You can find a 3-part series called You’re Getting Better – Not Older (and In Style, and Together). After publishing those I realized that while my intention was good, my wording was misleading and contributed to the ageism that runs rampant in the US and around the world.
You are getting better AND older. The message I intended was that you hopefully aren’t getting old. Old as in stiff, decrepit, and all the attributes that we associate with getting old that we don’t like. I was trying to say that while we do get older that if we choose the right lifestyle we will also get better.
There are two messages in all of this. One message is that it’s time that society stop dismissing people as they get older, stop making elders the butt of jokes, and stop discriminating against them. The other message is that to support the changes just mentioned, it’s time we make lifestyle choices that do have us age with grace.
We’re all different and we age differently. We can still improve on the quality of our increasing years. We need to get enough sleep, movement, and laughter to smooth the way for healthier aging. Getting enough water, expressing gratitude enough, and using our brains enough does help us fit into the wisdom aspect of aging in a beautiful way. Being sure to keep a youthful mindset, play enough, and nurture our human contacts keeps us in a better frame of mind to enjoy our later years.
For me, that’s a lot of what my focus on Longevity Coaching is all about: making sure we are enjoying our later years. Age is a mindset. By keeping yours young and vibrant will help you enjoy all of your years. Optimize your life and show “youngsters” how it’s done.
And do it in your own way.
(the first of the three articles starts here: You’re Getting Better — Not Older