Mark Twain - Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter

Welcome to the Daily Quote – a podcast designed to kickstart your day in a positive way. I'm your host, Andrew McGivern, for July 31st.

Now, I have to confess something to you today – July 31st happens to be my birthday. And I share this special day with someone pretty famous... a certain bespectacled wizard named Harry Potter. That's right, both the Boy Who Lived and your humble podcast host celebrate another trip around the sun today.
But here's what I find fascinating about birthdays – they're these arbitrary markers on a calendar that somehow carry profound meaning. We celebrate the day we arrived, but really, shouldn't we be celebrating all the days we've stayed? All the moments we've chosen growth over comfort, hope over despair, connection over isolation?
Today also happens to be National Avocado Day, which honestly feels appropriate. Think about it – avocados are patient. They take their sweet time ripening, and if you try to rush them, you get disappointed. But when they're ready? Pure perfection. That's a lot like birthdays, isn't it? Another year of ripening, of becoming more ourselves.
This brings us to today's quote, and I picked one from Mark Twain – because if anyone knew how to age with wisdom and humor, it was Samuel Clemens himself.

He once said:
"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."

Now that's the kind of birthday wisdom I can embrace. Mark Twain lived to be 74 in an era when that was genuinely impressive, and he understood something we often forget – that aging is largely about perspective. It's not the number of candles on your cake that defines you; it's how you choose to see those candles.
Think about it – every birthday, we get to decide whether we're celebrating another year of limitations or another year of possibilities. Are we focused on what we can't do anymore, or excited about what we've learned and what's still ahead?
Twain knew that the stories we tell ourselves about our age become our reality.
The beautiful thing about birthdays is that they're both an ending and a beginning. You're closing the chapter on one year of your life while simultaneously opening the first page of the next. And here's the secret – you get to be the author of what comes next.
Maybe this new year brings new adventures, or maybe it brings deeper appreciation for what you already have. Maybe it's the year you finally try that thing you've been putting off, or maybe it's the year you perfect something you've been working on. The point is, the number doesn't matter nearly as much as the mindset.
So whether you're turning 7 or 70 this year, remember Twain's words. Don't mind the number – focus on the matter of living fully, laughing often, and making each day count.
Thank you for being part of my birthday celebration by listening today. Here's to another year of daily quotes, shared wisdom, and the beautiful journey of becoming who we're meant to be.
And if you have a ripe avocado today is a good day to eat it. Not just because it is Avocado Day but because the avocado is the healthiest fruit there is.
That's going to do it for today. I'm Andrew McGivern, signing off for now but I'll be back tomorrow – same pod time, same pod station – with another Daily Quote.