Getting older has its downside. I tell everyone the most hated phrase in the English language is – as you get older…

• wounds heal more slowly.
• your muscles lose strength and flexibility.
• you are unable to do what you used to do.

And on and on and on. Okay, we get it. Enough. Why not celebrate the good things about getting older? Trust me, there are some.

3 Good Things About Getting Older

To keep thoughts simple for this boomer brain of mine, I like to think in threes. It has served me well in my business writing and when life tends to overwhelm.

So, what are three good things about getting older? Ah, let me count the ways.

#1 – You don’t care what everyone else does.

Okay, I admit I’ve always had this tendency. It’s that middle child of seven syndrome. I want to be different (as each of us are). But we tend to listen to people telling us everyone does it this way – or should.

Have you noticed that usually occurs when you’re a bit insecure about what you’re doing? For example, when I started freelancing in 2008, blogging was totally new to me. I didn’t know what Search Engine Optimization (SEO) meant, much less how to do it. And social media was an entirely different world.

When I started merging my former sites into this one, I made a happy discovery. In the early days of my personal blog, my writing was much freer. I am sure the everyones of the world would be highly critical.

• No links (internal or external) or very few
• Missing keywords or not enough use of one

I am certain Yoast SEO and All-in-one SEO would give me failing grades. For my non-blogging friends, those are tools for evaluating your post. The idea is to ensure your post is optimized for search engines so you get noticed by the Google gods and others.

Conforming to conventional wisdom

When I launched my business writing site, I used those tools and read volumes of articles on improving visibility. And I’ll admit, more people noticed. But it’s not like I took over the internet. 🙂 And that’s okay for me.

But I am in a different place today. I am semi-retired from business writing and seeking the more social side of blogging. I delayed setting up this new site overanalyzing how to do it – until the light bulb went on.

I do not care what everyone else does.

That’s not why I designed Old Lady Biz. Getting older helps you drown out the noise to figure out what you want. I hope to recapture the freedom I had when I started my personal blog.

I’ll leave the big girl stuff for my business writing blog. Compromises. Life is full of compromises.

#2 -When stuff happens, you let it go (mostly).

One guarantee in life, stuff will happen. Another good thing about getting older is when it does, you let it go. Okay, not all the time, but I find I don’t sweat the small stuff anymore.

Your world does not end when you make a mistake or wake up to a dead car battery because your passenger side door was ajar. There are few such events that cannot be fixed.

And that brings me to another rediscovery I found in this blog merger – the Miller Energy Meter. When you feel like your head is going to explode, ask yourself ~

Is this worth the energy?

Miller Energy Meter

The last few years sent the needle on that meter soaring. Breathe. Just breathe.

My brother has another mantra to achieve the same result.

In 100 years, they won’t even remember this.

Miller Bro

#3 – You get better at keeping it simple.

Have you ever been obsessed with stuff? Not the stuff that happens but the stuff you buy. You end up buried in stuff.

• All those must-haves are now donated.
• You wish well-meaning friends gave you less stuff.
• Your new obsession is eliminating more stuff.

Getting older brings a new perspective. You value what counts.

Making memories is so much better than accumulating stuff.

Old Lady Miller musing

Okay my aging buddies (and aren’t we all?), what good things have you found about getting older? Go ahead. Share them in Comments. Remember when we used to comment on blogs? Uh-oh. That sounds suspiciously like the lead-in to the good ol’ days. 😉

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Live…Laugh…Love

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