Age is Just a number?
If ageing isn’t sometimes challenging enough age-related narratives can seriously inhibit older people from embracing life’s full potential.
We tend to count our birthdays like milestones set alongside the pathway of life.This linear progression is often associated with inevitable physical and mental limitations and decline.A negative view that encourages and sustains negative ageist views about older age.
Societal norms have developed the idea that age as measured in years lived dictate what can or can’t be done in your life.This perception of age supported, for instance, retirement from gainful employment. Often people of say age 65 in the UK were required to retire as being considered beyond having the ability to contribute anymore economically because of perceived reduced facilities.This was an abrupt change in lifestyle for many and paid no heed to actual physical or mental capacity, or the value of lifetime experience. Today, chronological age still sustains narrow norms for living and behaviour and takes no account of the fact that people age differently in terms of their abilities.There is ,however, a difference between chronological age and biological age, and biological age is not the same for everyone.
What if age is not that seemingly linear progression but is instead a mosaic? A vibrant collage of experiences, wisdom ,and potential, far higher and more dynamic than a single number can represent.
Smashing Ageist Stereotypes
In truth, ageing is a process.Although we inevitably lose cognitive ability as we become older studies ,including those made by the National Institute of Health Stern (2012), show that people, through their lifetime experiences, can develop a resistance to help protect them against cognitive losses from ageing and disease.
“As we age our memory declines.This an ingrained assumption for many of us,”writes Neuroscientist and clinical professor Richard Restak in his book,The Complete Guide to Memory: The Strengthening of the Mind. Regardless of what is generally believed, he explains why though memory gets worse with age decline isn’t inevitable.With training and practice your memory can be developed to “enhance attention, focus, abstraction, naming, spatial visualisation, verbal facility, language, and word acquisition.In a phrase ,memory is the key to brain enhancement.”
So forget the image of the forgetful grandparent struggling with technology, or failing to remember where he or she last left her keys.Consider,Harry Lorayne , who was an American magician and memory-training specialist renowned for his memory feats. He wrote numerous books on memory improvement.Two of his best selling books still in print are:How To Develop A Superpower Memory and The Memory Book: The Classic Guide to Improving Your Memory at Work ,at School and at Play. The latter book he wrote with author Jerry Lucas. Lorayne was a popular guest on television shows, showcasing his remarkable ability to remember names, numbers, and other information. He died in 2023 at the age of 96.Maintaining his memory prowess, he had continued to perform and teach well into his older years,
There are countless older adults mastering new languages. Kato Lomb (1909–2003) was a Hungarian polyglot, translator, and interpreter who was renowned for her ability to learn and master new languages throughout her life. She spoke more than 16 languages fluently and continued to learn new ones well into her later years.
Our physical ability, can defy expectations. There are countless examples of people who have achieved incredible sporting accomplishments. Ernestine Shepherd, who at the age of 86 became the world’s oldest competitive bodybuilder and proved that physical peak performance can be achieved in later life.The human spirit’s enduring strength is exemplified by the runners, Fauja Singh tackling Marathon races at age 100, and 61 year old Steve Edwards who in 2024 completed his 1000th race and claimed a world breaking aggregate speed.
Contrary to age-old belief that entrepreneurship is a preserve of enterprising youth with its exuberance, the average age of successful startup founders is closer to 40 than 25.We should not forget the late Bloomers who find their voice or professional calling later in life. It seems the gentle hand of wisdom is an important factor and there are many notable examples of successful older entrepreneurs.
Ray Kroc was a multi-mixer milkshake machine salesman before he got involved with McDonald’s at age 52. He transformed the small fast-food chain into a global franchise, revolutionising the industry.Anna Mary Robertson Moses (Grandma Moses) began her career as a painter in her 70s after arthritis made embroidery difficult. She became a renowned American folk artist, with her paintings exhibited in major galleries. Although Reid Hoffman is known for his role in co-founding LinkedIn, his later success came as an angel investor and partner at Greylock Partners, a leading venture capital firm. Hoffman continued to find success in the tech industry after 50 through his work with numerous startups and his contributions to Silicon Valley’s growth.Another successful late-start entrepreneur was Bernard Marcus, Co-founder of The Home Depot, who started the company in his early 50s, after being fired from another home improvement retailer. The Home Depot grew to become one of the largest home improvement retailers in the world.
These entrepreneurs have shown that it’s never too late to start a successful business, and age can bring valuable experience and insight to the entrepreneurial journey.
Given that biological age ,and therefore cognitive and physical abilities, can vary a great deal from chronological age, restrictive ageist narratives can have a restrictive affect on aspiration and a serious risk to health.
Even happiness, that elusive butterfly, seems to take-off with age.One myth of older age is that to be old is to be depressed. This is debunked by many studies including those of the The National Academy of Sciences, a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organisation which reported higher levels of life satisfaction felt by people over 85 than their younger counterparts.This seems to indicate a greater understanding of what truly matters and an appreciation of living in the moment.It recognises that a 25-year-old can be a seasoned artist, a 60-year-old can still be an athlete, and an 80-year-old be a savvy entrepreneur.
The message is clear: potential knows no age.Limitations are often self imposed because of internalised negative ageist views. ‘The Age Is Just A Number’ mindset, however, provides a shift in perspective and will nurture curiosity, through continuing life learning, and a spirit of adventure.In this view, age becomes a spectrum of opportunity to be embraced and not a rigid set of steps leading to limitation and decline.
Finally, though it can be intimidating to start adopting this mindset it can aid in your physical and mental health. While many of us may be told that we’re too old for certain things, the reality is that we only have one life to live, so why not actually try and live it? Embrace life’s full potential.