Someone said, "Aging isn't for sissies." Maybe so, but aging’s got some outstanding benefits which get overlooked. Like what? Well, would you go to a job interview wearing a hat that said, "Take this job and shove if?". How about answering your cell phone during a job interview? What about wearing a low cut, revealing top to an interview ?
I didn’t make this stuff up - honest. A survey of hiring managers conducted by Career Builders, and reported in the January 15, 2011 edition of the Los Angeles Times (LATimes.com/business ) found that 71% of the managers interviewed said answering a cell was the top error made by people they interviewed. Sixty Nine percent said dressing inappropriately was their top complaint. Sixty six percent complained applicants were arrogant and disinterested in the job. One manager reported an applicant actually appeared at the interview with the hat saying “Take this job and shove it.” I’ll bet this kid wondered why he didn’t the job!
All the job applicants were under 30. We all have stories from our own youth where we made dumb mistakes. One of my high school friends bought a car without getting the pink slip as proof that the seller actually owned it - he didn't. Yes, my friend bought a stolen car and lost her money. At 17 I got married to my first boyfriend. I lived to regret it.
People do live and learn. As we go through life we make some good choices and some missteps. By the time we hit our stage of life we've learned a lot of lessons. We’ve learned to think before making a big decision because we know choices have consequences. We’ve also seen you get only one chance to make a good first impression. So we’ve learned to plan and prepare. How about trusting everyone at face value is a mistake. I could fill a book with my lessons. I'm sure you could too. That's why all the happiness surveys show people over 50 are happier, more content with their lives, more financially solid and experience less stress.
Aging well means we have to take care of ourselves. We can’t abuse our physical and emotional selves and expect to never experience the consequences of our behavior. Aging is not for sissies if you’ve led a life that excluded dealing with your issues, lacked balance and harbored long held anger, bitterness and fears. If you’ve lived well you can expect to age well too.
