Just in case anyone needs to hear it: You can absolutely start things in your 30's and still feel fulfilled by them, even if there's some 16 year old who is better at them. Do them for you, and don't compare yourself to others.
(Also maybe don't make combat sports your thing if you're prone to that)
My friend's father started karate in his 60s and has been going for years now!
You'll never do anything with that mindset. People learn new shit all the time, can't do it all while you're young.
True. Still a damn hard feeling to get rid of.
Probably why old people rarely expand their skills into new things.
I re-enrolled in Uni when i was 33. I was kinda worrying that I'd be 'the old guy' and shunned by the younger students.
Totally not true. I never felt any exclusion. The only one calling me old would be myself, jokingly. If OP would just ask for tips/advice from the younger ones who beat his ass they would certainly help them.
when i was in community college, the most chill person was the 30 year old dude. if youre in education theres no age ceiling imo, as there is always a bunch of practical classes that will be relevant at any age.
like im not gonna complain about the age of someone taking a cooking class.
This mindset is fucked.