There's More To Experience Than Time: Why Age Doesn't Determine Your Knowledge and Growth Potential
Mindset Monday
Takeaway: Do not conflate years of life with years of experience. Most people, once they hit a certain age, begin to repeat the same year over and over again—without much change—until they die. Understanding this leads to two important perspective shifts.
Do not conflate years of life with years of experience.
Most people, once they hit a certain age, begin to repeat the same year over and over again—without much change—until they die.
They get trapped in a routine that doesn’t challenge them.
It reminds me of the quote by Muhammed Ali,
“The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.”
Understanding that age does not equal experience can lead to two important perspective shifts:
1. Listening to your elders can be helpful, but sometimes not.
There are tons of people older than you who can share their unique experiences. This mentorship should be embraced.
However, just because someone is older does not mean they know better than you. Trust your intuition and your judgement. You are the leading expert on your life. Learn to discern what advice is worth considering and what is just noise—the remnants of others’ fears and insecurities.
2. Seek to grow and challenge yourself.
Aging happens automatically, but growth does not. Do not be the man or woman that wastes their life by reliving the same year over and over again. Push yourself out of your comfort zone. Learn new things. Try new activities. See new places.
It’s easy to think you need to be wealthy to access the opportunities that lead to growth. In reality, many of these activities exists right in your own backyard and are more accessible than you think. The limiting factor is often the choice to explore and seek them out.
~ Coach Alex