How do you feel about aging? Are you doing it gracefully or, are you fighting it?

Two months ago, I turned 58 years of age! Although mentally, I have a difficult time reconciling that I have reached the age of 58 years old (WOW), I don’t have an issue with it from a physical perspective. Of course I can’t turn cart-wheels or stay up and hang out during the week, but, I’m ok with that.

So, what’s expected when one is 42 years from becoming a centenarian? But, before I reach that honor, I have to cross the hurdles of reaching a septuagenarian, octogenarian and a nonagenarian (I know what you’re thinking…they sound appealing). If you don’t care to use any of those terms, a simple senior or senior citizen will suffice.

The Benefits of Getting Older

When we think of getting older, we tend to think of it only in terms of the negative. Getting older means slowing down, collecting new aches and pains, losing our memory and eventually losing our sex drive and continence… Not good!

But while this might be the case for some, it’s not the whole story.

Actually, getting older comes with a lot of benefits and remembering these can be a good way to avoid letting the thought of aging get you down too much. Here are just some of them…

You Become More Chiselled

This goes for women and men alike. Women will often lose the thin layer of subcutaneous body fat that exists under the skin (and you better believe that I’m waiting),

bringing out more defined cheekbones and giving them a much more chiselled appearance. Men become generally more gristly as their jaw and foreheads continue to grow and eventually end up looking like they’re cut out of granite!

What’s more, is that our skin tends to get thinner as we age. This isn’t good news for women but it’s very good for men who want to look more ripped, vascular and muscular! Getting a body like Morris Chestnut or Method Man is possible as you start to reach older age. SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT: My guy Steve is a great example of aging gracefully!

You Become Wiser

There are broadly speaking two types of intelligence. These are ‘crystalized’ intelligence and ‘fluid’ intelligence. Crystalized intelligence is really knowledge, while fluid intelligence is more like reasoning. While our reasoning skills often deteriorate as we age, our crystalized intelligence actually improves as we gain more knowledge over time.

As long as you protect your memory, this will only continue to improve the older you get – eventually making you some kind of walking oracle!

You Gain Respect

A big plus about being older is that you gain respect. This means people hold doors open for you, let you have their seat on the train and listen to what you have to say politely.

You Have More Time

If you’re like most people, then eventually you are going to retire. When that happens, you will free up a lot of time.

For many of us, retirement seems like a looming ‘end point’. In reality though, this can actually be a starting point. It’s never too late to be what you always wanted to be and with the money, experience and resources that come from retirement now is the perfect time to start!