--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are several ways to mess up your…" description: "\"There are several ways to mess up your life by fighting to make your calendar age match your felt age. I live in the Southwest, a part of the country w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b88/martha-beck-961_age_there-are-several-ways-to-mess-up-your-l_585204.png" --- # There are several ways to mess up your life by fighting to… ![“There are several ways to mess up your life by fighting to make your calendar age match your felt age. I live in the Southwest, a part of the country with more than its share of fair skies, material wealth, and people who are trying not to be as old as they are.” quote by Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b88/martha-beck-961_age_there-are-several-ways-to-mess-up-your-l_585204.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b88/martha-beck-961_age_there-are-several-ways-to-mess-up-your-l_585204.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b88/martha-beck-961_age_there-are-several-ways-to-mess-up-your-l_585204.png) > “There are several ways to mess up your life by fighting to make your calendar age match your felt age. I live in the Southwest, a part of the country with more than its share of fair skies, material wealth, and people who are trying not to be as old as they are.” [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Trying to match your calendar age to your felt age leads to misaligned life choices. **In simple terms:** Don’t force your life to fit a timeline. Key Takeaway Live authentically, not by age. Themes authenticity age life‑design Mood thoughtful encouraging Type self‑help philosophical When to use this quote - career planning - personal growth - health decisions Key Concepts psychology social expectations Questions to Reflect On - How does your felt age differ from your calendar age? - What steps help you honor your true self? A Different Perspective Age can be a useful guide for some. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Fair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fair/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Material wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/material-wealth/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Skies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skies/) [Southwest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/southwest/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/) ## Related quotes > [I'm looking, often, towards younger people, listening to how they're working, at least they're trying, and some of the old greats, too. Just to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hedges/i-m-looking-often-towards-younger-people-listening-to-how-they-re/) [Peter Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hedges/) > [I do not really think about age. I am just sort of trying to get as much done before I get old and can't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-bostick/i-do-not-really-think-about-age-i-am-just-sort-of-trying-to-get-as/) [Devon Bostick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-bostick/) > [“... if I'm sure I'm right, there is little hope of seeing where I am failing. So I keep trying the same old things-”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arbinger-institute/if-i-m-sure-i-m-right-there-is-little-hope-of-seeing-where-i-am/) [Arbinger Institute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arbinger-institute/) > [I've always felt that age is just a number - it's not how old or how young you are, it's how you conduct yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-horner/i-ve-always-felt-that-age-is-just-a-number-it-s-not-how-old-or-how/) [Christian Horner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-horner/) > [I felt suddenly very young - or perhaps I felt my age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/i-felt-suddenly-very-young-or-perhaps-i-felt-my-age/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [“She felt herself age suddenly, but also knew what she now desired: to reconcile and grow old in peace, and have the wit to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/she-felt-herself-age-suddenly-but-also-knew-what-she-now-desired-to/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [“I felt suddenly very young - or perhaps I felt my age: an almost childlike twenty-two, rather than that permanent middle-age that attaches itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/i-felt-suddenly-very-young-or-perhaps-i-felt-my-age-an-almost/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [I always felt you could age with style and grace, or you could age in denial and hold on to issues and never push…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kali-uchis/i-always-felt-you-could-age-with-style-and-grace-or-you-could-age-in/) [Kali Uchis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kali-uchis/) > [I started writing songs at 14 about things I was living at school, and the things I felt at that age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalia-lafourcade/i-started-writing-songs-at-14-about-things-i-was-living-at-school-and/) [Natalia Lafourcade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalia-lafourcade/) > [Tantric Zen is more suited for this age that we live in. It give you rules, but in a gentle way. It's not as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/tantric-zen-is-more-suited-for-this-age-that-we-live-in-it-give-you/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We do not gain or surrender our personhood as we age. We live one life from conception to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-knowles/we-do-not-gain-or-surrender-our-personhood-as-we-age-we-live-one-life/) [Michael J. Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-knowles/) > [“Don't squander the gold of your days, listening to the tedious, trying to improve the hopeless failure, or giving away your life to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/don-t-squander-the-gold-of-your-days-listening-to-the-tedious-trying/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Ah! realize your youth while you have it. Don’t squander the gold of your days, listening to the tedious, trying to improve the hopeless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/ah-realize-your-youth-while-you-have-it-don-t-squander-the-gold-of/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [What an exciting age it is we live in With all this talk about the hope of youth And nothing made of youth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/what-an-exciting-age-it-is-we-live-in-with-all-this-talk-about-the/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [If we are to survive the Atomic Age, we must have something to live by, to live on, and to live for. We must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-p-kretzmann/if-we-are-to-survive-the-atomic-age-we-must-have-something-to-live-by/) O. P. Kretzmann ## More by Martha Beck > [Imagine what you'd do if it absolutely didn't matter what people thought of you. Got it? Good. Never go back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/imagine-what-you-d-do-if-it-absolutely-didn-t-matter-what-people/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [In one century, we've added 28 years to our average life span - a change so rapid that our brains couldn't possibly have evolved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/in-one-century-we-ve-added-28-years-to-our-average-life-span-a-change/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [If I tell a man he needs to quit his soul-sucking job, he has to go home and fight with his wife or fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/if-i-tell-a-man-he-needs-to-quit-his-soul-sucking-job-he-has-to-go/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [I was learning to track rhinoceroses in Africa and tracked right up on an animal that really I thought was going to kill me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/i-was-learning-to-track-rhinoceroses-in-africa-and-tracked-right-up/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [There has never been, and never will be, anyone who sees, thinks, or responds exactly the way you do. Whether you’re revolutionizing physics or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/there-has-never-been-and-never-will-be-anyone-who-sees-thinks-or/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Loneliness is proof that your innate search for connection is intact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/loneliness-is-proof-that-your-innate-search-for-connection-is-intact/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Most of my clients don't realize that the way they look and the way they think about their looks are two separate issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/most-of-my-clients-don-t-realize-that-the-way-they-look-and-the-way/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [The power to bring me out of solitude - or to push me back into it - had never belonged to another person. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/the-power-to-bring-me-out-of-solitude-or-to-push-me-back-into-it-had/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Learning to quit while you're not ahead, when the dull ooze of depression tells you things are not going to get any better, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/learning-to-quit-while-you-re-not-ahead-when-the-dull-ooze-of/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [The important thing is to tell yourself a life story in which you, the hero, are primarily a problem solver rather than a helpless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/the-important-thing-is-to-tell-yourself-a-life-story-in-which-you-the/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [A joyful life isn’t about others; it’s about the brightness that is associated with being alive. Your path to it is through anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/a-joyful-life-isn-t-about-others-it-s-about-the-brightness-that-is/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Fear is the raw material from which courage is manufactured. Without it, we wouldn't even know what it means to be brave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/fear-is-the-raw-material-from-which-courage-is-manufactured-without/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Many people think passion is a fuzzy feeling that makes taking action effortless. In fact, it's the gritty courage and tenacity to forge onward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/many-people-think-passion-is-a-fuzzy-feeling-that-makes-taking-action/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Angels come in many shapes and sizes, and most of them are not invisible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/angels-come-in-many-shapes-and-sizes-and-most-of-them-are-not/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Truth itself is something you live, not something you think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/truth-itself-is-something-you-live-not-something-you-think/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) [Explore all 318 Martha Beck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There are several ways to mess up your life by fighting to make your calendar age match your felt age. I live in the Southwest, a part of the country with more than its share of fair skies, material wealth, and people who are trying not to be as old as they are.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Martha Beck" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/there-are-several-ways-to-mess-up-your-life-by-fighting-to-make-your/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Age" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/there-are-several-ways-to-mess-up-your-life-by-fighting-to-make-your/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b88/martha-beck-961_age_there-are-several-ways-to-mess-up-your-l_585204.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b88/martha-beck-961_age_there-are-several-ways-to-mess-up-your-l_585204.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b88/martha-beck-961_age_there-are-several-ways-to-mess-up-your-l_585204.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There are several ways to mess up your life by fighting to make your calendar age match your felt age. I…” — Martha Beck", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Martha Beck", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There are several ways to mess...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/there-are-several-ways-to-mess-up-your-life-by-fighting-to-make-your/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/there-are-several-ways-to-mess-up-your-life-by-fighting-to-make-your/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```