What if you are old?

[Samantha]

I am about to hit my 65th birthday.   In some areas I have developed a lot of mastery although I am not so well centered in what to do with it.  A very different area calls to me and has for a long time now but been denied which is visioning and spreading vision and building community of a vastly actualizing for as many as possible technology positive and wisdom laden future.  At the least I believe I have a book or two that is important on the subject within me or that the forge of practice can produce from me.

My challenges include my age.  It is hard to take seriously a 10-20 year plan at my age.  It feels more like I need to do all I can to get this aspect of what I can give the world out there as best I can with what I have and what time I have.     

I haven't done good mastery.  I have been a hack too long with more than good enough skills for survival and making decent but not stellar money to be really easy.  Too easy.  Too easy to not challenge to go further.  As a result I don't have financial freedom or some other things I want and need. 

Sorry if this is rambling but what does someone like me do?  What parts of timeline expectations should I toss out, especially if they seem disempowering or an excuse to be "well I blew it and it is now too late so too bad" sort of victim like some of my friends who are my age?

Edited May 21, 2019 by Samantha
clarification

[Aeris]

as for the question : empower people that share the vision that you would like to see.

most people are talking about a self point of view, but there is no problem in following people that embody and help you makes your vision a reality.

Do you need a mastery for yourself ?

 

[denydritz]

Hi Samantha, obviously there are examples of successful people who started at a similar age as you.

Louise Hay started Hay House Publishing when she was 60 years old.

I wouldn't worry about a timeline, I would give the goal everything I have, make it a priority, spend time understanding it, and work on it.

Building a community, you will start with one person, and then more people. Whatever the number you end up with, it may not be as big as you envisioned, but you will affect people's lives anyway, and in my opinion, that is what's important.

[mandyjw]

@Samantha I highly suggest this book! 

https://www.amazon.com/Power-Now-Guide-Spiritual-Enlightenment/dp/1577314808/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=the+power+of+now&qid=1558517411&s=gateway&sr=8-3 

[Leo Gura]

That's definitely more challenging.

At your age I would spend more time on awakening and spiritual practice.

Of course you can work on some books and so forth, or start a community, but also your priorities should be different at your age. It's less about impacting the world and more about deepening your spiritual connection with yourself.

Awakening is more satisfying than meeting any career objectives anyhow. You don't want to be filling the last quarter of your life with a busy work schedule at the cost of your spirituality.

[Ar_Senses]

Hey, Samantha!

I just want to thank you and to express some respects for your Will To Live! It’ll blown my mind if my grandmother made an account on Actualized.org forum and started to ask questions like yours. You are awesome!

You’ve inspired me and I wish you very good luck on your path. If I was where you are, I’ll definitely committed to grow spiritually. Even now, at age of 24, I don’t find anything more interesting and rewarding than spirituality, that is the Big Fish.

With respect and sincerity ?

[UDT]

14 hours ago, Samantha said:

I can give the world out there as best I can with what I have and what time I have. 

This counts for every person in every age as a premise to their live striving to be truth

[Elisabeth]

@Samantha It feels inappropriate to be giving advice to someone 35 years senior, but sometimes it helps to point out the obvious.

- If a 10 years plan feels like too much, decide on the priorities and make a 2 years plan

- Writing a book or supporting a community, "giving back" what you've learned, why not? Trust, that you do have the skills. You've had a lifetime to observe people and technology, practice writing and relating. You can put these to good use.

- At any age: Follow your bliss. If it feels rewarding to be doing those things for the next few months, do them. 

You have the advantage of being able to ditch people's expectations of you more easily now. 

[bejapuskas]

@Samantha  I personally started feeling the benefits of meditation in around a few months, you can have your first mystical states quite early  

[Spiritual_Seeker]

I think that no matter how old we are, we should all try to observe and live like children. Wisdom often comes from the mouths of babes and too often, we write it off as childish nonsense or just kids being kids. Seeing the world and our plans with childlike wonder can help us in ways we as adults have long forgotten. Don’t write yourself off because of your age. The world is waiting for your brand of joy. This blog really spells it out: https://newfieldnetwork.com/deepening-relationships-eliciting-wisdom-communicating-like-an-8-year-old/

[Samantha]

11 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

That's definitely more challenging.

