When I think about it, and I have been, I like growing old. Or, rather, I like the older me.
Growing old will eventually kill me (unless something else does first). So that's the downside!
But I think I've been able to leverage the experience of my own as well as others' mistakes to fix some things about how I live the time I have left. For example I've come to realize:
- There are parts of my mental and physical health I need to prioritize, and do so. But also that doing so is itself an improvement; it's a form of self-respect.
- Others won't care about or even notice any of those things. They have their own shit to think about. No one gives a shit about what I do, my personal triumphs or achievements, no matter how hard-earned they are.
- I'm okay with that. They have their own lives to look after, and should.
These things were by no means trivial for me to internalize. It was, at times, difficult to even realize that I had agency in changing things about myself on any level rather than to accept who I was.
Be yourself and be comfortable in your own skin are perfectly good pieces of advice but they shouldn't limit the potential of who I can become - as long as I want to.