Getting old is optional. It’s not so much about our bodies getting a little more wrinkly, as it is our mindsets change; sometimes for the worst.
Guys having middle-age crises annoy me. It’s like they release they’ve lost their youth / vitality, and they rapidly try to make up for it in a panic, instead of simply living a life with vitality at all times.
Don’t become the guy blasting bad hip hop from his BMW when he’s 48. Instead, lead a full and complete lifestyle that keeps you feeling young from the very beginning.
Work Out, a Lot
You need to lift weights about 4-5 times a week. And push it hard. If you’re hitting your 30s or 40s and you’ve never spent much time in the gym before, this is a great point because you get to watch your body become better looking as you age, instead of the reverse. This has a huge, positive psychological effect.
Not to mention it will prevent various age-related diseases.
Never Abandon Passions and Hobbies
What makes you tick? Keep doing those things! Separate time for yourself, no matter how busy your life gets. In that time, do the things that represent who “you” are as a person. If you abandon such things; a part of you will DIE.
Many fond memories of our youth exist because we remember when we could do things we liked to do; versus what “adulthood” forced us to do. Snap out of this matrix! You never had to abandon anything, at all. You’ve been brainwashed by society’s conditioning.
Meet Strangers
Another reason we may look at periods like our early twenties as being so glorious is because we were surrounded by cool people all the time. The whole “being young and carefree” thing is constantly sold to us in commercials and music videos because it’s what pretty much all of us desire.
You can keep this going by having an inclusive attitude and lifestyle, where you are happy to bring new people into your life all the time.
Meeting lots of strangers happened to us in college whether we liked it or not, typically by sharing classes and dorms with people. You’re forced to meet lots of people, which was sometimes a good thing (you met your new best friend) or a bad thing (your awkward roommate with a unibrow would cyber-stalk your female friends and jack off into his socks).
Even though bringing new people into your life can come with it the dramas of the human experience; the benefits always outweigh the negatives. Do whatever you can to keep making friends, and keep the story of your life continuing instead of stagnating.
Youthful Ambition Doesn’t Have to Cease
Everyone I knew in college were so ambitious. Grandiose dreams of film-making, writing, or creating business empires.
I think it’s healthy to have these high-set ambitions. While it’s not healthy to become so attached to those goals that you become miserable if they’re not fulfilled; it is awesome to walk on a particular path and see some of the fruits of your efforts.
The shitty thing a lot of people do is that they put the blinders over their eyes and shuffle off to their jobs like the work-horses they’ve become. Their ambitions and enthusiasms die; sometimes drowned in the chorus of screaming kids and a nagging wife.
Fight to keep the ambitious spirit alive, no matter what. It will become the life blood in your veins.
Get Over Negative Philosophies
With age we can accumulate a whole lot of toxic mindsets. Maybe a loved one died and now the universe seems dark and evil compared to when we were young and it was all bright and cheery. If there’s one thing that makes people “age” to a point of no return, it’s this.
Maybe this is the big challenge in life, but you have to walk this path and keep your cool. Spirituality exists for a reason, and it’s to adopt the kinds of mindsets that work as armor to push away darkness. Whatever happens to us is a matter of perspective, and I’m convinced nothing is ever quite as bad as what we make them into with our minds.
In Summary
From physical action (the gym) to self-development work, it takes work to keep your youth and vitality. However, it’s critical to not allow this to slip through your fingers. If there’s anything to fight for in your life, this is it.
