Age Doesn’t Matter (In Work or In Life)

Really? You’ve got to be kidding. Age is one of the most talked about and obsessed about aspects in life and work so how could it not matter? Of course it matters somewhat, but it need matter a whole lot less if we discontinue allowing ourselves and others to be dropped into a box of categorical assumptions based on a chronological number.

Why is it that people seem more interested in your age than in your capacity or qualities? Why is it that we make a big stink about achievements made by the chronologically young and old rather than just the achievement? Why are we hell-bent to pass along assumptions about this and that happening (or must happen) at certain ages when life shows radically different experiences for different people at the same age? Why do people refer to themselves as “young” or “old” based on their assessment of a number’s relative age value rather than their physical, mental and inner well-being?

Have you ever met a person way ‘older’ than their youthful years or an older person way ‘younger’ than theirs? Have you noticed old souls in young bodies and adolescent behavior in older?

For every person who has succeeded (in life or work) early you can find examples of people doing the same after the prescribed American ‘retirement age’ of 65. Map Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey with Tackichiro Mori and Harland Sanders or map Churchill and Reagan with David Cameron and Obama. You can find examples from countless careers and life paths. You can find plenty who also made it big early and stopped early or those who persisted for a looonnggg time to realize their dreams. You can also see radical differences in people’s happiness and social impact at various chronological ages. Further, the different stages of chronological life bring different advantages, and each person brings a unique experience to each of their years.

I remember this first hit me when I hit the age of thirty. I had often been told that a man has his best physical years and greatest productivity before thirty. Nothing about that was nor has been true for me. I felt worse before thirty than after. I became stronger, more creative and more productive after thirty, even though I gave it just as much effort before. Yes, you have to care for the body more, but you also learn more about the body by caring for it--becoming more of a partner with it than a user of it. And with my inner life there’s no comparison. Before thirty I was full of anxiety; after thirty has been a path towards inner happiness and peace.

Perhaps a prejudice akin with race and religion comes age. How often do we judge others and ourselves based on chronological age? How often do we hold ourselves back because we perceive ourselves as being too young or too old? Do we even go so far as to not hire somebody for a position or invest in their company because we think them too young or too old without really knowing their capacities inside to out.

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