11 positive things about getting old that no one tells you about

As I've been getting older and a little wiser, I've realised that life is a journey of lessons and experiences containing successes and mistakes.

And there are lots of great things about getting older that none tells you about when you're young.

Lifehack offers this list of 11 positive things about aging.

1. You don’t always have to be right

Remember how important it was to be right when you were younger?

Well, as the years pass by, we begin to understand that it’s often better to lose a few battles in order to win the war.

2. You learn not to judge

In the Western world, we learn early on to want material things and strive to get them.

As we get older, ‘stuff’ becomes less important than people and relationships and we learn not to judge, but just to accept people as they are.

3. You begin to want less

We accumulate so much ‘stuff’ on our journey through life and much of this is redundant and in excess of what we actually need.

As we get older, we begin to realize that sometimes less is more.

It’s an incremental understanding that we don’t need to surround ourselves with a whole lot of material things.

4. You gain more confidence in making decisions.

It’s true age brings wisdom.

It can also bring more confidence.

Why?

Because we accumulate experience and our life lessons are powerful tools to draw from to make future decisions.

Yes, we’ve made mistakes, but we’ve learned from them and that instils innate confidence for future decision-making.

5. Your children become your friends

It’s hard to think of our children as friends when they are first so dependent upon us and then perhaps when they’re rebellious against us, or even hate us, during their teenage years.

What nobody tells us is that as they become adults, grow into their own lives and fulfil their own dreams, we as parents take on a different role.

Children now return to the family home and hearth as individuals in their own right and as friends.

6. You understand that there’s no point in telling anyone what to do

At a certain age, you then realize that there’s no point in telling anyone what to do, that actually, if you think about it, being given advice you didn’t ask for doesn’t feel very nice.

7. You learn that wrinkles should be worn with pride

Later in life, we realize that we are fortunate to be growing old and that wrinkles stand as a testimony to our experiences.

It shows that we have successfully navigated the troughs and peaks of life.

Wrinkles represent the days of our lives, each telling a different story.

8. You are able to treat your parents with unconditional respect

Our parents, although we love them, may have driven us mad at some point in our lives, and for those of us with children ourselves, the pattern is repeated.

As we get older, we learn how to treat our mothers and fathers with respect and how to have patience as they reach their autumn years because we have a better understanding of the trials and tribulations they have gone through in the process of aging.

9. It’s O.K. to play the fool again

As children, we laughed, played the fool and generally didn’t think too much about what other people thought about us.

Then our egos developed, self-awareness set in and we began to reign in our inner child, and squash the idiosyncratic part of us that was once so spontaneous.

When we reach a certain age, it begins to matter less what other people think and not taking ourselves so seriously becomes an option once again.

10. You learn not to criticise

As we get older, we learn there’s little value to be gained by criticizing anyone.

If we need to say something, it’s far better to say something positive than dwell on what’s negative.

11. You are thankful for growing old

Not everyone grows old.

Many die before their time or in the prime of their life.

With age comes gratitude and the knowledge that with every passing year, we are privileged, and being grateful becomes a daily ritual that enhances our lives in so many positive ways.

Read more at Lifehack

About Michael Yardney Michael is a director of Metropole Property Strategists who help their clients grow, protect and pass on their wealth through independent, unbiased property advice and advocacy. He's once again been voted Australia's leading property investment adviser and one of Australia's 50 most influential Thought Leaders. His opinions are regularly featured in the media.