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The older I get the more I realize…
There is one thing I have noticed about life and aging. And it’s a big deal.
When I was young, the word, “blessed” wasn’t in my vocabulary and really didn’t give it much thought. As I get older, I began to see the importance of the ‘blessings’ one receives in life.
As I get older, I thank God for His blessings and give Him thanks for His mercy and grace. I am reminded that we all have a responsibility to serve others.
In this blog, we shall dive in to see why this phrase intentionally leads us to numerous thought-provoking conclusions, both positive and sobering. In fact, there is so much to this common phrase… the older I get the more I realize… It includes a vast array of insights and wisdom only gained through life experience.
Whether we are in our sixties and approaching retirement; in our forties and going thru a life re-evaluation (aka mid-life crises) or even a 25-year-old experiencing the reality of everyday life upon graduation … we ALL go thru a type of self-conscious awareness and realize certain qualities, values etc. the older we get.
“The older I get, the more I realize I just need the simple things in life: a comfy home, good food on the table, and surrounded by the people I love.”
Unknown
If you are like me, you’ve noticed that as you age, you start to appreciate the simple things in life.
I’m not talking about material things like fancy cars and fancy homes. I’m talking about the little things that bring you joy.
The older you get, the more you realize that the simple things in life really do make you happy. You realize what is important and of value. You realize that one must not take for granted our family, our friends, our health, and even the purpose why we were created for.
I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but this is a truth that is difficult to accept:
“You don’t know what you don’t know!”
Beth Elkassih
Yet, when we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that there is so much more to learn. We are so much more capable than we thought, and we are constantly learning more every day.
And yes, the older I get the more I realize I still have a whole lot of learning yet to do! I’m still discovering new things about myself and the world around me.
I’m still figuring out new ways to do things. So never stop learning. Make it a point of reading and learning each day. You’re on a journey and there is still so much you don’t know!
As we grow older, we will realize that life is no longer about our age, or the years we have spent in this life.
Imagine for a moment, that you had no birth certificate and your age was just determined by how you feel inside.
How old are you?
In fact, scientists have been more increasingly interested in this quality. They are finding that ‘how old you feel inside’ may be essential for understanding the reasons that some people appear to flourish as they age – while others fade.
According to Brian Nosek at the University of Virginia, he states: “The extent to which older adults feel much younger than they are may determine important daily or life decisions for what they will do next.”
Here’s the deal… it’s true. When you get to a certain age later in life, you just realize that life isn’t about how old you are or how young you are. Life is about how you live it.
We all have the same 24 hours to live each day and all that matters is whether or not we spend them productively or we just live day-to-day just ‘existing.’
So for myself, the older I become, the more I get accomplished!
A good friend once told me, “The older you get the more you realize the most important thing in life is love.”
While I never really thought much about that statement, it stuck with me.
As I look back on my life, I can’t help but notice that the most important things that have happened to me have all been love-related.
While it’s true that there is more to life than love, I believe that in today’s society, we tend to devalue love. We put too much pressure on ourselves and others to succeed.
We live in a world where everything is about money. We don’t focus enough on the importance of family and friends.
We don’t live in a time when we are taught to value the importance of a solid relationship with God but we must.
And as we grow older, we begin to realize that love is what really matters and our relationship with God. This love transcends time and space. It is the purest essence of all.
The older I get, the happier I am with the simple things in life.
I know that sounds very cliché and simplistic, but it’s true.
It’s not that I’m not concerned about having more stuff, I just choose to be happy with what I have and pursue more important goals in life.
The following is a list of 35 simple things in life that are the most meaningful to your overall happiness and well-being:
1. Be patient and thankful
2. Take time for yourself
3. Love yourself
4. Live your life to the fullest
5. Never forget how blessed you are
6. Learn from mistakes
7. Have fun
8. Make sure to be happy
9. Be thankful
10. Make the most out of every day
11. Don’t forget where you came from
12. Respect your elders
13. Don’t worry about what others think
14. Keep a clean body
15. Have faith
16. Don’t look back, only forward
17. You don’t have time for any drama
18. Never be ashamed of who you are
19. Don’t let your past control you
20. Keep your promises
21. Be kind and inspire others
22. Have the ability to forgive
23. Be humble
24. Love your Mom for all she has provided you
25. Keep a smile on your face
26. Treat others the way you want to be treated
27. Laugh and have fun and be more social
28. Don’t sweat the small stuff
29. Make friends and family your priority
30. Don’t waste time on toxic friends
31. Never stop learning – read a book weekly
32. Happiness is basically a gift you share with yourself and others
33. Enjoy how beautiful life is
34. Never be afraid to ask
35. Respect others
Getting older every year is something everyone goes through. We must learn to embrace it with a positive mindset and the blessings it brings us. The following are 25 top quotes about the older you get and how much you realize.
