Sunday Tales –Fun after Fifty — 17
Hope the title of this week does not give you some different ideas; what I really wanted to convey was my perspective of life after being fifty years old, as many goals seem to diminish & many a time we tend to feel more of the grim realities of life. So let me share some ideas to recharge, so we live the life with same intensity, joy and determination.
Many of you will be wondering why I have used the words intensity and determination in the last line; joy is obvious to understand. So the reasons are, as we grow old, especially after fifty, we seem to assume the room for achieving our dreams or goals is diminished and we tend to be happy with the success of our kids. In fact we are ready to take a backward step, just losing our determination or the intensity we used to have, to pursue our personal goals. So let me throw some facts why it’s different today
Since I am a sports fanatic or 24/7 sports enthusiast, let me throw some astonishing facets to keep our dreams going, Just last week, a 40+ MSD along with his band of over the hill cricketers, calling them dad’s army in the cricketing parlance, won the most competitive cricketing league in the world. This format supposed to be enjoyed by ultra-fit youngsters playing no fear cricket. This was a strong statement to all of us to challenge ourselves!
Tennis is another sport where a 34 year old Djokovic, 35 year old Nadal and would you believe a 40 plus Federer still being competitive, winning almost 19 of the last 20 grand slams. In football, the two most acclaimed ones in the globe are Messi & CR7 both 30 plus, captivating the world with their talent and experience. For me the ultimate is, 40 year Jimmy Anderson, a fast bowler probably bowling fast-medium these days, still being the best bowler for England troubling the best batsman with his unique skillset. Many of you would argue that this had happened with earlier generation also.
Well, we had few cases earlier like Martina and Jimmy Connors playing in their forties or even few folks playing Ranji trophy even in their fifties, but what has changed in this generation is that they are excelling in their respective fields. Probably ten years back no one would have believed a fast bowler could play a highly intensive 5 day test cricket in his forties, Today fitness and sports science have gone to a different level and it seems some of the older guys are taking full advantage, prolonging their career as never before. Even in the US, the most sought after NBA basketball star is a 37 year Le Bron James, whose name in the team sheet ensures your team reaches the money spinning conference playoffs!
Well you would concur saying they are in their late thirties and forties and how is it relevant. Just think about five or ten years back we had seen the moment any sportsman reaches his thirties, there is a gradual decline on his performance. So I had just used this as a metaphor with respect to people in their fifties in other fields of life. You would agree that the opportunity for growth for a working professional in the pyramid structure of professional life across the globe is limited, with rarely one in hundred reaching their professional goals. Hence it’s important to have goals both personal and professional to keep us motivated in the tough & sluggish middle over segment of our life — the fifties.
The point is its fine to compare great sportsman but what about many of us, the ordinary folks including yours truly. Today’s world is dominated by TV and social media, so if we look around one could easily get lost in the countless TV channels or social media feeds that gets us worked up on many issues of no importance to our life or goals. But herein lies a huge opportunity to enhance our skills or learn and then engage, even propagate our thoughts using the many social media feeds like YouTube, Twitter or Facebook in a positive manner. Ultimately the choice is ours how to use this new age technogies to our benefit and enhance the quality of our life
Even though there are so many things to enjoy with this new age technologies, it has also become so intrusive that first thing in the morning many of us do is to reach for our mobiles, Also you can see across the world people are so quick to judge, criticize and give their piece of wisdom on any subject- O yeah it’s called trolling let me use the right word. So let us not delve on the negatives, let us use all forums positively by being less judgmental and less reactive –for every view expressed it’s not necessary to give our comments, hold on to your horses, your mind will be more at peace.
To be honest few things helped me in living with modern technology; let me share my experience or attempt to balance life with this necessary evil. First things first. I stopped carrying mobiles during my morning or evening walks, so I had absolute freedom to think and enjoy & appreciate simple things happening around me. Trust me; it’s great. if you still want to count steps use gadgets like a smart watch or pedometer. Secondly, in any forum, try not to be reactive, make a conscious effort to delay reaction or react with a wise crack so that the heat goes off the topic — to be honest this part is still a learning lesson every day. Thirdly, watch or read something offbeat to my likings, even twenty minutes a day will freshen the thought process.
The third point is very vital, poignant and a real lesson learned. Today with artificial intelligence and algorithm’s used by all social media and goggle platforms, all pages in mobile or laptop or desktop notifications are based on your reading history, searches & likes. So you tend to read similar things that cloud your judgement in the process. So please make an effort to change this pattern by reading offbeat topics which will give a fresh perspective on any subject.
So as I come to the end of this article, let me be honest. This idea germinated after seeing my dear friends in Chennai enjoying a game of cricket today morning! — It should have been an exhilarating feeling and I wish to capture the essence of that. So let me refresh your mind with this nice thought that we are still in the interesting middle over phase of our life, all set for big hitting slog overs “Kahani abhi bhi bakki hai mera dost”. So let us all live a life, fun filled with hobbies and simple goals to ignite our passion in our daily routines-Let me end the week with a quote to ponder!
Just remember, when you’re over the hill, you begin to pick up speed!!