Greta Silver Its age that rocks

[Music]

i did something magical when i was young

without knowing how it would change my

life

but my subconscious knew better and took

note picture is summer day it was

grandma’s birthday

i was 17 with a ponytail and petticoat

i was standing between my cabins on the

lawn behind grandma’s lilac

and lee secretly whispered is my sick

she looks so fit why did she invite to

her final birthday at 76

that’s nonsense was my eldest cousin’s

answer no one knows when he’s going to

die but i felt so sorry for grandma

how terrible to think this was her last

birthday

i stood bold upright and made the

decision i’m not going to be

like grandma today i decide i’m going to

live until i’m 120

and if i have to go at 100 that’s also

okay too

grandma celebrated 10 times her last

birthday

it wasn’t until i was over 50 that i was

asked

why aren’t you afraid of being old

i realized i was too young for such

thoughts

i’m going to be 120 years old

i had eternal life that fact i really

couldn’t recommend it

i tell you something i’m 72 and i know

it

it’s so great being old old age is like

being young but better

but even if we rely on normal

statistical figures

the age between 60 and 90 is just as

long as between 30 and 60.

we get the same life package again but

this time without stress

no sleepless nights because one of our

children is sick or we are worried about

our

jobs our finances or whatever else may

tormented us back

this is a time to make our dreams come

true we didn’t have time for at a young

age

we have an incredible life experience we

like everyone

have gone through defeats and crisis yes

we have suffered

but we have learned from them it’s like

a footballer

when does he go off the pitch victorious

and say wow i cracked it

it’s not when the opponent’s

respectfully moved out of his way and

the goalkeeper says here’s your goal

no it’s when he’s worked hard for it

when he’s earned it

that’s like we have done it in our life

too

we had to fight our way through that has

made us strong

this yeah it’s like a trampoline

it gives us wings it’s our normal

basic emotional income

that no one can can take away

the images of age in our heads are more

likely to hinder us and to help us

when i volunteer to mentor music

students and prepare them for what to

expect when they

give concerts in my retirement home i

shock them

by saying that is the generation that

invented your mobile phone

it is a generation that worked hard for

the german economic miracle

and by the way it’s also the generation

that flew to the moon

we are also unaware of this even the old

people aren’t aware of this

we snap the book shut when we need a

rota

there’s no point of starting anything

new hounds our thoughts

the stair lift goes directly into the

coffin in our head

but it’s like a ferrari that goes from a

to b and the standard goes from top to

bottom and nothing else

we always needed herpes we didn’t moan

at a young age oh how terrible

now i can’t wash the laundry by hand

anymore now i need a washing machine

even a young man at a 30 ever hardly

compares himself to the

20 year old boy he used to be

he gained a lot of experience he could

be proud of

if we want to live the second phase of

life with the same intensity

like we lived and loved at 30

when then age is a startup company then

we throw ourselves into it again

and don’t just mark time

before it was duty now it’s freestyle

can rocks more than have to

i was 30 when i had explosive thoughts

i asked myself the question who is

responsible for my happiness

and what do i need for my happiness i

absolutely needed children

for a fulfilling life but they didn’t

turn up for three years

did i really want to put the

responsibility

for my happiness on the tender shoulders

of my children

i’ve made a fascinating discovery

i had made secret contracts behind the

backs of people who didn’t know anything

about it

i’ve made them responsible for my

happiness and blamed them for my

misfortune

according to the principle if my boss

were nicer and my partner more loving

then i would be happy

but they didn’t get it no one stood

there in the morning

asked what shall i put into your diary

today what do you need for your

happiness today

next week next month no

i had to do it myself

i probably got this from childhood

when my parents had time for me and my

sisters let me play along then i was

happy

and if they didn’t i thought they were

stupid and i was sad

but you can’t transfer this into adult

life

we alone are responsible for our

happiness and that is

pure freedom

no longer being dependent on situations

or

people gives us wings

it turned out that the others had closed

such deals with me behind my back

i had to be responsible for their

happiness that is the first thing i had

to change

as a small harmless example my husband

came home in the evening with a terrible

headache and i asked that you have

enough to drink today

i didn’t get around to it i had so much

on my plate today

so who do you think went into the

kitchen and fetched the water

when i said at one point darling i think

you are old enough now

to take the responsibility for your

headache and hydration he said

you can’t be serious

the language between the secret agents

aims to give the

other a bad conscience you can’t let me

down now or

among colleagues if you don’t have time

now then we can

then we can just forget the whole

project

and then we let ourselves be beaten

again and get angry with ourselves for

not saying no

i must admit i wasn’t any better at that

time either

when i asked my husband if he wanted to

go

on a bike ride with me and he answered

he would rather watch formula one

i sat down next to him and moaned but it

would have been good for you

you’ve been sitting in the office all

week

according to the principal if you want

to watch tv that’s fine but only with a

bit conscious

what is that about

is his way of having a good time

and filling up his happiness tank that’s

perfectly fine

i can go on a bike ride myself and

nowadays i feel blessed going to the

opera alone and no one’s

sitting next to me struggling to stay

awake

now the thought that being responsible

for your own happiness has something to

do with selfishness may have made a

brief appearance

i also belong to such type of person who

is familiar with sentences like

don’t think so highly about yourself

