The idea of aging stresses a lot of people out, but not Cameron Albert-Deitch. The Success Editor at CNBC Make It credits his relaxed attitude about getting older to his mom’s “rules of aging,” which he says have been ingrained in his head as long as he can remember. The rules are:
- “Your 20s are mostly practice — they almost don’t count.”
- “Your 30s are when you figure out who you’re going to be.”
- “You don’t pick up speed until your 40s.”
- “You don’t gain real momentum until your 50s.”
- “You likely won’t have made your most significant, make-a-difference in the world achievements until your 60s.”
- “In your 70s, you’re reinventing yourself.”
- “You therefore cannot possibly be old until you’re well into your 80s. And even then, it’s iffy.”
Cameron’s mother, Corey-Jan Albert, a “professional creative,” says she came up with the rules when she was in her 30s and was working with someone in their 20s who was freaking out about turning 25. She explains that without even really thinking about it, she told them, “Oh, come on, your 20s? They’re just practice. They don’t count.”
While she admits the rules may be an oversimplification, they can help you feel better about getting older. And that can make you healthier and help you lead a more successful life, according to experts.
“How we perceive our aging process — how we feel about our own aging — is an important determinant of physical health, psychological health and even longevity,” explains social psychologist Yoav Bergman. A new study backs up this idea, finding that if you feel anxious about getting older, you could unintentionally be speeding up the process.
Source: CNBC