When Did You Realize You Were Older?
When did others think you were old?
When I was eighteen, I was in the United States Air Force. As an enlisted man with no college education, I was a shadow. NO One listened to or even noticed me, the idea of consciously adding to any discussion or decision was out of the question.
Don't get me wrong; I was still in charge of my personal life. However, the need for money put me in a place where I was no longer a "kid." At age nineteen, I applied to a foreign car dealership to be a salesperson. In the interview, Denny, the Sales Manager, said, "So, you think you can sell these expensive foreign cars?" My response was immediate, "Yes, Sir." He said, "Here's the deal. If the owner wants to try you, we will. You have an interview with him next."
The owner had been in the car business a long time. They had never had anyone under twenty-one selling for them. The owner asked, "Kid, do you think you can sell." I responded quickly, "Yes, I can." He asked, "Why?" I said, sir, I was a homeless kid. You don't just walk out of poverty and despair. "You have to want it." He said, "Well, alright then, let's give you a 30-day trial."
My target market was men and women returning to the Army base at Ft. Lewis, WA. from their service in Vietnam. No one in the dealership knew that except me. In the first month, I sold fewer cars than the average. In the second month, I had learned what motivated people to buy. I was the number one salesman. In the third month, I sold more cars than all the other people combined.
Once I learned what motivated them, a discussion of how to fulfill their needs was the next step. No one ever said, "You don't know what you're talking about, you’re just a kid." The truth is, at eighteen through twenty, when I was selling cars, no one questioned my age because my knowledge overcame the age issue.
My twenties taught me about age and being humble.
I learned never to act as though you're the smartest person in the room, even if you are. It taught me to always get others' opinions before I dared to give an opinion of my own.
It taught me to ask, don't tell. Instead, ask questions lots of questions. In this way, you'll not only find your place but how to capitalize on your age (read that as my willingness to succeed).
There were a lot of correct answers that came from me. First, because I listened, and second because where possible, I incorporated the thoughts and ideas of others into my thinking. Before long, I was their age. Their age. What does that even mean, acceptance? It did for me.
As a young man, I quit a well-paying job with benefits and security to strike out on my own. I bought the company. Those who had so willingly agreed with me before now thought it would be me imposing my will upon them. Humbling for sure.
I stayed the course. I bought the company because a seventy-two-year-old man was old and didn't understand the marketplace. I did.
The thirties began a period of presumed knowledge.
In my thirties, I would explain something and ask for comments before deciding. Typically people said, no, I think you're "spot on," meaning I understood. At last, there was no age issue.
Michael Jackson, the radio talk show host in Los Angeles, used to say:
“Old is 20 years older than you are at any given point in your life.”
It meant that people in their fifties were old to me and others. I felt people that age brought a level of experience beyond my years. So I tried to tap into their experience as much as possible. I didn't see their age, their changes in physical prowess or stamina. I saw expertise and knowledge.
Let's go back to what Michael Jackson quoted (and often). So, to consider someone old, they must be ninety-five or older (in my case). That explains a lot. As I mentally sift through my contact list, I've just now realized that I don't know anyone that's old anymore. You'll be glad to know that I've checked with the one person I can always count on to be right. My wife said, "You are correct."
When did others realize (think) that I was old?
We bought our dream home in 2014. We had looked for ten years. It's a very generous-sized home with a backyard that's a quarter acre in size. In California, where we came from, we had a third of an acre.
Remodeling the home meant lots of trips up and downstairs. In CA, we had a one-story home. Therefore, no issue. But now, oh yeah. Up and down, up and down. I complained to one of my workers who asked about our home. Afterward, he said, "DR, I don't think you realize that you're older. You're acting as though you're in your late fifties or early sixties. Guess what, you're not." All that was easy for him to say. He was in his late forties.
I lost my balance more than five times the first year we were here and consequently fell down the stairs. Great, now I'm at risk for falling. Family, friends, and healthcare providers are now on high alert, as am I.
I've had twenty-seven companies since 1969 when I owned my first business. My last business was an air purification company I started in November 2020. Close friends noticed how much it was costing me in energy. I was also the President of the Las Vegas Cadillac Club.
In August of 2021, I retired for the seventh and final time. I also resigned from the Cad Club. I began to feel better within a week or two. That was when I knew for sure I am old.
Summary
Yes, I'm old. At one time, I was a kid, never a young man. When I became a business owner, I was treated like an equal. In my late fifties, I started a casualty insurance company that was one of the largest of its kind. I exited after 20 months and retired for two years. It took that long to recover!
I should have realized what was happening to me then. Another old saying is, "You are only as old as you feel." In my humble opinion, this is correct. But, I would add, "You are only as old as you think you are." My father-in-law said it best. I asked him, what’s the secret to living a long life?” He said, “Always keep moving.”
C’mon, keep up, you can do this. Really, “You got this.”
