Your Ageless Spirit

Did you ever notice your spirit is ageless? That's the topic of this mini podcast.

 Grasshopper Notes are the writings from America's Best Known Hypnotherapist John Morgan. His podcasts contain his most responded to essays and blog posts from the past two decades. 

Find the written versions of these podcasts on John's podcasting site: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1628038

"The Grasshopper" is the part of you that whispers pearls of wisdom that  seem to pop into your mind from out of the blue. John's essays and blog posts are his interpretations of these "Nips of Nectar." Others have labeled his writings as timeless wisdom. 

Most of the John's writings revolve around self improvement and self help. They address topics like:

• Mindfulness
• Peace of mind
• Creativity
• How to stay in the present moment
• Spirituality
• Behavior improvement

And stories that transform you to a wider sense of awareness that presents more options. And isn't that what we all want, more options? 

John uploads these podcasts on a regular basis. So check back often to hear these podcasts heard around the world. Who wants to be the next person to change? 

Make sure to order a copy of John's new book: WISDOM OF THE GRASSHOPPER – 21 Days to Creativity. These mini-meditations take you inside where all your creative resources live. And you'll come out not only refreshed but recommitted to creating your future. 

It's only $16.95 and available at BLURB.COM at the link below. https://www.blurb.com/b/10239673-wisd...

Also, download John's FREE book INTER RUPTION: The Magic Key To Lasting Change. It's available at John's website  https://GrasshopperNotes.com

Transcript

Your Ageless Spirit

We all age. That part’s unavoidable.

But some of us . . . refuse to admit it.

Which brings up the age-old question: What exactly is old?

Most of the time, “old” simply means . . . older than me.

There’s that old saying: “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
In other words, maybe the body has passed its physical peak . . . but the spirit? The spirit doesn’t seem to age at all.

My grandmother had a wonderful answer whenever someone asked, “How are you doing?”

She’d say, “I’m getting old.”

Notice . . . she never said she was old.
Just that she was getting there.

My mother was a little less delicate.

When asked the same question she’d say, “Not bad for an old broad.”

Both of them stayed very much in touch with their ageless spirit right up until their final days. They understood something important:

Old . . . is mostly a mindset.

I’ve always had a great rapport with older women.
 And I think it started when I was in the fourth grade.

Let me explain.

The school I attended had a raffle every fall, and every student was expected to sell tickets.

First you sell to your mother, your father, your aunts, uncles, grandparents . . . maybe a few neighbors.

But eventually you run out of relatives.

And that means you have to knock on doors . . . and ask strangers.

Now, for a fourth grader, that can feel a little intimidating.

So my dad gave me a strategy.

Before I tell you what it was, remember—back then most women didn’t work outside the home. They were known by a term I’ve come to dislike quite a bit . . . “housewives.”

My father said the person answering the door would most likely be a woman.

But he told me not to start with,
“Would you like to buy a raffle ticket for my school?”

Instead, he said my first question should be:

“Is your mother home?”

No matter how old the woman at the door was . . . that’s the question I was supposed to ask.

Well . . . that year I sold more raffle tickets than anyone in my class.

What my father had really done was teach me a little piece of stealth flattery.

I was speaking to the ageless spirit in each of those women.

And over the years, it grew into something more than flattery.

I found myself talking to older people—women and men—the same way I talked to people my own age.

I never treated them as old.

I never assumed they wouldn’t understand what I was saying . . . or that they’d be shocked by something I might casually say to someone of my own generation.

Older people don’t need to be protected.

They’ve lived longer than you.
They’ve survived more than you can imagine.

Treating them as somehow less of a citizen because of their age . . . is demeaning.

In fact, I developed the habit of asking older people their opinions when I was wrestling with a decision.

And the wisdom that pours out of them . . . is priceless.

Now sure—you’ll find some older folks who only want to talk about their health . . . their prescriptions . . . and how everything used to be better.

But honestly . . . you’ll find people like that in every adult age group.

Once you get past the chronic complainers, you often discover a treasure of perception that may not be obvious at first glance.

But if you assume they don’t know anything . . .

You’ll never ask.

And you’ll stay a little poorer for it.

So let me suggest something.

Find your own version of that fourth-grade question . . .

“Is your mother home?”

And you may discover a real mother lode of spirited wisdom from some ageless people in their Golden Years.

All the best,
John