Successful People Who Are Younger Than You
That’s a picture of Alexander the Great — it will make sense in just a minute, bear with me :)
This post is inspired by the question that /u/kevindtran asked on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskMen/comments/hnbz4w/how_do_you_deal_with_the_fact_that_there_are/
He asks the question: “How do you deal with the fact that there are people younger than you that are more successful than you? I just turned 20 and feel like I’m not amounting to anything in life, just because there are people in the NBA, NFL, MLB, etc. my age and younger.”
I think this is now more relevant than ever because I just turned 30, so the days of being “the youngest person in the room” or the “young guy” are really starting to taper off a bit (not to mention, the PRs at the gym are getting harder. Anyway, let’s just pick this apart and get to the root cause of the issue. I covered this topic of comparing yourself to others here: https://www.houseofpullups.com/blog/stop-comparing-yourself-to-others, and I think that’s super relevant to this discussion, but let’s talk about the age aspect a bit.
1) Stop feeling bad about feeling this way. Many people feel this way at some point or another. It’s just a fact. So stop beating yourself up over it and work on the solution. Don’t believe me? Well, take Julis Caeser as an example. When Caeser was 32 years old, he saw a statue of Alexander the Great. Want to know what he said? “I have not just cause to weep, when I consider that Alexander at my age had conquered so many nations, and I have all this time done nothing that is memorable?” (https://tenyearreadinglist.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/next-time-plutarch’s-caesar-why-did-he-cry-over-alexander/). I don’t know of a single person who doesn’t know who Julius Caeser was, so don’t feel bad — if Caeser felt it, it’s okay for you to feel it too (a couple of thousand years later).
2) We’re all getting older. Period. And with that in mind, future generations just simply get more efficient and smarter than previous generations. I learned how to use a smart phone in my early twenties. My nieces who are 7 and 5 can use them just fine. If we apply this to fitness, take a look at the sprinters over time graphic below. On the far left, you see the world class sprinter from 1896. On the far right, you see the Usain Bolt and other modern sprinters. We’ve improved over time — period, and it’s something that will take place no matter what…and this is a good thing. We should want to improve and become a better society over time, and make things better for future generations.
3) Realize that this is probably a problem with insecurity. I’m going to call Julis Caeser out on this — he was insecure when he saw the statue of Alexander. He wasn’t comfortable with his achievements (or lack thereof). Same with the user in the reddit post, and same with me whenever I start beating myself up over the success of others who are younger than me. It’s all insecurity. Understanding the root cause of any problem is necessary to resolving it — so acknowledge that this is a symptom of insecurity.
4) Don’t forget your own gifts and that there is one thing in the world that you will always be the best at. This is the last one on the list, but it’s still incredibly important, and the one that will help you combat this. Look in the mirror and realize that there are things that you have that nobody else in this world has, or ever had. You yourself are unique in your own way — you friends, your family, you health — these are all gifts that should be cherished. Also, the thoughts you have had in your life, your personality, your interests, etc. All of that sums up into one unique being on this planet, and there is nobody who is better at being you than you, and that is a also gift. You don’t want to be Lebron James, you don’t want to be Julis Caeser (though that would be pretty cool to see what things were like back then, not going to lie), you want to be YOU. You’re the best at being you, and nobody will ever be able to take that away from you.
So, I don’t think I need to take time explaining how this applies to the gym and fitness, but whether you start working out at 20 or 40, it doesn’t matter — just get in there, enjoy yourself, and stop comparing yourself to others, especially those who are younger than you :)
Reach out if you have any questions.
-Shane
