Summary:
When someone asks you how old you are, you generally respond with the number written on your birth certificate. But how old are you really? What is the age of your self-image?
Some people that have a real zest for life, and seem much younger than their chronological age. Yet others seem to age quickly beyond their years, with the mindset that they are getting old, and don’t have much left to look forward to.
In truth, the key to youth is your mindset or attitude, combined with a decision to remain healthy, fit and active. It is a conscious choice that we make.
Living a fulfilling life is about having your basic needs met, such as the need for love, security, creative expression, recognition, new experiences and positive self-esteem.
Remain positive and open to new experiences and challenge yourself by continuing to learn new things. It is also vitally important to remain physically fit and active in order to maintain a positive self-image and be able to enjoy all life has to offer. Your physical health will greatly impact your mental attitude.
Finding the correct balance is the key to a happy and fulfilling life. The fountain of youth is not a magical serum or elixir, it is a state of mind.
Transcript:
Has anyone ever asked you how “old” you are? Well, of course they have. Assuming you answer them, I expect that your answer will be based upon the date on your birth certificate.
What about this as a better question: What is the age of your self-image?
Like me, you probably know certain people that really seem to have a zest for life and who seem much younger than their chronological age. I like to think that I fit into that category myself. By the same token, you probably know some other people that seem old, both physically and mentally, even when they’re young.
What age is your self-image – is it older or younger than the number on your birth certificate? Even if you’re 25 years young, you may have the maturity of a 40 year old, or vice versa.
For the most part though, I’m talking about those of you that may be thirty-five, forty and beyond on that piece of paper. I’ve heard some of my friends that are the same age as me talking about “getting old” or “not being young” anymore.
I truly believe that staying young is a mindset or attitude as well as a decision to stay healthy. Of course there are exceptions when Cancer or some other debilitating disease sets in, so I won’t go there. Although some of what I am going to say still applies.
If you haven’t seen it, you surely have heard about cases where people retire and then die a few months later. Two greats celebrities spring to mind immediately: Johnny Carson and Andy Rooney. Both lived most of their lives on TV and loved their work.
When a person “retires” there is a tendency to develop the self-image of being a has-been or being washed-up, worn out or just worthless. It’s a horrible thought that we work all our lives and when we stop working we have nothing to live for.
Don’t let yourself fall into that trap. In fact, I will take it further and say, live every day with a zest for life and always have something to look forward to in the future. Being nostalgic about the past and dwelling on it is a sure way to get caught in the aging loop.
Meeting Your Needs
Let’s look at what Dr. John Schindler says in his famous book, How to Live 365 Days a Year, first published in 1954. In it he talks about what humans “need” for a fulfilling life:
- The need for love
- The need for security
- The need for creative expression
- The need for recognition
- The need for new experiences
- The need for self-esteem
In one form or another there is a recipe for youth in these six “needs.” Although, I will add one more and that is the need to stay physically fit and active.
Look at these points and ask yourself if there is anything that you can do to remain young.
Being a Social “Being”
Humans are social “beings” and therefore it’s no surprise that there is a need for love and companionship. That doesn’t mean that you need a spouse or even a partner, although I would recommend it. However, it does mean that you need important people in your life that care about you and that you care about.
When I travel, I want to travel with someone, not on my own. I find it much more exhilarating to share my experiences with someone I care about. My wife and I love to travel. We talk about the about the places we’re going to visit as we plan the trip. We enjoy sharing the whole experience together, and then reliving our adventures with each other again and again. And we take turns holding the camera.
One of things I feel very fortunate for is having life-long friends. In fact, I went to elementary school with several of them. Now my challenge to them is to live a long and healthy life so we can still hang out together for many more years to come. I am also fortunate to have an amazing family, including my wife, my children and my wife’s family as well.
So who do you have in your life that is important and that makes you feel loved, respected and wanted?
