Don’t believe in ‘retiring’

“Age is opportunity no less

Than youth itself, though in another dress,

And as the evening twilight fades away

The sky is filled with stars, invisible by day.”
(Longfellow)

I am lucky to have had a terrific youth. This most because of my parents. They gave me possibilities and an environment to try out my natural qualities and talents. Learn by play was their parole.

My father had a passion. Till the age of about 54 he was an excellent commercial agent of the famous Dutch ‘Droste’ chocolates in the Netherlands. But… he had a dream. A dream to help people suffering of physical pain. People where medical doctors said to: ‘You have to learn to live with it’. This sign for my father was as a command to start to help. For him it was an opportunity to show what he was up to.

So he studied, in evening ours, for psychotherapist and glorious passed for his exams. Also he started with exercising and studying yoga.

He always told his children “Don’t believe in retiring but go on with your life mission every day!’ As an example for us he quit with his job at the age of 54 and started his own practice in psychotherapy and yoga. With a lot of success and appreciation till he could not live this passion anymore at the age of 94 he went on with it. He helped a lot of people to believe in their inner strength, qualities and talents to heal themselves and serve the world out of their experience and wisdom. They did and some of them still do.

So he showed us that work, when you live your passion, does not feel at all as work anymore. Also that everything you need for yourself and your family you have to take care of, will be there just at the right moment.

It’s joining life with the idea that everything is good for you and it still does matter to serve. It’s living with that exuberant enthusiasm that young people have. Jump into life with both feet and live! Jump into the river of life and start swimming. The water of life is fine especially with your life experience!

Don’t believe in retiring. The mind never gets old but just wise with the minute. Your thinking may slow down a bit, but the extra knowledge and wisdom you have developed make up for it.

You will have more appreciation at the end of your life than ever. And you will appreciate beauty more. So older age should be composed of wise days. They should be beautiful and wonderful days. You can appreciate life more fully than at any other time of your life.

Don’t be afraid to change your attitude. You can start with it now! Don’t be afraid to look inward and let wisdom unfold, to develop new thoughts and to replenish your mind with other and / or better thinking. It really matters!

To find out more about this, driven by the power of thoughts of my parents and my own believing, the Villa-Asia programs appeared. Not to be successful as a business itself, but to make you more successful as you probably still are (no matter your age) to serve and create a better world. That’s really a natural ‘win-win’ situation.

Frans Captijn
Host / Catalyst / Talenteer at Captijn Insight

Captijn Insight: “Catalyst in your process to new sustainable flow. Whether you are an individual, couple, team or an organization.” 

www.captijninsight.com

captijninsight@gmail.com