Confidence and Aging
With age comes confidence. At least that has been my experience.
As I grow older I grow more confident in who I am as a person, an employee, a friend. I express my opinion more boldly than in the past and often hear more agreement than expected; and less regret and fear in the face of disagreement. I stand my ground more in my slightly larger leadership role at work and find that others come around to my point of view more often than in the past; and I have received increasingly positive response for my initiatives from managers further up the line. That positive reinforcement adds to my confidence.
Aging is a scary thing and our youth-focused American culture doesn’t inspire confidence in growing old. Aging often represents loss … loss of parents, loss of friends, loss of memory, body shape, libido, hair. The only significant loss I’ve experienced on that list is parents and I’ve actually reconnected with many old friends in the past year. I know where my keys are. I’ll comment on the rest of the list some other time.
Fortunately, aging is not all about loss. We often gain experience, wealth, knowledge, skills, power and … confidence. We grow comfortable in our skin, even if that skin sags a little more than in our youth.
As I grow older I grow more confident in who I am as a person, an employee, a friend. I express my opinion more boldly than in the past and often hear more agreement than expected; and less regret and fear in the face of disagreement. I stand my ground more in my slightly larger leadership role at work and find that others come around to my point of view more often than in the past; and I have received increasingly positive response for my initiatives from managers further up the line. That positive reinforcement adds to my confidence.
Aging is a scary thing and our youth-focused American culture doesn’t inspire confidence in growing old. Aging often represents loss … loss of parents, loss of friends, loss of memory, body shape, libido, hair. The only significant loss I’ve experienced on that list is parents and I’ve actually reconnected with many old friends in the past year. I know where my keys are. I’ll comment on the rest of the list some other time.
Fortunately, aging is not all about loss. We often gain experience, wealth, knowledge, skills, power and … confidence. We grow comfortable in our skin, even if that skin sags a little more than in our youth.
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