SUCCESS
3 Amazing Senior Stories: No, You’re Not Too Old To Succeed
After you read this, you will feel incredibly inspired
Are you feeling your age? Believe it or not, there are many amazing seniors still out there working and succeeding at a late age.
Take a look at these three examples and see for yourself…
At 99, Professor John B. Goodenough is doing research on sustainable battery storage
Professor John B. Goodenough is an American materials and chemistry scientist. Born in 1922, he spent nearly four decades in the lab before announcing a major breakthrough in 1979, at age 57. His discovery was none other than the rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which powers our laptops, cell phones, and electric vehicles.
In 1986, the University of Oxford retired him, as Great Britain has a legal age for retirement. This did not please Professor Goodenough as he had so much passion for his work. Fortunately, the University of Texas in Austin was happy to hire him. Since then, he continued his work on sustainable battery storage. And in 2017, he did another breakthrough, with a promising solid-state design that could power our next-generation batteries.
In 2019, he received the Nobel prize alongside M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino for their work in developing the lithium-ion battery. During the ceremony, Professor Goodenough was nicknamed the “laughing laureate”. This is apparently one of his secrets for his longevity, as John Goodenough laughs all the time and he says it’s good for your health.
More importantly, Goodenough has a strong purpose: making batteries more efficient. As he simply puts it: “There’s work to be done, so I continue”.
You can learn more about John B. Goodenough in this short video: John Goodenough — Changing the World
At 94, Mohunlall Ramsurn repairs bicycles
After exploring the life of a great scientific mind, let’s talk about a manual worker from Mauritius, the place where I am living right now. Mohunlall Ramsurn is the tenant of a bicycle workshop called “General Cycle Works” in St Paul. He has been working as a bike repairman for more than 70 years and at 94 years old, he is not even close to retirement!
In fact, Mohunlall Ramsurn has become a local celebrity in his local area. His workshop is not just a place to repair bicycles, but also a social community where people come to talk, laugh, and share their knowledge.
If you visit Mohunlall Ramsurn in his workshop one day, you’ll think you are in a bicycle museum. Ramsurn first opened his workshop in 1946 and has an extensive collection of tools, including a manual piercing machine from the 40s. He is also proud of a fully functional 1952 bicycle: the parts are still original and he intends to keep it that way.
According to Mohunlall Ramsurn, the number of cyclists has decreased in the past years. Now, people especially come to repair their bike on Christmas and the holidays. But he is still confident this is a profession of the future. Right now, the traffic is very dense in Mauritius roads. So in a couple of years, people will prefer to move by bicycle.
Just as Professor Goodenough, Mr Ramsurn especially enjoys a work well done. As he says: “You need patience, courage and love to do this work”.
You can lean more about Mohunlall Ramsurn in this short video: Nos Aînés — Episode 01 Mohunlall Ramsurn (in Mauretian kreol).
At 86, Anna Pesce got rid of her hunchback
Now let’s finish with a great story I found while doing research for my article on good posture. At 85 years old, Anna Pesce suffered from back pain and a hunchback posture. The pain was so intense that she had to be carried up the stairs and put into a wheelchair while visiting her children in Wagener, SC. In fact, she had been struggling for decades with a hunchback posture, with no end in sight.
When facing a senior with a serious handicap, it’s easy to feel helpless. You think nothing can be done, or that only very small progress can be achieved with tremendous work. But that was not the reaction of certified yoga instructor Rachel Jesien, who also specializes in back care. Jesien started to visit Pesce once a week, and taught Pesce restorative poses and stretches. After one month, Pesce was able to walk again. Then, month after month, Pesce was able to do more and more complex yoga positions.
In the end, I was very surprised with the photos of her posture. Of course, this doesn’t mean you can bypass the advice from a physical therapist, so be careful with what you do if you want to follow the same route. But this tells a very positive message to anybody seeking to improve their posture, at any age.
Here’s the link to the full article: How she got rid of her hunchback
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I hope you enjoyed those 3 stories. It’s always great to see people pushing their limits, especially at this age!
Personally, I find these three seniors incredibly inspiring. They are living proof that age is just a number and there is no such thing as being too old to succeed.
So what are you waiting for? Go out and achieve your dreams!
On February 1st, 2022, I’ve embarked on a 100 days writing challenge. This is post number 57.
