Dara Torres not only won medals but left us with an inspiring message
While I was, of course, excited to see Michael Phelps take 8 gold medals and set several Olympic records, I was even more impressed by 41 year-old Dara Torres and her refusal to let age stop her from competing in a sport where her competition was as young as 16.
When asked what she would tell her daughter, now two, when she grows up, she replied “You don’t have to put an age limit on your dreams.”
In keeping with that theme, the story below is an excerpt from my first book.
Do It Now
Recently, someone said to me “Yeah but I’m too old.” It saddens me to hear such comments especially in light of some of the facts below:
- Verdi composed his “Ave Maria” at age 85.
- Martha Graham performed until she was 75 and choreographed her 180th work at age 95.
- Michelangelo was carving the Rondanini Pieta six days before he died at 89.
- Marion Hart, sportswoman and author, learned to fly at age 54 and made seven nonstop solo flights across the Atlantic, the last time in 1975 at age 83.
- Grandma Moses had her first one–woman show when she was 80.
If you think you are too old to do something you’ve always wanted to do, you may want to reconsider and just go for it! Complete the following exercise:
What is the one thing you have always wanted to do but have been putting off?
Ask yourself: “If not now, when?”
What is your cut–off date for doing it ____________.
A woman once walked up to Wally (Famous) Amos after a talk he had given and remarked, “I’m fifty one now. If I go to law school I will be fifty five, in four years when I graduate.” Amos replied, “How old will you be in four years if you don’t go?”
Handbook to a Happier Life
Excerpt from Handbook To A Happier Life– A Simple Guide To Creating The Life You’ve Always Wanted, by Jim Donovan (New World Library)
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Tags: dara torres, gold medals, michael phelps, michelangelo, new world library, olympic records, wally famous amosPosted in
