The older we get, the less time and energy we have for things getting in the way of what we want in life. While this can cause us to get a little more short-tempered at times, it can also be incredibly freeing in terms of going directly after the things we care about. Here are 17 things we no longer have patience for after hitting 60.
Unfulfilling Relationships
We all know that it’s important to cultivate meaningful, long-lasting relationships in our lives. Despite this fact, in our younger days, it can be easy to become complacent in unfulfilling relationships. But once we hit our 60s, that often changes. We become increasingly aware of relationships that no longer serve us and may decide to let them go. We’re also much more likely to prioritize meaningful, close connections.
Workplace Politics
Workplace drama can be somewhat intoxicating when we’re younger. However, as we get older, it begins to seem more and more childish and unhealthy. As a result, people over their 60s often focus on fulfilling, impactful work and straightforward workplace communication.
Societal Pressure to Stay Forever Young
Far too early in our lives, we are bombarded by societal messaging and imagery that pressures us to fear aging and buy products to counteract the aging process. Those in their 60s often begin to see just how ridiculous this is, choosing instead to embrace natural aging as a normal, natural, and beautiful part of life.
Materialism and Excess Consumerism
It’s easy to become caught up in material things throughout our earlier years. But often, as we get older, we get tired of accumulating more stuff and prefer to live more minimalistic lifestyles instead. This also commonly comes with a prioritization of meaningful experiences and relationships over physical wealth and objects.
Long Wait Times and Inefficiencies
Nobody likes standing in long lines or waiting, but once we hit 60, our patience for time-wasting activities often reaches an all-time low. Instead, we value efficiency in many aspects of life, including customer service, healthcare, and daily transactions.
Superficial Social Media Interactions
While many of us have come around to the idea of communicating online, that doesn’t stop us from getting fed up with the superficiality and strangeness of social media. Many 60+ year-olds much prefer real, face-to-face connections over spending hours in the online world. Perhaps this is why older adults tend to have higher-quality relationships, as reported by the National Library of Medicine.
Overly Complicated Technology
Why can’t we just keep things simple? So much technology these days seems to be overly complicated and hard to understand, for no good reason. At 60, we usually just want to use simple technology that enriches our lives without causing hours of frustration.
Noise and Crowds
After years of working hard and getting through life’s many challenges, we deserve some peace and quiet. It’s no surprise, then, that many of us simply don’t have any more patience for noisy neighbors, bustling crowds, or overwhelming environments.
Wasted Time on Unimportant Tasks
No more time-wasting, please! We want to spend the last few decades of our lives on things and people that mean the most to us, and useless tasks and distractions get in the way of prioritizing things that truly matter.
Unnecessary Drama and Negativity
Like time-wasting tasks, unnecessary drama and negativity can prevent us from living our lives to the fullest. Instead, those over 60 often prefer to adopt an optimistic attitude and surround themselves with those who do the same.
Inflexible Routines and Habits
What’s life without a little spontaneity? Many of us are bored with the humdrum of everyday life and are ready for a little more excitement. Because of this, a lot of 60+ year-olds let go of their rigid schedules and embrace new experiences such as travel and stimulating hobbies.
Disrespect for Experience and Wisdom
It’s a sad fact that many people in our society still don’t show their elders the respect they deserve. While age alone does not make one worthy of respect, many older adults have a lifetime of valuable experience and wisdom to share with the younger generations.
One-Sided Conversations
In our older age, we typically seek reciprocal conversations where each participant actively listens to the other. Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t seem to share this perspective, preferring to hear the sound of their own voice and disregarding the opinions of others. GoodTherapy states that one-sided conversations can actually decrease cognitive function, so it’s about time we left them behind.
Settling for Mediocrity
It’s a common misconception that aging means lowering one’s standards and capabilities. People over 60 often up their game in pursuing excellence and learning new skills to keep their minds active and agile. After all, it’s important to maintain a sense of motivation and ambition at any age.
Tolerance for Poor Service
We increasingly value our time as we get older. So subpar customer service and care simply won’t cut it anymore for many of us. What’s more, according to the Institute of Customer Service, over 1 million people have received poor customer service because of their age. As such, we will often be more choosy in the businesses we decide to spend our time and money on.
Accepting Unsolicited Advice
Too many people seem to have not received the memo that unsolicited advice is rarely well received. While we may have been more willing to politely accept these comments in our younger days, we have less time and patience for unsolicited opinions as we age.
Being Overcommitted
In our 60s, it’s important to spend our time and energy wisely and on things that really matter to us. Because of this, many of us finally learn to say no to requests that do not serve us and will drain more energy than they’re worth.
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