SUCCESSFUL AGING
Aging sucks because you
are getting older and older each day. The only time in your life when you would
like to get older is when you were a kid of three or four years of age. Now, in
your golden years, time seems to fly, building up so much speed that it is no
longer funny any more.
Subjective
Perception
Feeling about old age is no more than a subjective
perception of self. It is always the “glass is half full or half empty”
attitude of looking at life. More specifically, it is how you view your
own life “in the eyes of the beholder” who is yourself.
Successful
Aging
Empowered by positive facts of aging, now is as good a time
as any to begin your successful aging in your golden years. Make your presence
in your golden years a memorable experience.
First of all, your successful aging has to come with certain
consciousness, which is awareness of
your thoughts, feelings, and what is within you.
Conscious of Time
According to The World Almanac and Book of Facts,
2004, reaching fifty today, if you are a man, you have on average 27.5 more
years; if you are a woman, you have on average 31.6 more years. You may still
have time. However, in your golden years, be more conscious of the compression
of time.
So relish your life all the more because your
days are numbered and further weighed down with your daily routine. Just do
your best, and make the most of it!
Santa Claus is always conscious of time: he needs to deliver
all his presents to the children on time—that is, before Christmas.
Like Santa Claus, you must be more conscious of your
time—don’t idle it away, and don’t procrastinate. Make good use of your time.
Conscious of Self
In your golden years, be more conscious of self: who you
are, and what you can be. Consciously cultivate your life enjoyment, stretch
your mind, expand your spirit, and invest love, compassion, and time on others
around you, especially those who are less fortunate than yourself. This is how
you may re-discover yourself in your golden years. Just as George Eliot, the author, says: “It’s never too late to be what you
might have been.”
Santa Claus has a beaming personality, always expressing his
love and compassion to the needy children. Like Santa Claus, expand your
personality, and the sky is the limit!
Conscious of Innovation
In the golden years, it is easy to become too
philosophical in that one may be tempted to resign to fate, and thus expecting
tomorrows to be only repetitions of todays and yesterdays. Although daily life
xperience may be the same, your golden years should be a time of
experimentation. Be innovative and creative out of the mundane in everyday
life. Innovation is not just about thinking out of the box; it is about
creating your own box.
Santa Claus is creative and imaginative in his choice, as
well as his delivery, of presents to the children. Like Santa Claus, be
creative and be out of the ordinary! Make your golden years the best time of
your life! Remember this: “Experience
is not what happens to a man. It is what a man does with what happens to him.” Aldous Huxley
Look up to Santa Claus as your role model of successful
aging. Of course, Santa is only a mythical figure: he is immune from the
ravages of time, and that is why he never ages. But if you do emulate Santa
Claus, you surely can slow down your own aging process, if not reverse it.
Always look at the sunny side of your golden years. There is
no foolproof recipe for successful aging in the golden years. Resist the
temptation to become less attached to life in your later years; instead, become
more involved and you will discover your own recipe for your successful aging
in your golden years.
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
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