Old Dog. New Tricks. Possible?

"You Can't Teach An Old Dog New Tricks" - TRUE or FALSE?

You have likely heard that old saying, right? And, maybe like the masses, you have accepted it as TRUTH without really questioning it's validity.

I say that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks! But only if ONE key factor is in place. 

And that ONE KEY FACTOR is "motivation". That's right, MOTIVATION. 

Yes, right now, specifically talking about dogs (or ANY pet), if the motivation is strong enough, it IS possible to teach that pet - regardless of age - a new trick. If, however, what you offer as motivation is not a strong enough motivation for that dog (pet), then, guess what? That dog will likely just lie there and give you a "I don't think so!" look. 

And, friend, the same is true for YOU or for anyone that you know - REGARDLESS OF AGE.

For a lot of us that are a little older (I'm 56), the challenge may be with technology. I don't know many that are MY age that have refused to learn how to use some of the new technology available but, I have to admit, I'm not as ready to learn some MORE "new" forms of social interaction as I have been in the past.  But, again, it depends on how strong the motivation is that is connected with the use of that technology.

For example, my mother is 83 years old. She does not own a computer or anything more technical than a "simple" cell phone. And, that's o.k. - don't get me wrong. I was visiting her recently and she was talking about how her younger brother - my Uncle Jerry - knew more about what was going on with her kids (my brothers and sisters) than she did. Why? Because he was connected to all of us through one of the social media sites. I don't really know for sure how much younger he is than my mom, but still, he is one that would be considered older - especially when it comes to technology. 

I don't know who talked him into getting connected the way that he is but, whatever it was, the "motivation" and "desire" was strong enough to get him to work past and through the learning curve along the way.

Maybe for you it's the same thing. Maybe it's just a way for you to keep up with family and friends. Maybe you need to be open to learning new things so that you can learn a new job skill or even have the ability to SEARCH for job opportunities or even just hobbies,  that you can't really access any other way. 

Whatever the reason, IF the "motivation/desire" is strong enough - YOU WILL. 

Perhaps this applies to you in other ways than with technology. Maybe you have some health issues that you need to address and, as a result, you don't have to learn a "new trick" BUT you really need to adapt to a NEW WAY of doing a lot of things. Like eating better or exercising more. It's not easy, especially if you haven't done either of those things in a long time. But again, IF your motivation is strong enough - YOU WILL. 

Let me share another graphic with you that features a quote  by C.S. Lewis...

Have you given up? Let me ask that same question again and put a different emphasis on it - "Have YOU given up?" YOU. Yes, I'm talking to and about YOU!

Hopefully you haven't bought into that lie that you can't "learn new tricks" or that you are too old to follow a new dream. Heck, maybe it's just continuing to follow an "OLD" dream that you've had for many years. YOU ARE NEVER TOO OLD!

You know, this idea kind of goes along with my phrase, "As long as there is breath, there is hope."

I don't plan to die with ANY regrets but, at the same time, I hope that, on my death bed, there will STILL be some dreams that I have not yet had the chance to make a reality. I hope I ALWAYS have dreams ahead of me that are motivation enough to keep me moving forward.

Yep. That's just me. 

Now, what about YOU, you "old dog"? 

And, by the way, even if you are not "there" (old dog age) yet...keep this idea in your head and close to your heart and don't you EVER give up!

And, whatever you do, as always, be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

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