I mean, he couldn't see my face. It's not like he was making a comment about my physical appearance, which would have been inappropriate anyway.
So I just said, oh, thank you, because his intention was good. I just wasn't sure what he meant. And I went away thinking, what are we supposed to look like when we're in our 60s? How are we supposed to be? What did he mean?
It's the words we use about ourselves that are so important, aren't they? The brain believes what we tell it. It takes everything at face value. So if you're saying to yourself, I'm too old to do that 5k, I'm too old to fall in love again, I'm too old to train for a new job, then you are. Wasn't it Henry Ford who said, "Whether you believe you can, or you believe you can't, you're right."
The only way we can change things is by becoming aware of them in the first place. So I'm going to set you a challenge. I want you to notice every time that you say or think something ageist about someone else, but particularly about yourself. I do this myself all the time, bring myself up short and [00:04:00] say, come on Jo, reframe that.
I'd love to know what your thoughts are and what limiting beliefs you might be creating for yourself. Comment below and I'll come back and have a chat. See you in the next video!
If you've enjoyed this video, why not subscribe to the YouTube channel and become part of the conversation?
Tagged as: Confidence
Share this post: