When will I feel my age? Scratch that… Do I want to feel my age?

I’ve always found age and aging a bit of an odd concept. You start life wishing away the years, even counting the half years then you get to a point and OH MY GOD, stop, please stop…. What do you mean another one, it’s been like 2 seconds!!!?

Bringing work into the equation, I spent the first 10 years of my career always having a boss, who was older, it’s easy as a younger person to drop into that parent/child relationship, a form of respect tends to apply instantly.

I happened upon my first younger boss when I moved to the bar/restaurant industry. It’s not something that I knew when taking on the role, in fact I don’t think I discovered till a year or so in, it was an unexpected surprise!

It struck me as a bit odd… Like, I should be your boss…? No…? Is that not how it works…? Seriously I’ve been on this earth longer! How’d you make General Manager?! Does this then change our relationship??

No.

I’d merely just moved into the industry as a bar tender due to surprise redundancy, in my late 20s, aside from a short time as a part time waitress in my teens I had nothing, he had years on me (just not literally). The other thing he did was his job well, respect was immediate and without question. Though I do question if this affected me subconsciously as I had his job a couple of years later.

Since then, I’ve had a mix, some younger, some older. To date there’s only been one I haven’t respected, I’ll be polite and say we had creative differences! My current boss, younger, is teaching me immense amounts, respects me and my opinion and is a general all-round awesome person. And she isn’t alone in the history of my bosses, I’ve been lucky.

And going back to being 42, got a bit side-tracked there!

Do I have to feel my age? (aside from my other half also being 42, bum bum!) I’m responsible for him, an 8 year old, 2 cats, 3 shrimp, a house that comes with a fat mortgage, very recently a 20yr old apprentice of which I could be her mother!!! Yet, I don’t feel like I’m anywhere near ‘adulting’. I’m also learning some new words; you could say this blog is ‘lit’!?

I like to mess around, have a laugh. I get serious when necessary but try to avoid it. Responsibility rears its head now and again, when it does, deal.

I feel my outlook on life helps me to relate, in my role I deal with everyone from Admin to MD. It’s necessary for me to be approachable and to handle any situation that’s thrown at me.

As a child you are always told ‘respect your elders’.

Should you?

To a point yes. But as I’ve grown up, I’ve realised respect, though it should be a given to a certain point, it can be lost on the flip of a coin, it is always something that needs to be earned and maintained. This applies not only to your elders but to everyone especially those in positions of power.

I’m continuously conscious to drive myself and earn respect from people. Younger, older, regardless of who they are, the job or situation.

So, what am I trying to say….?

Be the age you want to be, just don’t be a…