If everything we are, do, and have in our lives is a result of our mindset, I’m a firm believer that we are only as old as we think we are.  I coined the phrase yold one day when I was thinking about my age. I thought I’m not old; I’m in between young and old. I’m yold.

What does it mean to be yold?

To me, it means you’ve lived and experienced life but can still see things with childlike innocence and curiosity. Basically, you’re not jaded. Despite everything I’ve been through (and it’s been a wicked ride so far), I am not jaded. I view life with wide-eyed curiosity and a “what can I do to make my life better” attitude.

I’m not a fan of the term “middle age” because it makes me reflect on how much life I’ve lived and how much is left.  The term tells people, well, you’ve been on life’s roller coaster for a while and did great on the twists, turns, and drops, but you’ve been creeping up the big hill and, before you know it, plunge! You’re old!  Surely, we could use a better term. So I’m using yold. It’s sassy and fun and we need that in our lives.

It is so easy, I know, to want to give in to the signs of aging. You sit on the couch and don’t want to get up. Been there! When you get out of bed, it feels like a monkey was beating you up while you slept. Know that feeling! But even though physical things are going on with our bodies that create aches and pains, we can override it with our mindset.

Instead of complaining about the pains (and believe me, I have them), why don’t we shift our thoughts to “I’m alright. Motion is lotion. I move, I groove. I will do this!” Before you can get the last sentence out, you’re already moving, the joints are getting lubricated, and the pain becomes less problematic. It’s just that first push that we need to get into the habit of doing. Don’t let life’s roller coaster hit a big hill. Control it to stay back in the flat zone where we feel great.

We’re not scared of getting old. We fear an uncertain future.

But, here’s the great part: we can create our future now by what we do today. If we exercise and eat healthy, our bodies will be healthy in the future. If we think positive thoughts and laugh more, our future selves will be in a good place.  It’s the law, written somewhere, that what we think, we become. It’s also true that how we act defines our lives.

So, if we accept the number of years we’re alive and fall prey to TV and media advertising or listen to negative people who tell us we shouldn’t get old, we’ll feel old.

My father and mother have said to me on several occasions, “Don’t get old.” I had to tell them to stop saying that because it infers, I should just die now because there’s nothing left in the future. How awful, right? I’d rather hear from my elderly parents, “Life is a gift, so enjoy every moment. Growing old is a blessing, and not everyone gets to experience it.” They are not capable of that mindset, I guess. (Yada yada had years of therapy and self-work to overcome the yuck.)

Feeling yold means you have more control over your life, health, and your well-being. Don’t let doctors, the media, family or anyone give you advice or ideas without sifting through it first to figure out if it’s right for you. We have the right to question anything to know what’s best for us in the long run. If we give in and give up, we’ve allowed outside forces to live our lives. And let’s face it, the younger generations want us to stay in our lanes and not speed up and pass them (or else we’ll get the eye roll.)

So, today, when you’re feeling old, think about being yold. You’re not young, but you’re not old. You’re yold, living a great life how you want to feel, doing what you want to do, and having the best time! That’s how I try to think. Don’t let life’s heaviness keep you stuck. Pull up your pants, throw your head back (gently, you don’t want to hurt yourself), and be ready for anything with a youthful curiosity and an adult sensibility to know what’s good for you.

Thank you for your time reading this. I hope I offered a nugget of knowledge that hasn’t crossed your mind yet. Let me know in the comments if this is something that helps.

To being yold,

Francesca