As we enter into a new year, I’m not sure how I feel about the idea of Aging Gracefully. In some ways, I feel it would be very nice and peaceful, you know, the proper thing to do.
But then again in my real world, I’m not quite ready to “go quietly into the good night!” I always said I wouldn’t go down without a fight, you know, die with my boots on. Sadly, I haven’t worn boots for a long time.
But, since I was given the choice, I am going to go out with a bang! I’m going to have some fun and keep making a difference in our world. God knows we need it more than ever!
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I turned 76 this year. I have to admit that I do not like the idea of aging, let alone doing so gracefully. It has little appeal. Not the graceful part but the aging part. Why would I? So I’ve come to my decision:
I’m going to squeeze every living ounce out of life I can!
Like my man, Rogeer Whiticer said, “I have no fear of death, it brings no sorrow.” My hope, there will be little sorrow for the ones I leave behind. I only hope that the time we spent together was fun and good.
It may sound a bit morbid but believe I will welcome death (when the time comes), like an old friend who has come to take me home. I heard that in a movie many years ago, but it sounded pretty good.
But, I still have a lot to do. That’s why I’m counting down to 100.
Why not? I can still keep up with the best of them. I’m active, work, go on walks, travel, and I continue to work full time at a career I love – helping people live better lives.
What keeps me going? I’ve been thinking about it lately. I’m not sure my approach is for everyone but it works well for me.
Here are the five main components I embrace for living a great life:
1. Keeping a good attitude – smiling a lot
2. Retaining a healthy brain – thinking good things
3. Maintaining a healthy body – avoiding pain
4. Enjoying a healthy relationship with our Creator – being thankful for all my blessings
5. Making a positive difference in people’s lives – maybe leave the world a little better than it was when I showed up
I don’t want to tell you how to live your life. That’s up to you. All I know is that I’m living a great life because that’s the life I choose
1. Ageing Gracefully by Keeping a Good Attitude
But I suppose if I could attribute my good health, great attitude, and high quality of life to one thing, I would have to say it is the quality of my thoughts.
Zig Zigler, one of my mentors told me, “It’s the Attitude of Gratitude.” I’m one of the few people I know who truly believe that all the crap thrown at us has blessings attached. Sometimes it may take years to get through the pain of loss to finally realize what those blessings are, but if or when you finally figure it out, you’ll know you have arrived.
It’s the “Is the glass half empty or half full” approach. A friend of mine said it doesn’t matter how full the glass is, it still has to be washed.
I learned a long time ago, I can’t control what happens to me. In life, there are going to be many things thrown at me to deal with. The only thing I can control is how I react to those things and how I choose to deal with them. Instead of seeing something as a problem, I immediately turn to find a solution. If there is no solution, it’s a “learning experience.” A life lesson.
You can’t expect to walk this earth for many years without experiencing situations in search of a solution.
Find things to laugh about. Norman Cousins cured his own case of cancer by laughing at old comedies. I think it was Laurel and Hardy. He lived to 97. I’ll bet Norman didn’t think about aging gracefully.
Find something to live for. Ulysses S. Grant lived longer than his doctors believed he would because the former President wanted to provide financial security for his family. The only way he could do that was to finish his autobiography. He died of throat cancer right after the book was complete.
And what about Mark Twain? Aging gracefully wasn’t in his thoughts when he went on a world tour when he was almost 60. He was broke and had to make back the money his publishing house lost.
Your attitude not only can help you live longer but it will help you live so much better. But, how can you control your attitude? I”m not Mark Twain, but I have written a few books about attitude and the one I always recommend is How You Think. Over a hundred years ago, James Allen wrote the book As A Man Thinketh, which arguably was the beginning of the thought revolution in the world. Every motivational speaker from Tony Robbins to Earl Nightengale used it as the basis for their teachings. The only problem was that it was written in Victorian English and the words he used are no longer in use (I had to research their meanings). So I translated it and added a few modern principles to make it a unique work that has been popular with people of all ages.
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2. Ageing Gracefully by Maintaining Good Brain Health
My first obligation is to the quality of my life and how I think. That’s always the most important thing for all of us. Even if I were confined to a wheelchair, the quality of my life would be good because I understand that it is directly in proportion to the way I think. And my brain has to be healthy to work properly.
I discovered that as you age, your brain naturally changes and it’s common for us to lose recall and mental sharpness. That’s the way it is, but there are several things that you can do to help stay sharp so aging gracefully will be in your future.
The first thing is to stay mentally active. Stay involved with other people and stay curious. Read and talk about what you read with others – join a book club. Find a hobby that keeps your mind active. I had a friend who worked crossword puzzles every day until he died in his 90s. As I mentioned, I like to research and write. Engaging your mind helps reduce risk and keeps your brain healthy. Staying mentally active boosts your mental abilities and safeguards your cognitive health.
I also take supplements. More on supplements later, but the one I call my secret weapon to keep my brain healthy is MemNivia.
