Connie Mason Michaelis: Are we young or are we old inside?

I confess to being a Pollyanna when it comes to the topic of aging. I'm not sure if my optimism is due to my confidence, perhaps my naivety, or deep down, I'm combating my own fears.

But either way, I believe that our attitude about aging is key to a longer and healthier life.

An interesting article based on the Pew Study on Aging called, Growing Old in America: Expectations vs. Reality points out that our interpretation of when we are old changes at varying ages.

When 30 year old people were asked when old age start, they said 60. When 65 year old people were asked, they said 74. And now that I just celebrated my 74th birthday, I say old probably begins at 85!

As people age, old age moves back! The study shows one thing is for sure when it comes to old age: the majority of people agree that none of this applies to them. Truly we are as young as we feel!

The significant barrier to feeling young is our health. When we feel good and are pain-free, it is easier to embrace a youthful attitude. There is nothing like an injury or illness to knock us down, and we blame it on our age.

But the truth is that you experience physical challenges at any age. Maybe our bounce-back ability is compromised because we blame our infirmities on age. Our expectations of recovery are diminished.

I read a beautiful quote from Joel Goldsmith's book, "The Infinite Way." He said, "You're as old as God and as young as each new day!"

What a beautiful way to look at age. We're as young as each new day; that's an optimistic way to look at life, right? So age doesn't really matter when we have a new day to live and celebrate!

I've had the privilege of meeting many people over 100 years of age. It is as if they know they are living on borrowed time and are delighted to celebrate another day. I want to borrow many more days and encourage others to do the same. Our number of years may indicate we are old, but our spirit is as young as we believe.

Find Connie’s book, “Daily Cures: Wisdom for Healthy Aging,” at www.justnowoldenough.com.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: People speculate old age is older than themselves, even the elderly