Never Too Late: The Art of Beginning Anew at Any Age - Episode 157

Picture this - you're in your 50s, and instead of planning retirement, you're learning the ropes of becoming a pilot and soaring high in the sky.  Too often I've heard the lament that, "I'm too old to start something new!" I want to demonstrate that age is but a number and it's never too late to pursue your dreams. In this episode, we unveil the science of neuroplasticity, explaining how our brains can adapt and learn new skills regardless of age. We also discuss how continuous learning not only enriches our lives but also plays a crucial role in warding off diseases like dementia.

Life starts at the end of your comfort zone, and I'm here to help guide you there. Hear about how taking that leap out of your comfort zone can lead to emotional release, team building, and exciting experiences. Intrigued about making that change but feeling anxious or doubtful? I offer one-on-one coaching designed specifically to help you overcome mental obstacles and stride confidently towards your goals. So, whether you're a hopeful teenager or in your golden years, join us on this exciting journey where we reassure you: you're never too late to start something new!

Transcript

Todd: 0:14

Welcome to Todd Talks, where I help you design your best life not the life that I designed for you, but the life that you desire. I've actually had several ideas of things that I wanted to talk about this week, next week and the following week. I've got some new podcasts coming out and with several different topics. Today, you know, I was just driving back from helping out preparing for a convention called UTAC that my cousin is running and it's a pretty interesting convention for unmanned systems used by military, by special forces, by law enforcement personnel. Very interesting! And they've got this whole week planned. Should be a great experience. I'm not going to be there because I am currently doing training, as many of you know. I've talked about that. I've gotten hired to fly for an airline and I'm currently in training, learning how to fly an Airbus A320. I'm excited. This is good times. One of the reasons that I've missed the last several weeks of podcasting is due to the busy schedule of training and trying to learn an entirely new system. But that's one of the joys and one of the things that I want to talk about today. Not the system that I'm going to be flying, not the A320, but the fact that I'm learning something completely new, starting from scratch. I retired from the military; I joined an airline, I'm learning a new airplane. My brain is expanding.

Todd: 2:14

Tiffany and I had a discussion earlier this week. One of the things that came out of it was she made a comment that I had to correct her on-- and never correct your wife ,or correct her in a very nice way-- but what she said was that she's too old to be starting over with something new. I want to talk about that for a second, because you're never too old, and this is what I told her, "she's too old To start a new path, start a new adventure. One of the reasons I do this podcast is not just for young people. It's for people my age and older to realize that you're never too old to live your dreams, to become the person that you want to be. Whether you're 15 or you're 50, or you're 25 or 85, you always have the option and the opportunity To become something more than you are, and that's why I do the Todd talks, that's why I teach the five pillars of wellness, because you can be--y ou can become more than you currently are. You can grow, we all can, and so, Personally, I am growing, learning a new airplane, new adventures, new things that I've never dealt with. We have a lot of the rules in the airlines, we didn't have in the military, but it's worth it and it's fun and it's exciting and my mind is expanding again. Okay, every time you learn, your mind expands. And guess what? This is one of the coolest things.

Todd: 4:25

Dementia happens a Lot of times. There are scientific studies that have shown that you can ward off a lot of the effects of dementia by constant learning. Now, sometimes heredity takes that out, but you CAN learn throughout your entire life. You can continue to grow and develop new brain patterns. Your brain, my brain, your brain, everybody's brain, has what's called neuroplasticity, which means that-- in the past they thought that our brain cells died and you never grew any more, but they have found that with this neuroplasticity, our brains are always changing, adapting and can grow new synapses, new areas to be able to generate Memories, capabilities, etc. And this neuroplasticity allows us to become more than we were; to learn, even when we thought it was not possible. So, what am I saying? What I'm saying is you can teach an old dog new tricks, which I'm thankful for, because this old dog is learning some new tricks, so you're never too old to learn. But what does that mean for you? I know a lot of you are out there saying, yeah well, I'm too old for this, I'm too old to try this.

Todd: 6:14

You know there are some I've heard stories recently in the last several months as I've been on different pilot Facebook there are guys that decide to change their career at 55, go through pilot training and have been hired and are working at an airline. At 60 years old, 62 years old. Somebody was several months back. Somebody was in a new hire class at 62 years old with an airline because it was something they always wanted to do. They'll have to retire in three years legally from that airline. But they're getting. They're getting to fulfill a lifelong dream, and maybe it wasn't even a lifelong dream, maybe it was a dream that popped up in their 40s and 50s. They got bored with what they were doing. Maybe it was something that they couldn't afford when they were younger and suddenly, they have money saved that they could afford the pilot's lessons to be able to do it. Now I'm talking about pilots right, because that's my area of forte, my area of expertise.

