From the Inspirational Thought Unit
I don't know if it's good or bad, (it's probably bad) but I'm slightly obsessed with what people are able to accomplish at what age. Every time I have a birthday I look up stuff like "how old was Patrick Stewart in season 1 of TNG?" He was 46. Or "how old was Miyazaki when he started his comic Nausicaa?" He was 41. Or "How old was was my dad when he had me?" He was 32.
Then I start measuring my success in relation to other's success, that's the bad part, there is this pressure that in order to fit in I should be doing things by a certain age: should I have a kid by now? Should I have X amount saved for retirement by now? Is it too late to learn the piano? Am I too old for animated shows?
What I'm trying to remind myself is that every person has their own strengths and liabilities that they have to deal with, and the only person you should measure yourself against is the one in the mirror.
This advice from expert advice giver Light Watkins resonates with me:
“The advice shouldn’t be to act your age. It should be to act your spirit. Your age may try to prohibit you from dancing like that, or starting over, or trying something new. But your spirit would never do such a thing. If something feels aligned, your spirit wants you to go for it, whether you’re 15 or 85. Acting your age makes you fit in more, while acting your spirit will indeed cause you to stand out—in a bad way to people who act their age, but in an inspiring way to those who act their spirit. Try acting your spirit from time to time, and you can see for yourself which path makes you feel more alive.”
— Light Watkins
Act your spirit, not your age.
-Jake