Don’t act your age
Get free from the shackles of age-specific rules set by the society
How often have people told you to act your age?
Go back and remember how you wanted to do something in your heart but were soon reminded of the chains of society’s age-specific behavior.
People mocked you and laughed at your audacity. That probably worked and destroyed your enthusiasm to attempt the activity you planned.
Why do we sanction the behavior of people around us? Why do we limit certain behavior to a specific age?
I don’t have all the answers but recently I saw this amazing quote from James Clear’s newsletter.
It showed a way.
Here it goes:
Meditation teacher, Light Watkins, on acting your age:
The advice shouldn’t be to act your age. It should be to act your spirit. Your age may try to prohibit you from dancing like that, or starting over, or trying something new. But your spirit would never do such a thing. If something feels aligned, your spirit wants you to go for it, whether you’re 15 or 85. Acting your age makes you fit in more, while acting your spirit will indeed cause you to stand out — in a bad way to people who act their age, but in an inspiring way to those who act their spirit. Try acting your spirit from time to time, and you can see for yourself which path makes you feel more alive.”
Source: Newsletter by Light Watkins. (Hat tip to Wes Claytor)
What a wonderful message?
If something feels aligned with your spirit then you need to act on it because it will differentiate you from the herd.
It will also make you feel connected to your inner self. We sacrifice our inner voice at the altar of society but if we do listen to it, we will reconnect to it again.
Acting in such a way will also make us more self-aware, and shine a light on who we really are!
So, don’t act your age, act your spirit. This does not mean getting reckless too. Achieving a fine balance is key. But at the start just listen to your spirit and act on it.
I write on my blog daily. This is day 81 of my daily writing challenge for 2022. I write about what interests me. There is no word limit. I am doing this simply to learn and become a better writer. Tag along with me and share your own journey.