Studies show that prolonged use of MemNivia helps maintain and improve memory as you age. It also preserves and improves age-related cognitive function.
The company website says that their supplement is inspired by nature and science and that continued use also resulted in a significant improvement of high-level cognitive processes (Working memory, Long-Term Memory, and Executive Function.) Learn more about MemNivia
I choose to live my life with a healthy brain. It contributes greatly to the quality of my life.
3. Ageing Gracefully by Maintaining Good Body Health
Right thinking goes a long way when it comes to good health but as we age, our bodies change. Aging gracefully isn’t possible if you’re not getting around. And let’s not forget that gravity keeps tugging on us and certain parts of the body continue to grow.
Other factors like the environment, the food we eat, and our good and bad habits will all have an effect on how we age. Smoking, drinking, and using drugs – both legal and illegal will take their toll unless they are prescribed by your physician in which case may keep you healthy.
Activity: One thing the body likes is to move it around. Your activity keeps the blood flowing, and that’s key. If you can find some activity you like to do it. Two or three times a week is good. Every day is better. I believe that anything that gets your heart beating faster will be good for you. Of course, you should make sure you are in good enough health to be active.
Diet: I was very lucky to grow up in a family that believed in foods such as spinach, beets, celery, arugula lettuce, iceberg lettuce, carrots, parsley, cabbage, radishes, and collard greens. I believe this is one of the main reasons I have enjoyed good health throughout my life.
Maintaining the right weight: Understanding a simple truth that your body burns energy as expressed in calories, and if you eat more than you burn, your body is designed to store those calories in the form of fat. Never know, you may need them someday. But in our society, it is rare for someone to die from hunger. So eat enough to keep the machine going. If you’re really interested in the subject, there are a million websites to help you.
Supplements: Because as we age our blood vessels tend to clog and our body quits producing Nitric Oxide.
What is Nitric Oxide? Nitric oxide is a molecule that is responsible for dilating (opening) arteries, veins, and vessels to allow oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to flow to your body’s organs, tissues, and cells.
I discovered nitric oxide when I was a case manager at a neuropathy treatment medical practice. It was there I read about the Nobel Prize-Winning Discovery that it opens arteries and helps oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to flow to the body’s organs & cells.
A recent discovery found it helps improve and even reverse age-related chronic disease and maladies related to impaired or compromised circulation.
The product I prefer is OxySpark because it is ten times more effective than other brands.
There are other potential side effects of nitric oxide. Some men use Nitric Oxide as a natural way to aid with erectile issues and maintain a healthy sexual experience.
4. Ageing Gracefully by Enjoying a Healthy Relationship with Our Creator
The key concept in aging gracefully is grace.
I like to watch documentaries and movies. Twenty years ago or so, I was watching a documentary on a Saturday night, and Neil DeGrasse Tyson, a scientist was explaining to the interviewer that the universe was such a complex thing that the human mind was not capable of comprehending its complexity. I thought it was an interesting idea but didn’t think much more about it.
At church the very next morning, the sermon was about God and how complex He is. The pastor said we could not comprehend God because He is so vast. I think that moment was when I turned the issue of faith over to God. It was at that point, I gave up any doubt I had about God and turned it over to faith. This was the end of my journey to find faith — I found it.
The other thing that keeps me sane is the serenity prayer. “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference.”
The other thing I do is pray. I pray every day with gratitude for all that God has given me. My good health, living in the greatest county in the history of mankind, living during the greatest time of all time, all the blessings He has given me, and most of all, the fact that He sent His only Son to die for me. It’s too good to believe that He would do that for me.
A final word about my faith was given to me by a former employee. Ricky told me one day when things weren’t going as planned, he said, “If you want to make God smile, just tell him your plans.”
5. Making a Positive Difference in Other People’s Lives
A 92-year-old friend of mine has the idea that he wants to start a trust fund to help people in need. He has been praying to God for 50 years to help him find the money so he can feed people and provide some shelter. I had a talk with him the other day that he doesn’t need to give people money to help the. I told him that something as simple as a smile will go a long way to help someone.
Last year I wrote a book called How You Think: Find Happiness, Good Health, and Prosperity. It is based on one of the most influential books of all time — besides the Bible. The book is As a Man Thinketh, by James Allen. All I did was update it and translate it into modern English. In the process of writing it, I was amazed at the impact it had on my own life. You may want to check it out. It’s on Amazon.
Also, a few years ago I wrote another book called The Five Secrets to Gain Financial Security. I was putting on classes for church groups to help people get a handle on their finances. We had some pretty good results. I also created a free video for people who want to The Five Secrets to Gain Financial Security. The book is also on Amazon.
Summing It Up
These are the four things that keep me going. Living a good life involves more than I could explain in a few pages. But constantly working on these four basics: keeping a good attitude, a healthy brain, a healthy body, and a healthy relationship with God have gone a long way toward helping me live a great life.
If you found this article interesting, you may also like Surviving Chemo, Making Money, or Health Crisis.
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