Mind over Matter: Age is Just a Number

Age is just a number. Who says you cannot achieve something big in your advancing years? As per Mark Twain’s quote, “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” 

Many exceptional seniors have achieved significant success and happiness in their later years of life. They proved that age is only a number. Their accomplishments are visible in business, science, humanitarianism, arts, cooking, film making, modeling, and many more fields across the world.  

How do you define age? The number on your birth certificate? Number on the calendar? The number of wrinkles on your face? We all have our ideas of what old age is. Some strongly rally behind the phrase, “Old Age is just a number”. They believe there is no use worrying about the number of candles on the cake. Literal age shouldn’t define how you feel about yourself. You shouldn’t let the number on your birth certificate get in the way of chasing your dreams. We all have a lot of life to live, and we need to get out there and make the most of it. 

Top 7 Seniors Who Show That Age Is Just A Number  

Here are some inspirational stories of people who proved that it’s never too late to follow your dreams and make your mark in the world. They are the true embodiment of “age is just a number”. Be with me till the end of the blog and learn how gracefully some people have aged and achieved something extraordinary in their lives.    

1. G.R. Gopinath  

G.R Gopinath – a retired captain of the Indian army, a politician, an author who took to aviation, and set up his own company at an age when most people sit back and relax in life. Gopinath’s father believed that schools were a way of getting regimented, and so Gopinath was homeschooled during the initial years of his life. Later on, he was admitted straight to the 5th grade in a Kannada medium school. After serving the nation for years in the army, he founded Air Deccan, a low-cost airline company.  Fighting against all odds, today he stands tall as a respected entrepreneur who achieved extraordinary success, name, and fame. Besides Air Deccan, he also established an ecological sericulture farm, which further added to this income. Today, he has many accolades to this name such as Cheveliar da la legion d’Honneur, Rajyotsav Award, and the Rolex Awards for Enterprise.   

2. Dr Bhagwati Oza  

At the ripe age of 79, Dr Bhagwati Oza was awarded the National Award for Older Persons for Sports and Adventure. She hails from Rajkot and is a Gynaecologist by profession who had worked with Mother Teresa in relief work during the Machichhu Dam disaster.  After crossing 65, she pivoted her attention towards sports and began participating in several district, state, national, and international events. A complete all-rounder, she has bagged more than 200 gold medals to date.   

3. Milind Soman  

Milind Soman, a famous actor, and supermodel has consistently proved that age is just a number. Even at the age of 56, he looks like a Greek god and has caught the fancy of many girls and boys.  He has been heavily promoting a healthy and conscious lifestyle. His wife, Ankita Konwar, often posts pictures and videos of themselves indulging in workout and yoga sessions. His fitness routine is a dream of many youngsters. Even his mother, at 83, is also a regular marathon runner, cyclist and trekker. 

4. Fauja Singh   

This 111-year-old marathon runner has beaten several world records in multiple age brackets. He has defied all expectations of life. When he was 101 years old, he ran the London Marathon and completed it in 7 hours and 49 minutes. Today, he has many records under his name. A New York-based professor has also written a book on him named ‘Fauja Singh Keeps Going’, it was released last month. The book explains how he took his first steps at five, grew up to run his farms, and how he made his transition from India to England when he was 81-years old.  

5. Falguni Nayar  

Who doesn’t know about the revolution she brought into the makeup industry? After quitting her job at the age of 50, Falguni founded Nykaa, an online makeup store that has truly stood the test of time and has transformed the industry. She left her high-paying, secure job at 50 and pursued her entrepreneurial dream. After graduating from IIM, Falguni spent 19 years as an investment banker with Kotak Mahindra group, and in 2005 she became the Managing Director of the company. In 2012, she took a leap of faith and established Nykaa. Today, she is India’s biggest self-made female billionaire.  

6. Sunderlal Bahuguna  

Sunderlal Bahuguna galvanized an entire generation of environmentalists in the region. He lead the famous Chipkoo forest conservation movement, which had Uttarakhand natives hug trees to protect them from being axed. For several decades, he fought to preserve the Himalayan forests and succumbed to Covid-19 on May 21, 2021. Recognizing his exceptional contributions, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the government of India in 1981, which he turned down though. Then again in 2009, he was awarded the Padma Vibhusan. Throughout his life, he actively worked to defend the Himalayas, Indian rivers, forests, and wildlife.   

7. Paul Siromoni   

At the age of 90, Paul Siromoni was awarded a PhD and proved that age is never an excuse to not go back to studies. After his retirement, he decided to devote his time to writing his thesis. He enrolled himself for PhD and completed it successfully. In his nineties, he attended many seminars, wrote six papers, and gave three long exams.        

These are some people who have made a difference in the world and proved that all of us are capable of achieving our greatest desires, no matter what the age is. Age is truly just a number, and that is something that you should always remember. Don’t let your age hold you back from living, soar to the highest of heights, no matter what number restrict you. 

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