Beware!

Old thoughts do not necessarily come from an old person. I have met a lot of folks generally 30 to 50 that say “ I’m too old for that”. With that mind set, guess what happens? The person doesn’t do whatever it was that he thinks he/she is too old for. And you know what? In the majority of cases, the person could probably still do it.

“When I was younger, I could....” Now that you’re older, how do you know you can’t? Get out there and try!

“How I wish I could retire!” And do what? If work is everything, and everything stops, so does the brain, the body and you risk retiring to a wooden box. Man was meant to work. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that it’s OK to retire.

Old thoughts are not like New Year’s  Resolutions. The latter is likely broken the next day or for sure, within a month. Old thoughts tend to start the downward spiral and once a person gets used to thinking old thoughts, every action that person does, tends to make him/her behave older.

I have met a few people over the years that are active into their 80’s and beyond. How do they do it? No old thoughts. Keep working. Stay positive.

My first boss was 84 when I was 13 and he worked me into the ground day after day. Up at 6:00 am, get the lunch ready, out on the lake by 7:30 and back by 5:00, then clean the boats, clean the fish, clean up and repeat 7 days straight. About every second day, we would be up at 4:00 am to go and lift the fishing nets. The man was a dynamo. Did I mention that he lost half his stomach about the time he was 70? Positive attitude!

Another fellow (out of many) that stands out was a shift foreman in the local paper mill. He was forced to retire at 70. That was the earliest a fellow could retire with a full pension without penalty. Did he have negative or old thoughts? Not many! The last I saw him he was in his 80’s and up to his neck in church volunteering. I had to run to catch up with him on the street.

Now, before you say “But, we all get old”, let me say this. Yes we do. It is inevitable. There are many people due to sickness, accident or whatever that get old before their time. I am not talking about those few. I am putting this out to those that just give up, lay down and wait for the grim reaper.

I have a few rules that I try to follow:

1.       Be aware of your thought process. Banish “Old Thoughts”.

2.       If after a hard day in the field various parts of the anatomy hurt, get over it! No Pity Parties.

3.       Exercise daily. It is like canoeing, once your legs go numb, the sport is enjoyable.

4.       When necessary to vent, try to do it in private. Bad thought are catching to other people.

5.       Be thankful for everyday on earth.

6.       Lift up, not down.