My last name is Gray and I started living up to the pedigree when I was just 27 years old. That’s when I noticed the first strand of gray hair in my coif. I muttered something under my breath and hastily plucked it from the root. It didn’t work.

I Got Gray Early

By the time I was 35, my dad proclaimed to me that I’d have a full head of gray hair by the time I reached his age, and he still to this day, at 69 years old, has some brown hair left on his head. My hair, meanwhile, is almost fully white.

When my wife and I married five years later, she encouraged me to do something about my gray hair, as it was prematurely aging me. Just a few years prior, at a business conference, an attendee said I looked to be in my mid-50s. I had to do something other than accept fate.

I’m Not George Clooney

So now I frequently dye my hair in pursuit of a more youthful appearance. I must admit the process is still foreign to me, as I always found such endeavors to be vain. But dying my hair does shave the years off, especially if I shave my face. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way. I can’t dye my beard because my face is allergic to the product. In about 15 minutes I can go from looking 50 to about 30.

Gray Hair Gone = Confidence Booster

Dying my gray hair also makes my wife feel good. Hey, the man she looks at morning, noon and night is a reflection on her. Spouses need to continue to maintain themselves both physically, emotionally and spiritually to keep the spark alive. Truth be told frequent gym sessions, grooming and eating healthy all take time and money, but they are investments in longevity and love. Love not only for your wife and children, proving to them that you are doing everything in your power to provide stability, but love for yourself. Body and mind maintenance is essential for a health self-esteem, plus the upkeep is a great way to help reduce stress.

Even after a long day at the office, followed by dinner prep, bath time for Arabella, reading and bed time, making time to do pushups and sit ups before bed or taking the dogs for an extra-long moonlight walk are good ways to keep you looking and feeling young.

Here’s to looking young this New Year 2017!

Ryan Gray

Chief Content Officer at STN Media

An award-winning, professionally and academically trained content producer. I'm reporter and editor of news, business, sports, and entertainment and manager of the entire production process for print, online and multimedia/interactive. I drive our brands and those of our clients via storytelling and audience engagement. I also direct curriculum development for related conferences and provide quality assurance on all projects and facilitate teamwork throughout the company and convert traffic and readership into dollars.

Specialties: News/feature reporting, editorial direction, editorial production management, video direction, multimedia, blogging, content marketing strategy, social media, editing/proofreading, page layout, HTML, public relations, photography/videography