Todd: 7:38

But this is with any, any group, any business, any activity. I mean you could take up mountaineering at 75 years of age, if you get in shape for it. Your body will continue to strengthen if you put forth the effort to do it. There are so many different things that you can do. What holds us back, what's holding you back, is yourself. It's the inner dialogue that you have with yourself. We've talked about this a lot, a lot, a lot in Todd Talks. The inner dialogue, the negative thoughts that you talk to yourself, prevent you quite often from becoming who you want to be, prevent you from starting. The hardest thing to do in any endeavor is to take that first step. But once you take that first step, the second step is so much easier, so much easier. And then the third and the fourth and the fifth, and until suddenly you are able to do something that you thought was impossible.

Todd: 9:07

Who's ever learned how to play an instrument? The first time you play piano or guitar, you pick it up and you don't know anything. Your fingers don't work right, you don't know where to put them. And then you have your first lesson and you learn something simple. Then you have your second lesson and you learn something simple, and you practice those simple basic steps. Then you learn something a little more difficult and you practice those. And a little more difficult and you practice those. And suddenly you find that you're playing without realizing it. Now you're playing some of the popular songs on the radio and you're playing along, or you're playing in the music in church, and you would never thought that it would be even possible. You're not too old to learn. You're never too old.

Todd: 10:17

The whole point of this episode is to remind you that you are never too old to fulfill your dreams. You're never too old to start something new. You're never too old to go after that job or that adventure that you've always wanted to have. Now are there probably going to be barriers in the way? Of course, anything worthwhile is not particularly easy to accomplish. If it were easy, you would do it and basically say, oh, that was it.

Todd: 11:06

Think about the most difficult challenges that you've overcome, and when you've succeeded in overcoming them, you realize that it was worth it. I mean, why do people climb mountains? Why do people climb mountains? Actually, I want to climb mountains. It's not something I have done yet. I've done some repelling, I've done some hiking, I've done some via ferrata's, but I haven't actually done true mountain climbing. It's on my bucket list.

Todd: 11:45

Do I think I'm too old to start? No, maybe I'll start in my 50s. In fact, that's probably when I will start. Why? Because by then I'll be able to afford to take the time to go do some of it. You get one shot at life. What are you gonna do with maybe you're listening to this saying, I'm 40 years old. I'm 30 years old. I'm washed up. I'm overweight. I. .. whatever your excuse, name your excuse-- I don't have the money, my kids are too young. Whatever, So start small. Any goal is achievable. Any dream is achievable if you start, if you break it up into small enough bites and you start taking the first one, little by little, line upon line, precept on precept, step by step. Here a little, there a little, you can accomplish your dream, and you're never too old to start. I saw an article on social media the other day about I think it was a 90, no, well, there was a 104 year old that broke the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest person to go skydiving. She died shortly after, but she was thrilled that she finally went and did it, 104 years old. There are the 90 year old that have gone and run their first marathon.

Todd: 13:49

Every challenge in life starts as a mental challenge. It really does. If there's something that you want to do, you have to overcome the mental block that tells you that you're too old to start. Because you're not too old, you just have excuses. I'm here to help you succeed, to help you to overcome your excuses, to take the first step. Think about what it is that you'd like to do. Maybe you don't know, maybe you just have an idea that you want something different. Start making a list of things that you'd like. Make a bucket list. Everyone should have a bucket list. Why? Because it gives you something to strive for. Life is made in the striving for something better. Life is made in the adventures that you're on.

Todd: 15:05

Tiffany-- I just got off the phone with her because I had to leave the event. She's going to be working all week at the event hosted by Flymotion called UTAC, the Unmanned Aerial Systems Convention. They have a lot of amazing things planned, but it doesn't start till Tuesday. After the work was done, they all got together, threw on some tactical gear and essentially went.. It wasn't airsoft, but something similar to airsoft. They went and had some games, tactical games, out in the fields. She had a blast, totally outside of her normal element, but it was team building, it was emotional release, it was fun. These kind of things.

Todd: 16:15

If you challenge yourself to get off your butt, get out there and try something new, you will not regret it. You will live the life that you desire. What is Todd Talks? Todd Talks is helping you to define the life that you desire and going after it. I'm always available. Should you like a coach to work with you one-on-one, message me at tandrewsen. monat@gmail. com. That's tandrewsen. mona t@gmail. com. Let's talk about working one-on-one with you to help you overcome those barriers and those mental doubts and those anxieties that prevent you from taking those steps forward into your dreams to become the person that you know that you are meant to become. This is Todd Talks, where I help you design your best life not mine your best life and, as always, have a blessed day.