Age is a fascinating experience in how we view ourselves and how others view us. The relationship we have with our own age is rarely straightforward. It’s layered with expectations, comparisons, and constantly shifting perspectives and circumstances.

We each are a certain biological or chronological age. I am 5 years old. I’m 26 – 47 – 60 – 73 – 87 – 105, but then there’s the age we feel we are inside. Some days, we might feel wise beyond our years. Other days, we’re surprised to catch our reflection and wonder when we stopped looking like the person we picture in our mind’s eye.

Society loads different decades with expectations and stereotypes. Your twenties are supposed to be for figuring things out, your thirties for settling down, your forties for hitting your stride. But real life rarely follows these neat timelines. People change careers at 50, find love at 70, and keep working at 90.

The internal narrative we create around our age shapes how we move through the world.

– Do we see ourselves as “too old” for new adventures or “too young” to be taken seriously?

– Are we racing against time or savoring each moment?

How we describe ourselves, our state of mind, matters. The number itself is neutral – it’s the meaning we assign that matters. What you’ve done with that time – and what you choose to do next – tells the real story.

You might create a label to describe yourself. I’m retired. I’m a senior – elder – elderly – sage – sager. Please ensure that your self-perception, how you brand yourself, is kind, healthy, and positive, that the mindset is encouraging and has a good effect on you.

I see myself as vintage – getting better with age. I also describe myself as a sage-ing champion who shows up to play full out in whatever game I’m in. Not to outdo others, but to work together, give, and help. If you win, then I win. That’s the state of mind and heart for me.

It transforms aging from something that happens to you into something you actively engage with. You’re not just getting older – you’re becoming wiser, more skilled at the art of living well and doing it with others.

“I’m too old for this” closes doors. “I’m just getting started” opens them. Your choice to frame aging is an opportunity to contribute more meaningfully, to play bigger rather than smaller – that’s the kind of age story that creates more life, not less.

So what’s your age story? Are you writing a tale of decline or adventure? The number is just ink on paper. You’re holding the pen.

Thanks – Michael (he, him)

Please share this Daily with others.
This also matters – Sage-ing Champions.

#2022