don’t make yourself the center of

attention

but it’s far removed from being selfish

we alone have the responsibility for our

happiness

only if we are doing well we can be

there for others

if we just imagine completely exhausted

parents of young children or elderly

people caring for their partner

we know very well how little energy is

left for loving care

but when our happiness tank is full we

can set the world on fire

then life can flow again so in my

opinion

not caring for ourselves is failure to

render assistance

it’s like in the plane only when we put

on

ourselves the oxygen mask then we can be

there for others

first i had to learn what has

what personal responsibility has to do

with sustainability

i have the incredible privilege of

having a film about me

on the united nation platform called

sustainability

how other countries deal with age my

first bestseller

invited me to the talk shows and got me

this request

i immediately understood the second line

how other countries deal with age

but what had to do with sustainability

okay the federal ministry of education

and research

hits the nail on the head by saying

sustainability means living today

in such a way that i can live well also

in the future

just like the people around me and the

future generations

what does it mean when we look at the

resource of life

it’s limited we know that

how is but what is my responsibility

okay nutrition sport exercise

at a young age as well as at my age

that keeps my body going but how about

my emotion

from the point of view of sustainability

continuous whining is an environmental

burden

it doesn’t just get me down but also my

environment

and also my children are we always aware

of this

of course we sometimes have to mourn but

using this as a dating platform to find

kindred spirits it’s dangerous

when i moan about my boss or my

colleagues i immediately find a lies and

sympathy

but on this platform are only why enough

that put each other down

so why am i doing this

do i want more tender loving care more

helpfulness recognition the price is

high

we all want to stay together with

positive inspiring people

so this could lead to loneliness

how i will live in the future is also

determined by my thinking

yes our head is a pivotal point from

where we can test the course

let’s have a closer look brain research

can prove something we have known

already for a long time

no matter what you think you are going

to be right henry ford said

nowadays research says

your brain will do everything it can to

make you right

what a dangerous thing if we don’t use

it correctly

if you’re saying age is

terrible then your brain will show you

everything

to support you everything that fits your

perception

and your actions are guided by your

thoughts and hey you are right

but the small change in the direction of

your thoughts

will direct you to a positive future if

you are

looking forward to an exciting future if

you are curious about all the beautiful

things that want to be created

then your brain will support you

it will show you everything

that fits your perceptions that

will change your actions and thus your

life positively let you make bolder

decisions and much more

brain research knows that our brain

works like a google search engine

it pre-sorts when i’m only on the net to

closely follow disasters

or listen to music

then the search term of christmas will

find me

burning houses due to burning christmas

trees whereas

someone else can listen to beautiful

christmas music

but my life my life gave me another

chance to understand

how important my thoughts are i was 27

when my husband and i decided now it was

time for a baby

but they didn’t get up for three years

when my husband and i asked ourselves

if we could love an adopted child as

much as our own

we answered yes with all our hearts

and now i don’t need to tell you the

rest

the next month i was pregnant of course

i was happy about the pregnancy

but i also got a major shock

did i really change processes in my body

with my thoughts

it was clear to me i had to become the

boss in my head

i called the headline hanging above my

desk salt’s discipline

we don’t have to think what it what’s in

our minds

that brings likeness to life that makes

us free

how did light lightness come into my

life i just went through it now

high school graduation and that was it

17 years of being a housewife with a

mother of three children with a husband

dog and house and making jam

that was a time when i learned

i had to find happiness in the small

everyday things

otherwise i would have gone crazy at the

age of 48 i set up my

my own furnishing business

from houseboats holiday homes all the

way up to a four-star hotel

and that was a time when i learned

ignorance as an

advantage due to the size of my

project i was able to design furniture

myself and furniture manufacturer

wanted to make it but they thought it

wasn’t possible

and it wasn’t until step by step we

looked at where they would have to

compromise

and it turned out it was possible after

all they had limits in their heads

which i didn’t have

ignorance creates possibilities

and that made it even easier for me to

take on project i had no idea about and

i still do that today

i worked as a freelance journalist i had

my own

pr agency and later on i developed

unusual congresses

with 6e i became a model and with 66

when

others retire i went online and set up

my own youtube channel where i tell the

world how great it is to be old

and what we can do ourselves to create

more likeness in life

just look at the last two years two

speaker magazine

bestsellers brought me the invitation

for the talk shows

and the united nations made a film about

me as i told you already

i became a podcaster i stood as speaker

on stages i wrote columns

and yes i opened up the economic market

for the best seller

for the best ages sorry which were

previously only been full of

rubber stockings and magnesium

thanks to my magical decision when i was

young

i’m now in the hay day of my life at the

age of 72.

when i was 30 40 50 no one could have

guessed

what talents wanted to come to life and

i

throw this ball to you now there is so

much that needs to be left

the world needs people like you expect

the best of life

you are entitled to it live your fullest

version

like you order your car with all the

extras

you