Hi

I used to think that only magicians and gangland bosses could make people disappear. Until, that is, as I get older, I realise that age can also make you disappear.

When the bloom of youth fades, the ensuing darkness can be hard to take. Ageing is not for the faint of heart. 

There's a place, somewhere around middle age, when we realise that we're beginning to disappear. We notice that people pay less attention to us. We seem to be overlooked more. We see the wrinkles, sags, and slow deterioration of our bodies. We start to feel a bit irrelevant.

Ageism becomes very real, as younger people disregard or are condescending to us. Even the youthful pilots in the second Top Gun movie refer to Tom Cruise's character Maverick as “Pops.”

What does life become when the world no longer sees you?

The answer is in your mind, your talents, and the creativity you bring to the lives of other people through your wisdom, knowledge, maturity and experience.

When you start to disappear, and the world no longer sees you as you were, there becomes another way. The way of curiosity, intellectual growth and even a bit of recklessness.

Our senior years can free us. We no longer have to waste time caring about wrinkles, a few extra pounds and all the other superficial worries that blind us to the better things in life.

Someday old age will come calling. Our youthful selves will start to disappear, and the world will no longer see us. At least, not the way it used to. And when that happens, we have to make some choices.

There's a tremendous joy in letting go and focusing on deeper, more meaningful things. 

When a (younger) client – they are all younger than me now - seeks my advice and I can help, I realise that this is as it is meant to be. We point out the joys and pitfalls of running a business, help them focus on what really matters and maybe even inspire them.

Keep your flame lit and you won’t disappear. The world will still see you.

Noel Guilford