You're Never Too Old to Achieve Your Dreams
Here's a great article about an 89 year old full-time digital nomad, who's been traveling full-time for 30 years - if you want to do it... you can!
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I have to remind myself not to use the phrase: follow your dreams. I keep forgetting so please forgive me that. Following your dreams, to me, denotes running behind them while they remain just out of reach and you can never actually catch up to them, let alone “catch” them.
I need to clarify my mission statement. When I build an audience I may get questions and backlash. You’re never too old to achieve your dreams. As I spoke about on my first podcast some dreams cannot be achieved due to physical issues. This is the case for several people I personally know.
Three people I know have been too ill. One was homebound. For these people, their dreams of traveling can no longer be realized. But traveling is not the only dream these people have. Everyone I know, myself included, has more than one dream. I have many. Recently, I accomplished my dream of moving to Portugal. In the past I achieved other dreams: getting a masters degree, learning ceramics, becoming a trapeze artist, getting a dog, starting a podcast, writing and publishing a novel. Those are just a few of mine.
The person I know who was homebound had other dreams. He wanted to publish his poems into a paperback book and he completed that! He wanted to meditate for an hour each day which he did. Another person I know who can no longer travel has the dream of writing and publishing books and so she does.
When I was in my twenties I read several books about people who accomplished their dreams much later in life. One woman who was 99 years old, wrote a book that I completely devoured. She accomplished more of her dreams between age 90 and 99 than she had in her lifetime. I tried looking up the title but I can’t find it, however if you type “never too old” into Amazon you will find many books that are saying the same thing—they may be focused on money or relationships or something else but it’s all the same concept.
I also remember reading, years ago that Louise Hay said something like (and I’m completely paraphrasing and hope it really was Louise Hay who said this! I’ve searched and searched but cannot find any reference to it online.) “When I was 50, I changed my handwriting. When I was 60, I learned a new language. When I was 70, I started painting…” And so on. And what about this 89 year old digital nomad!
Those are just a few examples.
My point is that I’m not negating anyone’s physical, psychological, emotional or monetary situations. If you are unable, for whatever reason, to achieve a massive dream, start small. That’s what I did. I reached for the low hanging fruit until I had the resources I needed to build a ladder.
I’m a list person even though I don’t always refer to my own lists but if lists do it for you; write down your dreams.
Then, as Joshua Fields Millburn from the Minimalists recommends: ask yourself these four questions.
1. What is my outcome? What do I want to happen?
2. Why do I want this outcome? What is the purpose of my outcome?
3. What actions must I take? What is my strategy?
4. Is this working?
I love this list because it’s simple. Joshua suggests you ask yourself these questions for everything: “from conversations with co-workers to long term goals.”
But my favorite question on this list, is #2. This is the question of clarity and reason. Let’s take an example. I used to have the dream of being rich but I never asked myself why. I finally achieved that dream, not that I was ever close to the 1%, 5% or 25% wealthiest people in the world but for me, six figures was my “goal”. Yet when I got there, I was miserable.
If I’d asked myself why I wanted to earn six figures per year, the answer would have stopped me in my tracks. I thought if I earned six figures, my father would love me. After all, that’s what he told me my entire life. But the truth behind that want (his love) is the fact that he never will (love me). No matter how much I achieve, my father will never love me. But that’s not a ME problem, that’s a HE problem! I’m not saying this was an easy or happy realization but in order for me to move forward in life, it was a realization I had to uncover.
One can also ask the opposite question… why haven’t I gone after some of my dreams? For me, it’s the same answer... because so-and-so won’t love me if I do. Or so-and-so will judge me, etc.
But once that issue is removed from the equation, we are set free. I finally realized it doesn’t matter who loves me or supports me emotionally or stands by my dreams in order for me to achieve them. The people that don’t are either let go from my life, not confided in, or pushed as far away as I can push them in order for me to maintain my mental health.
There will always be naysayers but don’t let them keep you from moving forward.
