Growing old is fascinating to me because we change so much.

I look at a picture of myself from just 5 years ago and ask, “what makes me that same person?”

A series of events can trace that body to mine, but that’s not me at all.

From birth to death I’ll have been a million different people.

There’s things I used to ignore that I now cherish. Beliefs I would’ve fought tooth and nail over that I now laugh at. My personality is not the same and the way I see the world has changed.

And the funny part of it all is that in 5 years I’ll look back at me now and have the same thoughts.

So I want to ask, what characteristics/values/beliefs have seen the most change from you over the years?

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This post was from my newsletter

I share ideas from great thinkers so we can stand on the shoulders of giants, instead of figuring life out on our own

Comments

TreatThompson OP t1_j5ux43t wrote on January 25, 2023 at 7:09 PM

#1,489,879

Recently I’ve been reading authors write about their experience dealing with old age, and a common theme I see is that over the years their ego dies

They go from thinking life was all about them to realizing they aren’t special

But that realization was actually positive and made life more enjoyable

Remarkable-Camp8577 t1_j5v9ke3 wrote on January 25, 2023 at 8:25 PM

#1,491,350

Honestly in my early 20s I wanted to be surrounded by people, friends, strangers, family.

Now in my late 20s I’d be content with being alone most of the time. I enjoy my own company and while I’m not depressed, I experience social burnout a lot easier.

Biggest change between then is my job. I speak at meetings and give presentations during the day and it gets emotionally exhausting by 3pm

TreatThompson OP t1_j5vbx73 wrote on January 25, 2023 at 8:39 PM

#1,491,633

Replying to Remarkable-Camp8577 (#1,491,350)

I can relate to that first part for sure! Being more comfortable and confident with age I think is what made the difference for me

I’m completely comfortable in solitude—it’s even needed at times

ThrowRAbirner t1_j5vupvo wrote on January 25, 2023 at 10:35 PM

#1,493,905

Social awareness. I look back and cringe at how I acted in certain situations and how oblivious I was. Unfortunately, a bad experience really helped me think about who I am as a person. It’s made me ruminate a bit too much, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. It’s extremely satisfying to learn from our mistakes and recognize our own growth.

TreatThompson OP t1_j5vvon7 wrote on January 25, 2023 at 10:41 PM

#1,494,032

Replying to ThrowRAbirner (#1,493,905)

I can relate to both sentiments you shared!

I definitely went through a period where I wanted to get my “act” together and stop being a certain way in certain scenarios

I also feel like I wouldn’t trade my negative experiences for better ones, even if I could, because then I just wouldn’t be me today. Me now can handle things that I couldn’t before because of those. So it’s bitter sweet

Thanks for sharing that!😄

Eechimine t1_j5x9i1t wrote on January 26, 2023 at 4:42 AM

#1,500,218

I no longer see pain throughout life as something to avoid but something to respect only because it’s necessary. When I was a kid/teen I really thought that people woke up at a certain age and “became happy” when In reality that’s not the goal

NotABlueLemon t1_j5xnx43 wrote on January 26, 2023 at 7:12 AM

#1,501,766

I used to say “I don’t care what ppl think about me” and as I grew older I realize I actually care too much what ppl think about me, that’s why I’m so nice and friendly to everyone, correct everything I say and ask if what I said makes sense. I hope that makes sense lol