At your age I would spend more time on awakening and spiritual practice.

Of course you can work on some books and so forth, or start a community, but also your priorities should be different at your age. It's less about impacting the world and more about deepening your spiritual connection with yourself.

Awakening is more satisfying than meeting any career objectives anyhow. You don't want to be filling the last quarter of your life with a busy work schedule at the cost of your spirituality.

I have a problem with that advice.  I see the world starving for some things I believe I know how to provide some sustenance for.  I also have a problem with what feels like implied ageism and assumptions about how long people can really make a difference.  I feel like there is a subtext here of "you are old.  So pack it in as far as making external difference.".   Which may be right and may not.  Particularly as much of the entrepreneurial and caring energy of the world turns to longer and healthier and more effective lifetimes (anti-aging etc.).   

As we awaken we see burning needs in the world and compassionate drives us towards doing what we can.    That is Big Boat view.  I have done Little Boat spirituality.  It is indeed wondrous.   But I don't think it is full heart.      One of the things I feel is most needed is bridge building between scientific/technology/materialism and spirituality, between deep appreciation and being and such an explosion of becoming possibilities.    In a world that seems to be fragmenting  even as so many more possibilities are becoming near term realizable the world is starving for unifying vision and deeply grounded hope.  

As I get older the deepest yearning is to get the best I have in me that may help out in the world while there is still time.  

While I am chatting I sometimes feel you have too macho if you will a view of human fulfillment.   My intuition is that your overall view is just one way and one cut across much input material.     And with all love and respect I wish you could learn to be a lot more concise in your presentation in videos.  

[ajasatya]

@Samantha can you be precise in stating what is it that you truly want and how you're planning to achieve it?

when it comes down to embracing duality and acting on this world, the less abstraction the better. ideally, you should be able to come up with an action to take as soon as you close this tab of your browser.

in other words, you can try to answer the following question: what should you be doing right now that you aren't?

if no assertive/clear answer comes to your mind, then a lot of introspection is mandatory (if you don't want to waste time).

Edited May 22, 2019 by ajasatya

[CreamCat]

Perhaps, you should choose one thing to focus on and achieve. You become more spiritual by unlocking your potential as a human being. Throw away that which is not necessary. Focus is more important as you get older.

Edited May 22, 2019 by CreamCat

[Angelite]

@Samantha Share your wisdom

 

 

Can you give me one wisdom? Anything that comes to mind spontaneously

I am a 23-year-old girl^^

 

 

 

 

 

(I like asking gurus, authors and elderly for wisdom?)

 

[Leo Gura]

@Samantha If you really feel called to serve the world, by all means go for it. The point is simply a very practical one: the older you get the less time you have to build a foundation from scratch and the less energy you will have to work with. This is not meant to be a limiting belief, but a factual statement. If this statement wasn't factual the question of age wouldn't even arise at all.

It's not that you can't do it, it's just that maybe there's an even bigger game you could play! Which is spirituality.

One of the best benefits of being older and retired is that you can really focus on spiritual work in a way that people who are building careers cannot. Starting a new business or career takes a lot of time and energy which could be used for spiritual work.

But it all depends on your priorities. The best you can do is follow your heart.

You know in Hinduism they have a pretty nice model for how to structure one's life:

Phase 1 of life: Growing up to adulthood, education

Phase 2 of life: Getting a job, having a family, taking care of them

Phase 3 of life: After the kids are grown and out of the house, and your finances are stabilized, you retire and pursue enlightenment full time. This is really supposed to be the pinnacle of life. Not a downer.

Then you after your enlightenment you can become a guru and contribute wisdom back to the young.

It's a pretty good model. Of course you can break all the rules and do whatever you want.

[Leo Gura]

18 hours ago, Black Monolith said:

@Leo Gura Could you share your favorite Hinduism sources of knowledge? I've read a few books like 'Loving Ganesa' and 'Merging With Siva', but got curious about your sources since you mentioned it.

I don't have a source in the way you expect. You come to know such things after years of studying all sorts of books, gurus, retreats, and teachers.

There's not just some one book I go to to get my knowledge on Hinduism. It's much more messy than that.

[How to be wise]

@Leo Gura Can we talk about some of the books in your book list here?