I’m still thinking about life. I’m thinking about chunks of time. I think decades seem to be a logical chunk of life-time even though planning 3, 5, 7-year chunks seems easier to plan for.
So here I go with more random thoughts:
At 25, maybe you were working a good job. Your life was rolling along. You had things figured out.
15
Think back 10 years earlier when you were 15. You knew a lot about life at 15. You were well into high school. You had friends who were or were almost 18, practically adults, maybe even 18, and full-on official adults. You were able to talk with them intelligently, geez you were almost a legal adult yourself, almost. You knew things!
25
Now back at 25, you have lived thousands more days since 15. You’ve had so many more experiences and lessons since you were 15. You are truly an adult—living an adulting life—being a productive member of society…you really do have things figured out, now.
35
Now think about being 35. Whoa, there’s so much more you’ve experienced than by the time you were 25. This is really the adult phase of life. You’re in the middle, the mist of “30 something.” It’s almost unbelievable how long ago school was. How long ago it has been since you knew so much at 15, or even 25.
55, 65, 75, 85, ??
While it’s great to be smart and aware of the things around you at each age— giving you a great perspective on life—do not for one second of your thousands of days in the past and believe you have more figured out than an older person.
While I’m not sure if the knowledge growth rate/curve is so steep into 45, 55, or 65, there is no doubt the experience(s) add(s) up. The experiences of adult life will differ from youthful experiences. It’s possible some of the adult experiences may duplicate those of your past but you handle the issue in a different way. It may be possible that you handle a similar issue in the same way and realize it was incorrect decision/action BOTH times. That’s life. We make mistakes, we learn from mistakes, and it may take a few tries at the same mistake to get it right/better. “Be better”
Spock
It’s not easy to learn from all our mistakes, and extremely hard to learn from other’s mistakes unless we’re very thoughtful and logical in our processing, but remember, Spock was an alien from Vulcan and most of us do not have the DNA (he has DNA right?) to be “only logical” in all decision making.
People
I always find much to learn from people, as long as I’m paying attention. The learning is often from people older than me or more experienced in areas, but it can also be a younger person with more experience, or insight, in an area, or many areas. [I’m thinking of a future post idea now, brilliant]
Before you think “OK Boomer,” it may be wiser to think “hmmm, Boomer may have experiences I don’t.” I guess it’s also the same that older people have not experienced life/adolescence the way a young person has. There’s plenty to learn with another decade of experiences.
*** Nothing in this article is to be construed as financial advice. I am not a financial planner, nor do I pretend to be. You should always consult your own professional when seeking advice. This post is not a piece of literary mastery, just a random thought I had.