Henry Ford once said "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young." This is kind of true. I know people my age who act like they are seventy. Always complaining and saying they can't do something because they are too old for this or that. I also know older people who say they are too old to learn something new. I say bullshit to both ideas!
Life is for learning, and challenges are the spice of life. As many of you know, I train in karate. While there are some things I won't do because they are not worth the pain I would get to do them, I try not to say I can't do them. In many cases I can do them, but the pain isn't worth the effort. In some cases, I may not be able to do them right now, but it doesn't stop me from at least attempting them. Last night, for instance, we were doing power push ups. These are push ups designed to use explosive power. One of the push ups involved pushing your entire body off the floor (including your feet) and extending your hands out in front of you. They are called superman push ups because if you do them right, you look like superman flying. So far, I have not been able to do one...but I keep trying. At this point, I can get my entire body off the floor, But I can not extend my hands all the way out and get them back in in time to catch myself on my hands (in other words, I land on my elbows and body (no face plants though!)). Some people would say. I can't do it and give up. But that won't advance my training. In fact, it will hurt it! It is okay to reach a plateau where you cannot do something...it happens all the time. What is not okay, is to not try to surpass that plateau. To be realistic, there will always be some things that I may never be able to do. That doesn't mean I should give up! It just means I need to find a way to work past the challenge. As I get older, I want to attack my challenges, whether they be mental or physical. I believe no one is too old to learn. They may not want to put in the effort, but they are not too old. Currently the oldest college graduate is Leo Plass. Leo got his associates degree at the ripe old age of 99! For a full four-year degree, Nola Ochs graduated from Fort Hays State University at the age of 95. She went on to earn her Masters degree at the age of 98. I don't know about you, but I respect the hell out of that! So you want to get old? Then stop learning, stop trying. Use your age as a crutch. Living is a state of mind and words have power. If you say that you are too old to do this or that, then I can almost guarantee that you will be! And believe me, you can talk yourself into the grave. I've seen it happen. My wife used to say she thought she would die young and would be dead by 38. She died two years ago...six days after her 38th birthday. Words have power. Please watch what you say.
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