It Isn’t About Being Too Old But About Achieving at Any Age…

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Written by Jimmie Burroughs Email this article to a friend

The only way it is ever too late to achieve is when you never start

For many the American Dream is all about reaching 65 and retiring with enough money to do until death. That is far from what it means to achieve. Achieving is doing something worthwhile for others. Some believe if you are retirement age, you are too old to do anything else but sit down and do nothing. Actually you don’t even have to be retirement age to think you are too old. I was 34 when I started college and I thought I was much too old but that didn’t stop me. When I went to my first class, I discovered that while most were in their late teens there were some even older than I. One fellow was 56.

There is a poem by Edward Tuck that sums up what it is to be too old:

Age is a quality of the mind

If you have left your dreams behind,

If your hope is cold;

If you no longer look ahead,

If you ambitions fires are dead

Then you are old.

But if from life you take the best,

And if in life you keep the jest,

If you love you hold;

No matter how the years go by,

No matter how the birthdays fly

You are not old.

What is considered too old to start a new career or embark upon a dream or do something dramatically different? Is 70, 80, 90, too old? Grandma Moses didn’t think so; she began painting at the ripe old age 80 and 25% of her 1500 painting were finished after she was over a hundred years old.

Luigi Cornaro wrote The Joys of Old Age in 1562 at the age of 95. Henry Little was the president of The Institution for Savings of Newburyport, Massachusetts and one day he decided to retire and let a younger man take over. He was only 102 and the younger man who took over was just 83. J C Penny was still working at his business at age 95. I had a friend who was still doing manual labor as a volunteer at 80. My father-in-law retired from truck driving at 81 and no one could believe that he was that old.

I’ve known those who were old at 40 and I’ve known those who are young at 70. It is a matter of the mind. What do think of yourself being? If you think you’re  an over the hill, washed out old person at 40, then so be it but if you think you are a creative, able person who has a contribution to make to others at 70 then you are still young and ready to go. Those who love and have a love for life never grow old or as put in the words of Benjamin Franklin, “Those who love deeply never grow old; they may die of old age, but they die young.”

Sometimes we are too cautious and unwilling to take a chance and do something dramatic or new even when the opportunity presents inself. I like the way one of my favorite singers puts it: Rita Coolidge said, “Too often the opportunity knocks, but by the time you push back the chain, push back the bolt, unlock the locks and shut off the burglar alarm, it’s too late.”

Opportunities do not end with age; they are all around us just waiting for us to walk through the open door but don’t hesitate for too long less the door be closed. Remember, the only way it is ever too late to achieve is when you never start.

If you do make it to retirement age and you no longer have to work on a job to support yourself, what an excellent time to make a change and live the dream. I’m not talking about the American Dream which is about getting everything for self but I’m talking about the dream of contributing to others, giving of your resources and of yourself to achieve something worthwhile.

I’ve know those who had the gift of teaching who decided because they had grown old to quit and let someone younger with half the knowledge and experience take over thinking they had done their part. Quitting is like not starting. If we have something to offer of value, there is no quitting place; we must continue on.

A friend of mine goes to country where it is against the law to meet as a church and study the Bible unless the church is sanctioned by the government and controlled by them. He says people meet anyway in homes and are hungry to hear the word of God taught. Unlike here in the states where people want shorter and shorter sermons, there they will stay for hours just to learn more about God and his Word.

What an opportunity for those teachers who know the Word of God to contribute something lasting to a people hungry to learn.

But you don’t have to go overseas to contribute to others; there are numerous needs for volunteers all around us. People who once used their skills to earn a living can now give those skills away to help others. Often people think after retirement that they are no longer needed or important; not so, there is still so much you can do; you are needed and there is still a lot to be achieved but you can’t achieve unless you get started.

Think about what it is that you would like to do that could be a service to others. If you have some computer skills and have some knowledge on a particular subject, you might want to do what I’m doing right here. It is an opportunity to add something of value to the lives of others.

There are people from dozens of countries around the world who visit this website and read the articles I write. I try very hard to contribute ideas and things that will inspire others to be a better person or encourage them to take the necessary steps to succeed. It is not a matter of trying to be successful myself but rather achieving something worthwhile for others. I have gotten thousands of notes of appreciation for which I’m very grateful.

There is something for you to achieve but you must get started; find out what you can do and don’t be afraid, just do it. “Do the thing and you will have the power.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Jimmie Burroughs is the author of JimmieBurroughs.com ; get more tips on personal development: www.JimmieBurroughs.com

JimmieBurroughs.com is founded and maintained by Jimmie Burroughs Nashville, Tennessee. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ © 2011 Jimmie Burroughs. All rights reserved

Who Is Jimmie Burroughs? Jimmie Burroughs has been involved in teaching Personal Development off and on for more than 30 years. He is a dedicated believer in Jesus Christ and considers helping others his calling in life.