“With age comes wisdom, but sometimes age comes alone.”
― Oscar Wilde.
Are you surprised every time you look in the mirror? At almost 80, my dad used to tell me that inside he still felt like a 20-year-old kid about to hit the basketball court. When he saw “this man” with white hair looking back at him from the mirror, it was a shock. Turns out, most people still think of themselves as they appeared and functioned in their early twenties. Right? When I try a new sport, I go at it like my body is going to listen to my brain with the same speed and accuracy. Silly me. Things change. This is life.
However, while it’s true that we lose some things over time, we also gain other things like wisdom, perspective, patience, and acceptance. As I sit to write this, I am looking inward. Thinking about what I want to say about aging, and what I think will be important to keep with me as I move forward. What might it mean to age from the heart?
What Does It Mean to Age From the Heart?
I guess to me, to age from the heart means to be aware of what I believe to be important and to ensure that I live into those values. The adage, “with age comes wisdom,” is only a possibility, not a promise. To gain wisdom, you must be open to learning from your experiences. I hope to be wise as I age. To be always open to learning and growing.
I worry that as I age, my world could become small. As my body becomes less trustworthy, or my social options become smaller – I worry that I will do less, have less fun, and have fewer opportunities. However, because I am aware of this concern, I can set priorities to ensure this will not happen.
How about you? What is important to you? What do you want to make sure you have in your life as you age? As opportunities shift, what can you do to make sure that you are still active, engaged, and aging from the heart? Awareness and intentions are key. (Read more about creating a life you love here.)
Stay Energized, Engaged, and Joyful
Recently, I recognized that the holistic habits I help my clients embrace, body, mind, and spirit, are a great recipe for aging well. First, what I know to be true is that taking care of your body is the only fountain of youth available. Keeping your joints mobile and your limbs strong and flexible. Nourishing your cells and minimizing the nonsense and poisons that go into your body. Getting adequate rest. Those are key to staying physically healthy and energized as you age.
To foster interest in your life, keep your mind flexible and strong. The good news is that there are a million ways to do this. In some fashion, learn new things and be creative for a minimum of 15 minutes a day – more is even better. Do things you love like going to the theater, concerts, courses, playing games, and travel. Keep your mind sharp, and you will stay engaged in your life.
Finally, seek joy. To me, joy lives in moments of connection, to yourself, to others, or maybe to the world and universe around you. Stay open to possibilities. Deeply listen to yourself. Deeply listen to those you love. Be in this moment, because “now” is the only moment that is real. Cultivate curiosity and the ability to feel awe and wonder. Never lose touch with your inner child and your ability to be playful. This is the recipe to live with enjoyment for as long as you are able.
What’s Love Got To Do With It?
Are these holistic habits the full recipe for aging from the heart? The answer seems to circle back to the wisdom and lessons gleaned along the way. What I learned is that an important ingredient needed to age from the heart lies in one word, love. Love yourself. Love the people in your life without expecting anything in return. Give love to others who are less fortunate. Extend love to those who don’t know how to love themselves. Perhaps, if you keep an open heart, love is what is gained the most as you age?
Love yourself, and you will take the best care of your body. Love the world around you and you will stay curious and active in your mind. Love others and you will be connected to a purpose larger than yourself. Those gifts that we gather as we age, wisdom, perspective, patience, and acceptance, when you think about it, they are all paths leading to love. Perhaps love is the key ingredient to help you age from the heart.
Lauren Yellin Weinberg, MS, NBC-HWC
As The Becoming Coach, Lauren empowers her clients to become more confident, calm, and connected and to architect the wildly wonderful life they have always imagined. A National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, and a Certified Happiness Coach, with a background as a psychologist and family therapist, she is committed to a whole-person, empirically-based process that creates lasting mindset and wellbeing changes. Her transformational coaching is designed to accelerate and support personal and professional success while inspiring her clients to fall in love with who they are becoming.
Lauren is also a thought partner for solopreneurs and she is an expert for Living Healthy List.
Find out more at lastingchangewellness.com or email directly at lastingchangecoach@gmail.com Follow on FB @lastingchangewellness; on IG @lastingchangecoach and on LinkedIn @LaurenYellinWeinberg