As our bodies age and begin to experience new pains and limitations, it's easy to allow our mind to slip into the belief that we're on a slow path to the grave. That mindset often leads to fatalism: what's the point if I'm going to die in the next ten to twenty years anyway? Why push myself to try new things or do hard things if I'm going to be dead soon?
It's easier to slip into this fatalistic mind-set than it seems. However, the human body is deeply impacted by what we believe about ourselves and, moreover, our life choices are decided first in our minds. If you believed you would live until 120, what would that change about your life and your choices?
Healthy Life Choices
A longevity mindset leads to recognizing the intrinsic value of caring for your body. If you're planning to live until 120 years old, you definitely want to ensure that you're giving your body the right nutrients, exercising, stretching, and caring for the vessel that is going to take you there. A fatalistic mindset could lead you to die earlier, as your belief that you're not going to live for much longer can lead to decisions such as continuing to smoke or eat unhealthy foods, because, "Hey! I'm going to die soon anyway - might as well enjoy the ride." Whereas a longevity mindset recognizes that all those lifestyle choices will help you achieve the goal of living to 120 years old with strength and vitality!
Plan for the Future
When you have a longevity mindset, you can still dream and plan for the future. Let's say you're 70 years old right now, but you live until you're 120; that means that you still have 50 more years left to live! Doesn't that make you want to dream of how you want to spend those years?! Consider learning a new skill, starting a new hobby, or even trying your hand at a new career. If you live to 120, you won't want to have wasted all that time just waiting around to die. It sounds intense, but it's too easy to slip into living that way. Make the most of the time you have, and invest in your future and yourself.
Create New Things
A famous painter, "Grandma Moses," started painting when she was seventy-seven years old and is now recognized for her art decades later. Her paintings are displayed in the Smithsonian Museum, the Bennington Museum, and others. There are so many new skills you could learn as you age. Who knows what culture changing knowledge, art, or skills you could bring to the world in your later years? A longevity mindset helps you acknowledge that you have years (decades, even) left to create and enjoy. What amazing new things do you want to bring to the world with the time that you have left?
Painting by Grandma Moses
Live Long & Prosper
While there are forces outside of our mindset that affect how long we live, the way we live when we are alive is entirely up to us. People can, and do, die at any age. How sad would it be for everyone to live with a mindset of, "I'm going to die, so what's the point?" We would all be grieved to find a twenty year old (who may die at thirty) living with such a fatalistic view. Let's be sure to examine our own hearts and recognize where we've giving into fatalism and then choose a mindset that fills our life with good things through the belief that we could have decades left ahead of us. Decades to fill with love, laughter, community, health, productivity, and more.
The Cedars Retirement Community is a beautiful lakeside retirement residence located just outside of Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Cedars Retirement Community offers a full calendar of gathering times, hands-on activities, and fun events. Located in Leo, Indiana, The Cedars believes in providing the highest quality of life and opportunity for seniors. We want to ensure that the latter years are lived with joy, enthusiasm, and relational connections. Please contact us with any questions or to schedule a tour of our beautiful lakeside retirement community.