Are you aging out or are you aging up? This question often sparks reflection about whether one’s advancing years are a hindrance or a gateway to new possibilities.
While aging out might imply being excluded from certain opportunities, aging up opens doors to wisdom, resilience, and reinvention.
Pat, my husband, and I recently watched a movie about a 57-year-old woman who had aged out of her industry, which was based on youth, beauty and sexuality. The movie “The Last Showgirl,’ starring Pamela Anderson and Jamie Lee Curtis, is a somber and depressing film, so I am not promoting it.
However, it certainly raises many questions about aging. Pat and I had different responses, so I leave viewing it up to you.
Anderson’s character is a Las Vegas showgirl who loses her job as an exotic dancer at the age of 57. There were many side stories, but the idea of being part of an industry that relies on youthfulness is a bad bet for longevity.
But as my husband pointed out, that can happen in any career. Your career may not be based on your looks, but it may be based on many qualities that are at the mercy of a younger generation — whether that’s digital fluency, physical stamina or even cultural relevance.
Aging out isn’t limited to showgirls or Hollywood actors. It happens to teachers, athletes, tech professionals and executives. We live in a world that often prioritizes the next big thing, and in that race, experience can be mistakenly undervalued.
But aging up tells a different story. Aging up means harnessing the power of your lived experience, developing a clearer sense of who you are, and finding the courage to reinvent yourself on your own terms. Many people in their 50s, 60s, and beyond are launching second careers, becoming entrepreneurs, writing books, traveling, and engaging more deeply with their communities. They’re not winding down, they’re leveling up.
For some, aging up means shedding outdated expectations and embracing authenticity. It’s a time to be less concerned with pleasing others and more interested in meaningful pursuits. That might include mentoring younger colleagues, learning new skills, or simply finding joy in a slower pace of life. There is a quiet confidence that comes with age, one that doesn’t need external validation.
We all face the choice: do we resist the changes that come with age, or do we lean into them? Do we see the end of one chapter as a loss or as a chance to write something entirely new?
Personally, I choose to age up. I choose to view this time not as an exit, but as an invitation. Not a closing act, but a powerful encore.
After all, life doesn’t stop handing out opportunities, it just starts offering different ones. And sometimes, those are the best kind.
Find Connie’s books “Daily Cures: Wisdom for Healthy Aging” and “The Way Grandmothers Are” at
www.justnowoldenough.com
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This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal:
Are you harnessing experiences and aging up? Or resisting change and aging out?