How to Age Successfully: Making the Most of Later Years

So you got old. Congratulations! 

No one knows all of the secrets about how to age successfully. Making the most of later years can represent a challenge to many seniors. 

Again, so you got old. Congratulations!

Was that not what you worked towards for your entire life? Did you not plan to grow old? Did you not try to do everything you could possibly do to ensure longevity?

Now you are old and you are not happy about it, or are you? This is the dilemma that a lot of senior citizens are confronted with as they age. Part of their disillusionment has to do with their original expectations about old age. You might ask yourself, what you expected to happen when you achieved your goal of getting old. 

By old, for some that could mean 50 years of age or 65 years of age. For others, it could be 80 or 100 years of age, or maybe even more.

Consider the alternative.

There are people who state that because one or both of their parents died young, they will die young, too and so, they do not plan on getting old, at all. In fact, they do not want to get old, because they feel that there are too many problems and other issues associated with old age. They live their lives accordingly, not planning for their old age.

Some folks don't want to be forced to have someone care for them, when they are old, or they feel that no one will be there to love them or care for them, so they prefer to die young or say they do. Whether they mean that or not remains to be seen.

The reality is this. No one really knows how old they will be when they die. But the majority of people, do not want to die young. They do not want to die, at all. Many want to live forever. They love life. They will alter every aspect of their lives or their life styles, if necessary and seek to make the necessary changes in their lives to ensure that they will live long, healthy and prosperous lives.

There are those who live their lives based purely upon a pleasure principle, living only for the moment, enjoying all of the vices that they can, because they feel that they only live once and they might as well enjoy their lives while they can, in whatever way they wish to do so, at that particular moment in time.

Sometimes their focus on the pleasure principle is so selfish and strong, that it does not matter to them who they take to the grave with them, other family members, friends or even children. Often, this reality is linked to addiction to alcohol, nicotine or drugs. They become increasingly aggressive and abusive because of the addiction factor in their lives.

There are those who know that due to circumstances beyond their control, usually health related issues or concerns, that they will die young, even though they would fight to stay alive, right to the last moment.

It appears that there are those who want to live to old age, those who don't want to live to old age, those who would if they could and those who won't because they refuse or fail to do that which would ensure longevity.

Growing old can be a wonderful thing or it can be a horrible nightmare. So much depends upon one's own attitude towards having a long life. No one can prevent things like war, accidents, floods, plagues, tornadoes, hurricanes, earth quakes or other natural disasters.

No one can determine in our era, what genetic factors would guarantee a long life or how genes can be altered to change one's life expectations. That may be possible in the future.

What we can do is to value life as sacred and live our own lives well. We can treat others as though their lives are sacred, too.

You got old? Congratulations because you have succeeded in achieving one of your goals. Many people will die untimely deaths, sometimes through no fault of their own. They may never achieve any of their goals. A lot of people have never even set any goals in terms of life expectancy.

Remember that your life is a unique gift that has been given to you. Use your time and your years wisely. Enjoy life and help others to enjoy theirs, too. Make the most of those later years, because they will come and go very quickly. Love life and live it well.

Again, congratulations!