The tendency of people skirting 30s and 40s is to feel lethargic

“The tendency of people skirting 30s and 40s is to feel lethargic or weak. But trust me, most of it is in your head. If you keep pushing and challenging yourself, your body will not betray your will.” Thus spoke Milind Soman, the iron man of India, whose life of discipline, endurance, and daring stands as testimony to these words. In this declaration, he reminds us that the true battlefield of age is not the flesh but the mind, and that the body—though mortal—remains the loyal servant of a determined spirit. The weakness we fear is often no more than illusion; the strength we need is already within, waiting to be summoned by the power of will.

The meaning of this wisdom is that time need not be a tyrant. Many, as they approach their 30s and 40s, begin to whisper to themselves that their strength is fading, that the years have stolen their vigor. They surrender before the battle begins, believing that what is natural decline is in fact invincible fate. Yet Soman, through his own feats of running marathons and conquering oceans, declares otherwise: if you push, if you challenge, if you refuse surrender, the body answers with resilience. It is not age that weakens us most, but the story we tell ourselves about age.

The ancients knew this. Leonidas of Sparta, though older than many of his warriors, stood fierce at Thermopylae, his will unbroken, his body a weapon forged by discipline. He did not yield to the thought of weakness, and so his men did not falter. Or consider the Roman statesman Cato, who in his elder years trained daily, declaring that the body must be kept sharp, for a dulled body dulls the spirit. Their lives proclaim what Soman reminds us: age bends the body only when the mind consents to it.

History offers us yet another proof in the figure of Ernest Shackleton. In his 40s, when many would have retired to comfort, he led his men across the frozen wastelands of Antarctica after their ship was lost. They marched, starved, and suffered, yet his willpower carried not only himself but his entire crew to safety. His body, battered by cold and hunger, endured because his spirit refused to bow. He lived the truth that the body does not betray the will when the will is steadfast.

Soman’s words are also a rebuke to our culture of excuses. Too often men and women surrender to lethargy, mistaking comfort for peace. They do not test their limits, and so they never learn that their limits were illusions all along. To challenge yourself is to discover that the mountain is not as tall as it seemed, that the weight is not as heavy as it appeared, that within you burns a fire that does not age. The mind whispers weakness, but the spirit cries strength. Which voice you heed will shape your destiny.

The lesson for us is clear: do not yield to the shadows of age. Push against them. Rise early, train your body, sharpen your mind. Refuse to surrender to the lethargy that creeps upon those who accept decline as inevitable. Seek challenge, not comfort; growth, not ease. For the body is loyal—if you demand of it, it will respond. Only when you stop demanding does it wither. Your body reflects not just the years you have lived, but the courage you bring to living them.

Therefore, children of tomorrow, take Milind Soman’s wisdom into your bones: your strength lies not behind you, but within you. Age is not a prison, but a test. Do not believe the lie of weakness; believe the truth of your will. Push, strive, challenge, endure—and your body will follow your spirit as the faithful steed follows its rider. For the body may grow older, but the will, if it remains unbroken, will always be young.