Today Is The Oldest You've Ever Been And The Youngest You'll Every Be Again

"Today is the oldest you've ever been and the youngest you'll every be again" - Oscar De La Hoya.

And you thought he was just a great boxer.  My friend Kenny sent that quote to me and It has an interesting meaning to me.  I know I'm going to get older, but not today.  I know today is the youngest I'm ever going to be, but I still see myself as "Kenny from South Philly - still young at heart."

What if you could stop the aging process and freeze your age at any stage of you life?  Would you freeze it at today's age?  Would you freeze it at an age when you were much, much younger?  Would you freeze it ten years ago or would you freeze it ten years from now?

Before you answer quickly, think about it.  Usually the first thing in your mind would be to freeze it at a younger age than today.  Isn't younger better?  Most likely your physical health was better than today.  However, younger might not be the right answer.  

Most thirteen year old kids would want to freeze their age at twenty.  Most sixty year old people would want to freeze their age at least twenty years younger.   However, if you really consider what was happening in your life, at that time, and what you had to deal with years later, you might change your mind.

"At thirteen, I was poor but I didn't know it - I was having fun" (from my first book "Never Buy A Hat If Your Feet Are Cold").  However, I wanted to be older.  At twenty, I could drive a car, have sex (yes I even thought about sex at thirteen), make money, buy more things and be an astronaut. 

Even though thirteen was a blast, I wouldn't want to freeze my age at thirteen.

When I was twenty, I got married (can you spell SEX), drove a car, had an interesting job and made more money than my father.  I wasn't an astronaut, but I was a fantastic computer programmer and almost got a job with NASA. 

However, just two years later, I had two screaming kids and a screaming wife.  The company I worked for made me a manager of five employees.  I went from a software producer to a parent.  All my employees were older than I and weren't happy I was promoted over them.  This was the first time in my life where stress made life less fun.

Even though I would never get older than twenty, the years going by did not make me happy and therefore, I wouldn't want to freeze my age when I was twenty.

At thirty, my life wasn't so hot.  I was learning and growing in a business I loved, but the stress of the job and the realization that my marriage was not working and divorce was in the future was UGH! Also, the negative impact divorce had on my kids was terrible and the loss of friends made my thirties not my best of times.

Although thirty is a great age from a physical point of view, it doesn't mean it will be a great mental and emotional time.  In my case, it wasn't, so I wouldn't want to freeze my age when I was thirty. 

At forty I was in a yin and yang time of my life.  I was going through yet another divorce.  I had no money (paying two alimony and two child support payments plus the loss of my house).  My oldest son divorced me.  I was having serious back and neck problems that required surgery.  My mental outlook sucked and I needed help. However, my career was booming, I met the best thing in my life - my wife and we were able to travel internationally.

Forty's yin was great, but I still wouldn't want to go through that yang again.  Sooo, I wouldn't want to freeze my age when I was forty.

At fifty things were getting better.  I had a wife that anyone would kill to have (just an expression), I had the opportunity to run a software company in Vancouver. I got to live in Amsterdam for a year.  The things I learned from my therapist was taking hold and my mental outlook was going in the right direction. However, my body sucked and my work was extremely stressful.

Even though there were more good than bad things going on at fifty, I just can't say I would want to freeze my age when I was fifty.

Now I'm in my sixties.  I'm retired. I have very little stress. I still have the best wife in the world.  I have great and interesting friends.   My mental outlook is full of positive energy.  I have freedom of choice.  I know things about my physical and mental situation and what to do to avoid any problems.  I'm more confident.  I'm less insecure. I like myself more.  I give positive energy out to the universe and it's giving it back to me.

These are the best years of my life! Therefore, I want to freeze my age as of today.  What about you?  Are these the best years of your life?  Do you need to go back in time or do you believe tomorrow will be much better?

Think about it!  Write it down. You might be surprised at what you come up with.  

Always remember, happiness is your goal.  You can't freeze your age so you better make the years ahead the best of your life.