I hope this clears up the encouraging statement: You’re never too old to achieve your dreams.
~by Kimberly Anne©
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I have to remind myself not to use the phrase: follow your dreams. I keep forgetting so please forgive me that. Following your dreams, to me, denotes running behind them while they remain just out of reach and you can never actually catch up to them, let alone “catch” them.
I need to clarify my mission statement. When I build an audience I may get questions and backlash. You’re never too old to achieve your dreams. As I spoke about on my first podcast some dreams cannot be achieved due to physical issues. This is the case for several people I personally know.
Three people I know have been too ill. One was homebound. For these people, their dreams of traveling can no longer be realized. But traveling is not the only dream these people have. Everyone I know, myself included, has more than one dream. I have many. Recently, I accomplished my dream of moving to Portugal. In the past I achieved other dreams: getting a masters degree, learning ceramics, becoming a trapeze artist, getting a dog, starting a podcast, writing and publishing a novel. Those are just a few of mine.
The person I know who was homebound had other dreams. He wanted to publish his poems into a paperback book and he completed that! He wanted to meditate for an hour each day which he did. Another person I know who can no longer travel has the dream of writing and publishing books and so she does.
When I was in my twenties I read several books about people who accomplished their dreams much later in life. One woman who was 99 years old, wrote a book that I completely devoured. She accomplished more of her dreams between age 90 and 99 than she had in her lifetime. I tried looking up the title but I can’t find it, however if you type “never too old” into Amazon you will find many books that are saying the same thing—they may be focused on money or relationships or something else but it’s all the same concept.
I also remember reading, years ago that Louise Hay said something like (and I’m completely paraphrasing and hope it really was Louise Hay who said this! I’ve searched and searched but cannot find any reference to it online.) “When I was 50, I changed my handwriting. When I was 60, I learned a new language. When I was 70, I started painting…” And so on. And what about this 89 year old digital nomad!
Those are just a few examples.
My point is that I’m not negating anyone’s physical, psychological, emotional or monetary situations. If you are unable, for whatever reason, to achieve a massive dream, start small. That’s what I did. I reached for the low hanging fruit until I had the resources I needed to build a ladder.
I’m a list person even though I don’t always refer to my own lists but if lists do it for you; write down your dreams.
Then, as Joshua Fields Millburn from the Minimalists recommends: ask yourself these four questions.
1. What is my outcome? What do I want to happen?
2. Why do I want this outcome? What is the purpose of my outcome?
3. What actions must I take? What is my strategy?
4. Is this working?
I love this list because it’s simple. Joshua suggests you ask yourself these questions for everything: “from conversations with co-workers to long term goals.”
But my favorite question on this list, is #2. This is the question of clarity and reason. Let’s take an example. I used to have the dream of being rich but I never asked myself why. I finally achieved that dream, not that I was ever close to the 1%, 5% or 25% wealthiest people in the world but for me, six figures was my “goal”. Yet when I got there, I was miserable.
If I’d asked myself why I wanted to earn six figures per year, the answer would have stopped me in my tracks. I thought if I earned six figures, my father would love me. After all, that’s what he told me my entire life. But the truth behind that want (his love) is the fact that he never will (love me). No matter how much I achieve, my father will never love me. But that’s not a ME problem, that’s a HE problem! I’m not saying this was an easy or happy realization but in order for me to move forward in life, it was a realization I had to uncover.
One can also ask the opposite question… why haven’t I gone after some of my dreams? For me, it’s the same answer... because so-and-so won’t love me if I do. Or so-and-so will judge me, etc.
But once that issue is removed from the equation, we are set free. I finally realized it doesn’t matter who loves me or supports me emotionally or stands by my dreams in order for me to achieve them. The people that don’t are either let go from my life, not confided in, or pushed as far away as I can push them in order for me to maintain my mental health.
There will always be naysayers but don’t let them keep you from moving forward.
I hope this clears up the encouraging statement: You’re never too old to achieve your dreams.
~by Kimberly Anne©