You Can't Teach an Old Dog New Tricks and Other BS I've Believed

It's Not Too Late Part 1

If you’ve ever wondered, “Is it too late for me to...” the answer’s NO and The Uplifters is about to show you why. This space is for purpose-driven women who want to do big, brave things in the second half of their lives.

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I’m kicking off a series here over the next few weeks with one goal: proving to you, one stubborn assumption at a time, that it’s not too late to do big, brave things.

Part 1: You Can’t teach an Old Dog New Tricks.

We adopted a middle-aged dog just before the pandemic. We called him Arlo, because with his fluffy white hair and serious face, he looks like an old man, namely the musician Arlo Guthrie. His legs are short and stocky like the rest of our family. He fit right in.

I’d never had a dog or been responsible for one, so I just assumed that the adage about teaching old dogs new tricks meant our dog was incapable of change and our job was simply to learn to adjust to the quirks he’d developed over a very tough early life. I’m embarrassed to admit that I didn’t bother to do even 10 seconds of research to confirm my assumption was true. I just went with it.

Then one day a few years in, my teenage daughter decided to teach him to sit. He caught on so quickly that she showed him other “tricks.” It only took a few hours before he was sitting and staying and even fetching. It turns out that dogs never stop learning. In fact, older dogs often have longer attention spans and are less easily distracted than energetic puppies, making them excellent students.

Of course, if you’re reading this, you’re not a dog (though if a dog is reading this, please, please reach out). So, is it too late for us humans to learn new things? Nope.

Neuroscience has proven that our brains retain their neuroplasticity — the ability to form new neural connections, build new skills, and rewire existing patterns — throughout our entire lives. We do not have a fixed, finite window for learning. But, it is vital that we believe in our ability to learn new tricks. A three-month study of older adults who simultaneously learned photography, Spanish, and drawing found that a growth mindset, believing that they could learn new skills, led to greater cognitive gains than believing they were stuck with the skills they had. Just as with Arlo, our old dog assumptions about our capabilities for learning and growth can stop us before we even get started.

I find it incredibly inspiring to hear about skills that people have learned in midlife, so if you’re reading this and you’ve learned some new tricks in midlife, share them with us in the comments!

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