Why I plan on living past 100 and why you should set an extraordinary age goal too.
Most people have a fixed mindset about how long they’ll live. Usually this idea is based on statistics, heredity, and their own personal health. But the usual way of looking at longevity doesn’t apply to everyone, and there are a few simple ways you can increase the chances of prolonging your life.
When I joined the Strategic Coach Programme many years ago one of the first ideas to which I was introduced was the “age extension” concept. Once my target became to live a healthy life beyond age 100 it changed the way I lived my life and approached my time.
I consider how I want to be in my last year in terms of health, finances, relationships, and overall well being, and I aim to achieve those things now. This goal to live past 100 years impacts how I take care of myself today.
It’s not about getting to that specific age, but rather the ongoing impact that goal has on my energy and confidence right now.
Along with setting an exceptional age goal, here are a few strategies that can help you prolong your life:
- Science and technology. Adopting the goal of living beyond 100 has had the by-product that I’m now on the constant lookout for new breakthroughs and technologies in the area of human longevity. I want to take advantage of discoveries and improvements to live as long as I can.
Scientific advances are now on my radar in a way they weren’t before I set this goal. I started looking for and finding information that has already changed my daily life and improved my health. - Friends, money, and purpose. These three things have an enormous impact on your quality of life and, therefore, on the length of your life. Many people die earlier than they otherwise would due to a lack in these areas. As people age they tend to lose friends, money and purpose, and this increases their likelihood of dying sooner.
My secret to avoid losing friends as I get older is to make sure I have friends of all ages. This ensures I’ll always have friends in my life, I won’t get lonely, and they’ll keep me young as I get older. It’s also crucial to maintain financial independence as you get older. Feeling like a burden on others is no way to live and can take a toll on your health and outlook.
Finally, no matter your age, you have to believe that your future is always bigger than your past. As I often say, the moment you give the signals to nature that you don’t want to grow anymore, it starts sending the parts back to the factory.
- Intentionality. Choosing an age at which you’re going to die causes you to be more intentional in how you live today.
When you tell yourself what age you’re going to live to, you take responsibility for everything that happens in your life. You take ownership over everything from your birth to your death. And you actively look for ways to improve things as well as ways to prolong your life.
It may seem strange to most people, but setting a goal age to live to and following these strategies can have a tremendously positive influence on your mindset, outlook, and well being. By imaginatively extending my lifetime, I have total confidence that my biggest and best entrepreneurial achievements are still ahead of me.
Many of my clients have asked me why I am still working. Now you have the answer.
I would love to get some reactions/feedback to this post so do please leave your comments below.
Note: This is an adaption of blog by Dan Sullivan, The Strategic Coach. The full article can be found here.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
This document and our on going services are not personal advice. We'll give you all the help and guidance you need to make your investment and retirement decisions, but we can't advise you. If you're not sure whether you need regulated financial advice we can put you in touch with a suitably qualified and experienced regulated adviser. Because we are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority you will not have access to the Financial Ombudsman Service in respect of any complaints. If you use one of the "no advice" on line services to handle investment transactions they will be Regulated and you will have access to the Ombudsman and The Financial Compensation Scheme in respect of their services. The value of investments/pension plans can fall or rise depending on market performance. The Retirement Team and The Investment and Retirement Coach are trading names of Capture Success Ltd Reg No 01825075 Tel 07770575122
