Does age hold you back?

I’ve just had my 36th birthday and a friend said to me don’t you feel old, your getting closer to 40. For me my answer was hell no its just a number, I’m grateful to be here. But what I know this isn’t the case a lot the time whatever age you are. As we age it often has this effect on people that they feel time is slipping away.

How many times do you hear...

I’m too old.

I’ve missed the boat.

It’s too late for me.

I’m passed it.

Or even I’m too young no one will take me seriously.

We all have various age related stories.

What’s worse these stories often hold us back and stop us doing the things we want, age issues are something that’s deeply ingrained in society. So it’s our own personal story surrounding it that we need to change.

What I want to make clear here is age should not be a barrier, its never too late to start anything or give something a try, often it’s making the first leap thats the hardest. Sometimes we may have to look at a different approach, but it’s opening yourself up to possibility.

To begin the process of unravelling this, ask yourself what your thoughts about age are, how do you view yourself in relation to age.

As you get older how does this affect you?

Everyone relates to this differently and getting clear on this will help.

As you make these enquires with yourself you will start to see your stories around it, and like anything, we have to challenge this, and go deeper and ask.

Where did these ideas come from?

They have come from the people around you, society and maybe if something has happened to you age related. When things happen enough times we start to believe it, and we let it become part of us, and the story we tell ourselves.

Get clear on this.

Honour the inner fears you have, especially how media and advertising can affect people for instance, it can feel very real when you feel in the thick of it.

When we honour are fears we can move through them more easily, and remember this when something is deeply ingrained in us, we have to take the time to unravel it over and over again, and eventually you will feel the shift and it will stick.

While very real barriers get placed on people in society surrounding age, the one thing we can change is our own personal story and our inner dialogue to create the shift for ourselves and to feel better about this. Like many things in life it has to start from within. This will impact your life positively and how you approach things for the better, and for the long term as well.

Heres something to try, take yourself 40 years ahead from where are you now, the age issues and fears you were having now, you would more than likely have the conversation with yourself, what was I even thinking then. If only I was in that position now!

So get more present to where you are, appreciate yourself whatever age you’re at because, the more we tear down these beliefs and stories it creates a ripple effect, and it may seem very small at first but it all counts.

At the end of the day age is just a number, it’s the importance we place on this number that affects us, so it’s about decreasing its importance, so it has less of a hold on us.

Obviously it’s easily said than done when we tackle topics like this, but we have to start somewhere.

So I dare you to challenge your beliefs and stories surrounding this topic.

It can help to find someone to do this with.

Break down these barriers, and remember you are more than a number.

All my love

Hannah X