You’re Never “Too Old” to Follow Your Dreams

A few months ago, I called my bank to change my address for one of my checking accounts.

When I told the call center operator that I had recently moved to Hawaii, she gasped and said, “Oh my God, I’ve always wanted to live there!”

I’ve gotten used to people saying things like that when I tell them I live on a tropical island, so I just kept going with the process of completing my transaction.

Or at least, I tried to.

As she was updating my address in the computer system, the woman began to open up as if talking to a friend, not a banking customer. She shared more of her story about how she had planned to move to Hawaii when she was in her 20s.

Now, I was intrigued. My left brain switched off and my right brain turned on to curiosity mode.

“Why didn’t you move?” I asked.

The line went completely silent.

For a moment, I thought we had gotten disconnected.

“Well, you know. Life happened!”

“Mmm hmm,” I said softly, just to let her know I was still listening.

I had expected a better answer than that.

There was another long pause.

“Oh well,” she laughed. “I’m 56, so I’m too old to do anything like that now!”

She finished processing my address change and ended the call with a hearty, “Aloha!”

But as we hung up the phone, I could hear a strain of regret in her voice on the other line, thousands of miles away.

I just couldn’t shake it. I’ve been thinking about our conversation ever since.

It was so clear that this woman still had a burning desire to experience living in Hawaii, yet she held the false belief that she was “too old” at 56 to pursue that dream for her life.

It made think of the women in our Happy Black Woman community over the age of 30, 40, 50, 60 and beyond who are using that same excuse when it comes to pursuing their big goals and dreams.

Have you been telling yourself that you’re “too old” to start your business or travel or move to another city?

Do you believe that it’s “too late” to go back to school or change careers or attract love into your life?

When you use these phrases as excuses for why you’re not fulfilling your highest potential, you are sabotaging your own happiness.

If you are always saying “no” to yourself, you are constantly giving away your power to manifest the beautiful vision you have for your life.

Make today the day you stop closing the door to possibility. Make today the day you choose joy, instead of disappointment and regret.

Give yourself permission to finally start living the life you really want…while you still have time.

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