I hope you find them as inspiring as I did.
“The older I get the more I realize how much I love being at home doing nothing.”
Beth Elkassih
“The older I get, the more I realize the value of privacy, cultivating your circle, and only letting certain people in. You can be open, honest, and real while still understanding not everyone deserves a seat at the table of your life.”
Unknown
“Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.”
Chili Davis
I have known plenty of people who, in their later years, had the energy of children and the kind of curiosity and fascination with things like little children. I think we can keep that, and I think it’s important to keep that part of staying young. But I also think it’s great fun growing old.”
Johnny Depp
“I’ve looked forward to being older because you will have that many more miles covered. We mustn’t be led into thinking getting old is bad. Growing old is good.”
Joanna Lumley
“A man growing old becomes a child again.”
Sophocles
“Growing old is no more than a bad habit which a busy person has no time to form. Andre Maurois Age, Which, No Time The mere process of growing old together will make our slightest acquaintances seem like bosom friends.”
Logan Pearsall Smith
“I think I may have to grow up without growing old. I think we’re going to have to define differently what I’m going to be. We’re going to have to define my growing up differently.”
Mattie Stepanek
“You must not pity me because my sixtieth year finds me still astonished. To be astonished is one of the surest ways of not growing old too quickly.”
Sidonie Gabrielle Colette
“Nobody ever said that growing old would be easy. Just having to hold the newspaper out in your forties and then hair growing out of unusual parts of your body in your fifties. It’s tough on the ego.”
Geoffrey Rush
“I look forward to growing old and wise and audacious.”
Glenda Jackson
“The mere process of growing old together will make our slightest acquaintances seem like bosom friends.”
Logan Pearsall Smith
“It is a little disappointing to see that your legs are not as strong. But I like the idea of growing old, and the thought of approaching death is not particularly daunting to me.”
Francis Ford Coppola
“I think most models fear growing old, but from a tender age I had always chosen to play someone grown up. I am slowly but surely catching up with the people that I have spent the last decade and a half trying to portray.”
Erin O’Connor
“I’ve been writing about growing old for some time, really from the beginning of my career. It’s something I’m apparently hung up about and now that I am old, hopefully I speak about it with some authority.” –
Loudon Wainwright III
“The thing about growing old is you have to accept it – if you don’t, you’ll be as miserable as sin. You’ve got to try and find the few good things about it.”
Judy Parfitt
“Growing old is not growing up.”
Douglas Horton
“I am growing old, and my future, so to speak, is already behind me.”
George Wald
“I think for a woman, the hardest thing about growing old is becoming invisible. There’s something very front and center about being young.”
Amy Grant
“You must not pity me because my sixtieth year finds me still astonished. To be astonished is one of the surest ways of not growing old too quickly.”
Sidonie Gabrielle Colette
“The fact is I am growing old too fast, alas! I feel it, and yet work I will, and may God grant me life to see the last plate of my mammoth work finished.”
John James Audubon
“When we age we shed many skins: ego, arrogance, dominance, pessimism, rudeness, selfish, uncaring … Wow, it’s good to be old!”
Stephen Richards
“The mere process of growing old together will make the slightest acquaintance seem a bosom friend.”
Ed Koch
“My idea of growing old gracefully is probably different from other people’s!”
Jane Goldman
“The older you get, the more you realize that it isn’t about the material things, or pride or ego. It’s about our hearts and who they beat for.”
J. Sterling, The Game Changer
With age, life takes on a more serious tone. It becomes a lesson in humility. We learn about ourselves, and what we have achieved, and what we have not.
We learn to appreciate our loved ones, our friends, and our family more than ever before.
We see the beauty in nature, and the fragility of life, and we become more aware of the preciousness of life.
Yes, the older I get, the happier I have become!
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