Today, I turn 65. Senior citizen status unlocked! I’m on Medicare. Holy S$%T!.
I’ve spent a good chunk of the past few years thinking about this day and what it might feel like. Would I feel old? Would the number on my next birthday change the way I see myself, or the way the world sees me?
So, do I feel old?
The honest answer is a loud NO.
Sure, I’m 65 years old. But let’s talk numbers.
My VO2 Max, the number that measures aerobic fitness, is 60. Not only is that literally “off the charts” for my age, it smokes just about anyone at any age. For a man in the 20–29 age range (forty years younger than me), a VO2 Max of 60 ranks in the 90th percentile. For my own age bracket, the highest the chart even bothers to list is 43, a 65-year-old like me with a VO2 Max of 60 isn’t even on the chart.
I’m a grandfather. But try keeping up: I can bang out 16 pull-ups without stopping, swim two miles in the pool in under an hour, and hit the Lindy Hop dance floor for hours.
So, let’s just say “old” is not how this body acts.
Am I too old?
I don’t think so.
I launched my marketing career back in the late 1980s, before the World Wide Web. These days, sure, plenty of young marketers out there know more about gaming the social media algorithms or than I do. That's fine.
I’m not stuck in the past. I’m still innovating, still learning, and still contributing. I sit on advisory boards and directorships of several AI companies.
My new book, The Fandom Playbook, lands from Entrepreneur Press this October. I’m still getting invited to speak at events all over the world.
Here’s what decades in marketing (and a willingness to stay curious) have taught me: experience combined with a grasp of the newest tools has massive value that no algorithm can substitute.
Is it weird being 65?
Honestly, yes. It’s a milestone for sure, and it is a little freaky. I bought a senior discount ticket to a movie for this weekend!
So yes, even with all this fitness, energy, and professional excitement, I do know that there’s less time ahead than behind. But what a gift that is. That awareness motivates me to live well, and to keep doing work that matters.
So here I am at 65. I'm technically “old,” but I’m nowhere near done. I’m not slowing down. If you think you can catch me, lace up your shoes. The race is still on.
Photos by my friend, the talented Evan Perkins
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