Getting Older Has Its Advantages

Artikel di bawah ini gua persembahkan kepada teman-teman gua tercinta yang baru-baru ini join club kami. Welcome to the Club. :P
Suatu hari gua lagi di restoran, gua liat di meja sebelah gue, seorang cewek dan cowok ABG. Gua perhatikan cewek itu begitu canggung, begitu bingung mau ngapain, penampilannya pun begitu mengikuti trend: meteor garden-like gitu. Gua teringat masa-masa ABG gua, betapa masih mencari-cari bentuk dan tampilan yang cocok, dan sering canggung dalam menghadapi situasi-situasi seperti dia. Well, at least getting older has its advantages. Di bawah ini kira-kira keuntungannya. So, enjoy !

Getting Older Has Its Advantages

Youth is exalted in today's media. Magazines show us young,
attractive models. Newspaper ads tout plastic surgery. TV
infomercials show us how to sculpt the perfect body.

As a result, many people go on a frantic search for the
"fountain of youth." They want to turn back the clock and
fight the aging process. When is the last time you saw aging
portrayed in a positive light?

Ironically, teenagers and those in their 20s sometimes wish
they were older! When you're young, you're often plagued by
insecurity and wondering how you'll fit into the world.

While most people tend to concentrate on the downside of
getting older, let's focus for a moment on the upside. Below
are some of the benefits of getting older. (By the way, the
following benefits also apply to those who are "emotionally
older," or more mature, regardless of how many birthdays
they've had.)

1. You don't care what other people think. As a teenager,
you're deeply concerned about what your friends think of
you. You want to fit into the group.

In your 20s, you still tend to be very concerned about how
others perceive you. As the years pass, you care less and
less about the opinions of others. It's quite a refreshing
change. You realize that the most important person to please
is yourself - and when you accomplish that, you're also in a
better position to serve others.

2. You realize that you can remain healthy by following
disciplined, moderate routines. You learn that moderate
habits can produce excellent results over the long term.

Thirty minutes of daily exercise such as walking or lifting
moderate weights can keep you in very good shape. To remain
fit, you don't have to run 5 miles a day or follow fad diets
that are extreme.

3. You appreciate your family more. Some people are
fortunate to have a deep appreciation for their family in
their teens, 20s and 30s. That's not the case with many of
us, however.

After 30, and especially in your 40s, 50s and beyond, you
come to appreciate your immediate and extended family. You
enjoy getting together to reminisce about the "old days" as
well as to catch up on what everyone is doing.

4. You don't get caught up in the petty stuff. Remember when
you thought that every potential client or every project at
work had "life or death" consequences. You put yourself
through enormous stress for no reason.

As you get older, you still take your work seriously but
you've gained perspective. The small stuff doesn't throw you
anymore. It's a lot easier to live and work with that
pressure off your back.

5. You realize that numerical age is not crucial. Granted,
you may not heal as quickly or see as sharply as you did in
your 20s or 30s. However, whether you're 40, 50 or 70, it's
only a number. What matters is how you feel, mentally and
physically.

Many people feel healthier and stronger at 50 than they did
at 25. If you have a lousy attitude and hate your work at
age 30, you'll feel older than a 70 year-old who has a great
attitude and enjoys life.

6. You start to hit your stride in your career. In your 40s
and beyond, you develop a better understanding of your
strengths and weaknesses, your likes and dislikes. You've
gained experience in your field (often by making mistakes)
and know where your talents are best suited.

7. You no longer seek perfection. This relates both to your
appearance and the way you perform your work or activities.
The ads on TV urge you to get rock hard abs and to eliminate
any trace of body fat. You no longer buy into this nonsense.
You want to look and feel good but there's no need to kill
yourself trying to attain the perfect body.

You also settle for excellence in your work, knowing that
trying to make everything "perfect" is an unreasonable goal
that causes stress. Sure, there are some exceptions to this
rule - for instance, we want those performing laser surgery
on us to be perfect in their aim!

8. It takes a lot more to get you angry. When you're young
and insecure, you take offense at even a minor slight.
You're defensive when criticized. As the years go by, you
realize the futility of holding onto to anger. It does
nothing but eat you up. When someone does get under your
skin, you let it go quickly.

9. You let other people be who they are - and you appreciate
their differences. You're beginning to recognize and
appreciate the incredible diversity in this world. You learn
to tolerate the idiosyncrasies of other people; you even
enjoy them.

Life is a lot richer because not everyone thinks like you or
acts like you. You learn from others and celebrate their
unique talents and perspectives.

10. You're a lot wiser... hopefully! As you years go by, you
have a lot more experience and you've figured out how to
deal with situations that arise in your life. It's like any
game that you've played for 20 or 30 years. You learn more
as you go along.

Sure, you can find some things about getting older that you
don't like. But there's plenty to enjoy as you journey
through your 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond. Stop trying to turn
back the clock; instead, appreciate the advantages of
getting older! (Jeff Keller)

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