A friend said to me the other day, “Tim we’re too old for this.” I said, “too old for what?” He replied, “too old for these people, for this dancing, and for these fun activities.”

This way of thinking is a fictitious story that we tell ourselves, and it’s not true. As a contrast, I feel younger than I’ve ever felt and have more energy than I did when I was 16. I’ve removed labels, societies rules, and anything that doesn’t serve a positive mindset. I encourage you to do the same.

Age is one of those subjects that can bring us down and make us feel inadequate. As I kept speaking to my friend, he suggested to me that once you hit a certain stage of life, our path is set.

If you’ve been an accountant for the last ten years, then that’s what you’re going to be moving forward. If you’ve demonstrated the traits of a leader, then you can become one. Otherwise, it’s probably too late.

The only reason I believe these ideas are untrue is because I’ve spent the last four years reading the autobiographies of the greatest humans on Earth and it turns out that anything is possible, at any stage in life, against any kind of odds. Age has no bearing on your success, and it’s a way of thinking that will bring you down.

Yes, you will die one day, but in the meantime, you still have time to be phenomenal and to show the world what you’re made of. Inspire people and forget about the clock ticking. You should make the most of every moment, just don’t spend all your time counting the seconds of your life away otherwise you’ll be distracted from your real purpose.

Here are 8 things that you can learn at any age:

1. How to come back from a huge mistake

We all do silly things in our lives and make big mistakes. The mistake part is inevitable; it’s what you do after that matters the most. You’re never too old to learn the age old lesson that your mistakes in life are your biggest advantages.

Making a gigantic mistake gives us the opportunity to come back from defeat. It gives us the chance to hit rock bottom and then know that we can’t go any lower. When we reach our lowest point, we can only go upwards again and soar like an eagle.

It’s that climb back from a huge mistake that can reshape our goals and dreams and make us phenomenal. This lesson can be learned at any age so stop fearing the number next to your birthday.

“Fear perfection and a life that has no growth”

2. Love

I should be the poster boy for this one. The reason is that I’m only learning this one now. Without sounding all corny, love is what drives all of us. We all crave it, and we all want to give it. I’m not just talking about love with a romantic partner; I’m talking about with every single human being.

I’m talking about loving the person that sneezed all over you on the bus. I’m talking about loving the person that cut you off in peak hour traffic. I’m talking about loving the person that stole from you or broke your heart. Love is all around us if we let it in.

It’s never too late to learn to love, and when you do, life starts to change. You stop seeing people as objects that you can extract value from, and you realise that they’re your family. All these humans on two legs with all of their problems are outrageously awesome, and we should admire and love them.

“Hate is what will make you feel ten times older. Love is what will make you feel like Peter Pan”

3. Dancing

It’s never too late to dance. That’s right. Whenever you are at an event that has music, be you and dance in a way that feels natural. Feeling phenomenal at any age is about not caring whether you will be judged

Dancing creates all sorts of positive feelings in our mind and it brings us together rather than tearing us apart like the wars that our ancestors fought.

4. Extreme sports

Who says you can’t snowboard or bungee jump? Learning an outrageously extreme sport will add years to your life not take them away. Anything can be learned. As you get older and more mature, you will be able to deal with adversity better.

Use this secret power for good. Let go of all your baggage and rules, and take up an extreme sport that you’ve always wanted to try. Slap the two digits of your age on the face and show them who’s boss.

5. Startups

Whether you’re five years old or ninety-five years old, building a startup can happen at any time. Even if you have no business experience, you can always surround yourself with people who do. If you’re stressed about how old you are, you can even hire younger people.

Just because you may have been in a corporate job all your life, doesn’t mean you can’t find a way to add value and build your own business. Everything required has already been learned in your 9-5 or prior business ventures.

The hidden cryptogram is not so hidden after all. Find a way to create value and then exploit it with every bone in your body. Squeeze every ounce of juice from your passion and unleash your creativity. It’s never too late to do this. Customers want amazing products, not youthful founders.

6. Not being nervous

Nerves are normal. An oversized meal of them is delivered to the front door of your mind when you focus on you. It’s not about you remember?

Lose the thoughts of you, and your nerves will be manageable. You can never eliminate them, but you can learn to use them to overflow your energy and demonstrate passion that is off the dials.

7. Inspiring strangers

I’ll admit, I cheated on this whole list. Many of these points have come from my recent experiences, and inspiring strangers is at the top of what I preach.

When you’ve had way too many people email you with suicidal thoughts and made them think differently, you’ll see why this point is so compelling. Inspiring strangers can be done at any age. All it takes is a gentle soul like you to listen and gives some positive advice.

This advice will take the focus off the pain, and help the person to rebuild their inner world.

8. Finding your why

The question everyone came to planet Earth for. The answer can come at any age, and it will come if you spend time on it. Don’t worry about when you find it. Only ensure that you never stop searching until you veer round the corner of an explored aspect of your life, and see the light shining in the middle of the darkness.

Learning what it’s like to discover your why will help you forget about your age. It will instead give your mind something else to think about it. When you find it, you’re not going to have the time to worry about a stupid number. Instead, you’re going to be on the road to being phenomenal. Isn’t that much cooler than a pathetic number that we celebrate every year?

What are some things you’ve learned at different ages? Let me know on my website timdenning.net or my Facebook.