So as I get older (I’m now 40), I seem to be having more and more old-people-conversations or hearing people make old-people-comments.
“I’m 46 now. I’m practically over the hill”.
And it’s something I’ve heard in recruitment throughout my career, except
I didn’t start to understand it until recently.
There is a whole range of negative emotions caused by being one of the older people in the workplace, from feeling a little uncomfortable to anxious that the company or job would suit a younger person; right through to a genuine fear that nobody is going to want to hire you because you are ‘over the hill’.
But this couldn’t be further from the truth.
The reality is that we don’t get old because of a number. We get old because of the statements we choose to believe.
My Grandma served ‘Meals on Wheels’ to the ‘oldies’ in her village. She was 80. They were 70. My Grandma chose to listen to herself, do things because they were right for her, and ignore people’s preconceived ideas about what an 80yr old should or should not do. They listened to people saying, ‘should you be doing that?’ or ‘you should take more care at your age’.
A slightly extreme example, I know, but if you are listening to people making comments about your age – stop it. Walk away. Ignore them.
Surround yourself with people telling you what you can do and supporting you in your success, not what you can’t do or should not be doing.
Because the truth is simple, there is no one like you. There is no one with your blend of skills, experience, drive or determination doing what you do.
In other words, there is no one out there as good as you, doing what you do.
So who cares how old you are, whether you are 46 or 64, if you have the drive to succeed and the energy to see it through, go out there, make it happen and leave all those oldies to their meals on wheels.
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