A good friend of mine – he’s 56 – has an odd habit. Whenever he receives a solicitation letter from Association for that Advancement of Retired Persons, he switches into a minor tizzy. The mission of the association is always to benefit seniors in a number of ways, whilst serving as a powerful lobbying force.

I’m not really a big fan of lobbyists generally – even though they have my favorite interests in your mind – since i think the complete lobbying thing is one of the reasons why our government is broken as badly because it is. So this isn’t an ad or a suggestion to become listed on this association. But it’s an important part of my story, so I’ll continue.

Back to my friend – let’s call him up Ken. When Ken gets a mailer from this group, like I said, he gets visibly upset. He invariably tears the envelope to shreds, without even opening it. This whole action is performed with a little more drama, a bit more emotion, than one would typically use to eliminate what we know as junk mail.

The first time I witnessed this little act, I used to be more than a little surprised. "What was that all about?" Specialists him. "It was only junk mail, right?"

Ken wrinkled his brow and shook his head. "Yeah, from that retired persons group," he snarled. "I am not retired. I’m 56. I possess a business and run 15 miles a week. I work out everyday. I’m healthy being an ox. I do not need to join an organization for elderly retired persons."

Ok, so maybe their name might be a misleading – the Association for the Advancement of Retired Persons is actually for anyone 50. But I found Ken’s point interesting, for reasons beyond the organization’s name.

Ken’s point – and it’s really a valid one – is always that he’s not ready to be labeled as a senior citizen, and definitely not as a retired one. Neither shall we be held.

I have another friend, let’s call her Betty. She went along to the movies with her daughter that is 24. Once the child stepped to the ticket window – the outing was her treat – she said, "One adult, one senior." The ticket clerk issued both tickets, with no hassle.

Betty was appalled. "I’m 51," she said. "Senior discounts are for people 65 and also over."

"Don’t worry, Mom, they never check," her daughter replied. "And every buck adds up."

Betty needless to say now knows that she can pass to be 65, 13 years in advance. Ouch.

My point though is that this. Apart from qualifying for any retirement association and movie discounts, age on your driving license is meaningless. You might be as old when you feel. Actually, and even more importantly, you are as old as you let yourself feel.

Granted, our knees might be a bit creaky within the mornings, and sometimes we might run out of steam quicker than we did Two decades ago. But don’t let tiny problems like that reprogram your overall understanding of who you are – or your skill.

I really believe that to be young, you first need to think young.

Age Calculator, really? It’s time to start great deal of thought. You might find that you are a lot younger than your license says you might be.