When it comes to recognition you may also find that simple recognition from those people closest to you is even more important than attaining recognition from outside sources. Recognition for grand achievements, such as people who raise great sums of money for a particular charity, let’s say, may be gratifying, but also understand that recognition, both the giving and receiving of it, can be for the day to day things we do for the people we care about.
Having Financial Security
I will touch on security briefly, because I do think it is very important in our life and that is why I am doing what I am doing. I want to help bring people like you to a point where you can feel 100% secure financially. Financial security is a weight lifted from your shoulders and something you shouldn’t need to worry about later in life, when you should enjoying and experiencing more, not less. Some financial planners will tell you to cut back once you have retired from your job. I ask why? With the proper planning there should be no reason you need to cut back.
Creative Outlets and New Experiences
Now, I am going to put creative expression and new experiences into one category, although I could talk about both for longer than this entire piece will be. Staying young in mind and body requires the use of both. The old saying, “use it or lose it” is very true. Most times, when you express yourself creatively, you are also creating a new experience. These activities create new neuro-connections in the brain. There is conclusive research showing that, even as you age, you can still build new neurons and synapses in the brain.
For an example today of someone who is living young, just look at TV personality Betty White. She is 93 now and looks like she can go on forever. She is a rock and a super star in more ways than just on TV. She is a shining example to people who think that sixty or seventy is old.
In recent years you may have seen several types of new brain games being advertised both on and off line. These have been developed to help the baby boomers and others who are concerned about maintaining their brain health. Even Sudoku puzzles can help build and maintain healthy brain function to prevent deterioration from aging. While playing these games is not a bad idea, there are also other ways to achieve this.
Taking on New Ventures
Taking on any new venture, such as actively building a business, learning a new language, or challenging yourself by developing hobbies, such as painting or tai chi, will all get the brain going. Maybe you can start to learn about investing or stock trading. Pretty much anything that taxes your brain and makes you think will help you maintain and even improve your brainpower.
A Decision to be Active and Fit
Now, as I said earlier, to remain young you must also be able to physically manage your way around. Personally, I plan on living to be a minimum of 125 years young. And when I say that, I am not talking about being hooked up to a bunch of machines and kept alive. I plan on being active until I leave this planet. So it is important, in fact vital, that I maintain the place that I live, my body. I go to the gym regularly and I generally eat well. I suggest you do the same.
Physiologists about sixty or seventy years ago used to tell doctors that exercise after forty years old was dangerous and should not be performed. People were told to give up golf after forty because it was too strenuous. We all know better these days, and understand that staying active is the key to staying young and healthy.
If you can’t afford the gym right now then either go to your local community center or start at home doing exercises that don’t require much equipment. There are loads of them available in magazines or online via YouTube and other sources. There’s a lot you can do with just an exercise mat and a couple of free weights, and these are very inexpensive and widely available. Not belonging to a gym is no excuse! You don’t have to do a whole lot, but you do need to do it regularly. If you can build and maintain a good routine, you will start to see and feel good results after just 6 weeks. The main thing is to find something you enjoy doing and build a routine around it. Make physical activity a habit so that your body craves the workout both physically and mentally. Mine does, and if I miss a scheduled day, I feel guilty and hate that I missed a commitment I made to myself. Fortunately this doesn’t happen often.
Make the Choice
So the real question when it comes to your age is, how old do you want to be? Do you want to be the person who looks and acts older than their driver’s licence says, or do you want to be the person that people look at and say, “I can’t believe he/she is that age!”
It’s important to understand that this is in fact a choice that you make. Your attitude and your health greatly influence how old you feel. You can start to turn the clock back today by changing your mindset and your paying attention to your physical health.
Don’t place limits on yourself because of a number on your birth certificate. Make a decision to live long and live prosperously in all ways. Start living in your life every day and live every day with purpose. When you do you will find that people will notice that you are young, no matter what your chronological number is.
And this is truly Living Rich!
