“Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.” — Jean-Jacques Rousseau
I reckon some clarification is needed what I meant by patience. It is not passivity for one to sit around doing nothing yet expect something great to happen. I have another name for such mentality. That is called day dreaming or wishful thinking. Patience is day-in-day-out continuing to work towards your outmost goal.

Patience is another element that more mature people may have a better handle on than the younger generation.
Well, there are always the “grumpy old men” but let us not get there for “illustration purpose”.
From our own experience, we have learned that sometimes rushing things through and not willing to wait may have caused some lost opportunities in our lives. That can serve as a reminder in the future when similar situations arise. As they say in the UK, “Keep calm and carry on!”

Stamina is one element that I believe more mature people may have a better handle on and thus may be leveraged on.
For example, parents or grandparents for that matter (I am not neither of them) can tell you what sort of endurance and patience that they need to have to take care of their children. Such emotional and psychological stamina can be applied in other circumstances including work place. Use it wisely and don’t throw away something valuable that you already have.

I would like to devote the next few blogs on some elements that more mature people may focus on in order to stay competitive.
The first and most obvious one is experience. By “definition”, we, more mature people, do have more experience “under our belts”. Don’t let anyone tell us that our experience is obsolete. Even if it is, we can learn from it and become better and stronger. Our intuition and insight that require years of experience to develop should not be brushed aside. Be proud of our experience :>

Today I observed an intriguing incident at a restaurant over lunch.
A grandmother entered the restaurant with her daughter’s family including 2 young children. She sat down at the table next to me first and ordered a slice of apple pie with extra vanilla ice cream on it. She told the waitress that it was her very favorite. She then proceeded to eat it with a childlike eagerness when her food arrived before other family members ordered their food.
I recalled some people told me that when people get older (probably into their retirement), they sometimes behave like children. I have no intention of picking on more mature people (we are all heading in that direction). I wonder if we let go our inhibition and be more carefree, we may be able to learn faster like children do.

There are multiple occasions in my life that I wish I did not open my not-so-small mouth and say something that I regretted later. In retrospect, sometimes it is better to “take the fifth” and make no comments on the spot. Alternatively, saying “let me get back to you” or requesting for more time to reply may be considered as well. Just remember sometimes (not always) that silence is the best answer at that moment.

Recently a few people have moaned to me about it is so cold in London. As much as I dislike coldness, I reminded them that it is still February, in the winter season and this is what should be expected. Hello?

It goes to show having unrealistic expectations in life can cause unnecessary pain and suffering.

Well, please don’t complain to me about the cold weather before Easter. I don’t want to hear it or else….

Receptiveness and openness
I think I’d better speak for myself on this before I offend people of my age group. I recall when I was younger, I used to be more receptive and open to new ideas and opinions from others than now. Perhaps it is what people say “starting with a clean slate” when one is young. I think it is important to re-apply that “clean-slate” mentality to start (before dismissing others straight away), then add our experience to help us reach the final decision/conclusion.

Fearlessness is often associated with young people who dare to try new and different ideas in life. That is a valuable attribute to have if applied in the right way. I am not referring to recklessness implying a certain degree of irresponsibility and immaturity. I am referring to the courage and determination to try something different.

Nothing can replace the old-fashioned hard work. No matter how hard you worked in the past, there is no slacking regardless of your age. “Been there, done that” does not apply in this case.
Come on, roll up your sleeves and get to work.