I'll never forget the day Marilyn came in my office and said, "I am too old to learn how to use a computer." 

I shook my head in disbelief. Here is a woman who has raised 6 children, who has progressed in her career telling me that she was too old to learn something new! My own philosophy on life is that you are NEVER too old to learn. Having new knowledge is an opportunity and can open new doors. 

Needless to say, she did learn how to use the computer! Marilyn is now retired and leading a very active life volunteering in her community helping anyone who needs help and utilizing her computer skills! This woman has an amazing talent for making people laugh and feel at ease. 

So here she is well into her 60's and she calls me and says she is going to make a CD. You can imagine my surprise and delight!! All her life she has played the piano and has shared her talents in teaching others, and playing for people. Now she has her own CD, Mixed Blessings. My mind flashed back to the day of when she told me she was too old to learn!!!! 

To produce the CD, she had a lot of learning to do. It was not just sitting at the piano and playing. She had to research the songs, learn about copyright issues, and learn about marketing. Pretty amazing for someone who once said she was too old to learn!! 

Marilyn's story reinforces my beliefs that no matter what your age, you can learn and do whatever you set your mind on. Congratulations to you, Marilyn, you are an inspiration! 

Maybe this story reflects a little upon your life right now. It may be that you are in your middle to late years and feel that you are just plain too old to learn to do something a little different even though that leaning may lead you to a more fulfilling life. I am sure that some of you probably know or have heard about some people who have gone back to university in their seventies and have also graduated. They are on their way again charged with a new zest, a new skill, and a whole new attitude towards their chosen field of study. 

There are also those people who choose to leave their original field of expertise to take on a much different career. In some cases, there choice has been directly opposite to what they had trained for. These people chose to learn a new set of skills and a set of skills that meant they had to basically start over at the bottom and work their way forward. The point is this: you are only unable to learn at any age if you believe you are too old. It is all in what you believe about yourself, your own self-esteem, and your desire. 

The desire to learn is a greater power than the desire to be satisfied where you are. A desire to grasp life tightly and to do more is a power that keeps us progressing and not stagnating. When we choose to say we are too old to learn, we choose to state that we have all but given up on life. Life is really a continuous learning cycle that never ends until the day we find we are six feet under. 

It is my hope in sharing Marilyn's story with you that it will inspire you to: take action to learn and do that one thing that you have thought about but have never done! 

Go for it!