Do You Have What It Takes To Live To 100?

How long do you think you'll live? Seventy-five? Eighty-five? Ninety-five years of age?

The real question is, "How long would you want to live? What would you do with all those 'extra years'?"

Most people are genetically equipped to live into their mid-eighties, says Dr. Thomas Perls, director of the New England Centenarian Study. But what's the secret of crossing two centuries?

Some steps to living longer are obvious: eating right, exercising and not smoking. But people who advance to a 100 typically have several other important traits.

They have a sense of purpose. We all have a sense of an inner compass inside us, but we're unsure which direction it's pointing. To live to 100 years, start asking the question as soon as you can, "What on earth am I here for?"

You can get distracted by the world, daily errands, caring for your necessary medical needs and living an active social life, but miss out on the most important thing in life. As Robert Byrne said, "The purpose of life is a life of purpose."

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You're not here to live solely for yourself, but for a mission. According to best-selling author Rick Warren, you're going to give your life to something every day, and whatever you give your life to will shape your destiny. Will it be pleasure? Money?

It took me a long time to figure this out. If you meet me in person, you'll see I have purpose-anxiety. I am anxious to make a difference ... before it's too late. Don't waste the precious moments given to you. Find a way to make a difference in this world.

Another trait for people who reach 100 is that they're assertive. In other words, they're active people who look for reasons to get out of the house to do something productive. They like to spend time with friends and shy away from passivity. This still falls under the category of being purposeful.

Want to know the best way to find that deeper meaning as you move on in years? Volunteer! Volunteer! Volunteer!

In Bill Clinton's last book Giving, the former president noted that more and more successful individuals are trading in comfortable corporate jobs to do volunteer work.

Rolling up your sleeves and volunteering to help others is a surefire way to help rediscover even a lost sense of purpose. You don't need to be a CEO to do volunteer work. Want to live to be 100? Listen to these suggestions on how to get your hands dirty, courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens:

* Send out letters. All children across America would love to receive a note of encouragement from you. You can send your letters to Make A Child Smile (makeachildsmile.org) or Hugs and Hope (hugsandhope.org).

* Contribute to a local food bank. Every time you visit the supermarket to purchase your own food, add one or two items to your shopping cart. Make a special food pantry box you keep in the kitchen. When the box is filled, drop off the food at a food bank, and then start over.

* Find a place to use your skills. Seniors in any nursing home would love your companionship. If you are a skilled person, call some non-profit organizations and offer your time to help them with repair work, financial matters, fund raising or the day-to-day care of the facility.

The third trait shared by people who live to be a 100 is resilience - keeping your chin up in hard times, maintaining a positive attitude, and not allowing illness, family problems or the passing of dear friends to drag you down.

Here's my best definition of resilience: the belief that life still has a lot more to offer. After the thrill of living appears to be gone, you can then really start living knowing there is so much more life and service ahead of you.

Comments

[mamacat]

Probably not. Have enjoyed my life so far, though.

[AZBunny]

No, I don't have what it takes to live to be 100. My bank balance isn't large enough to support me to that age. I've already calculated that if I live to be 75 I will leave a 200,000 debt IF I don't get something like cancer, then I have no idea who large my debt will be.

[appleknocker]

If you want to live to be 100, you'd better be rich enough to buy your own medical care when our rulers finish gutting Medicare.

[Numinous]

Thanks, John. Good reminder. Regardless of how many days you spend on the planet, it's a good way to live when you have a sense of purpose and a feeling of being of service.

[rugbymom]

Well, maybe. If a driving sense of purpose were the key factor, Molly Ivins and Paul Wellstone and a host of other saints would still be with us. Molly made some comment in her final months about how the cancer cells didn't seem to give a damn whether she had work left to do, loads of friends around, an irrepressible zest for life, and yes, a sense of purpose. (My paraphrase, but you get the point.) As a two-time cancer survivor, all I can say is, a sense of purpose makes each day meaningful, regardless of how many more days may or may not come your way in the future. But it's no guarantee that the plane won't crash, you won't be caught in crossfire in your neighborhood, the drunk driver will miss your car, your tomatoes won't have salmonella on them, and you'll be cured of whatever ails you.

[edva]

Good post. As the Buddha succinctly put it, the only identifiable purpose of life is the alleviation of suffering in all beings.

[truth101]

what a profound insight. the best blog on hp in years. we want more and more
of this. keep it coming

[CoulterIsASuccubus]

I really don't want to live to 100 and if the Republicans have their way, I won't. I will be eating cat food at 65 and shopping in dumpsters at 70. At 80, if not already dead from a lack of medical care, I will be on the sidewalk as dittohead drones step over and spit on me on their way to work. I guess I should have made good investments and I thought I did but the CEO took my retirement and spent it on jets and parties. I had a pension from a good company but they went bankrupt and the pension funds were "mishandled" and collapsed.

[RoseMerry]

"I never thought I lived to be a million"

And we stand on the threshold of breakthroughs that can lead to incredible long lives...provided you have the money. While the poor wait for the new Social Security reform. It is called Soylent Green and it will also solve the food crisis at the same time.

[HeevenSteven]

My purpose is to read all the advice in the media from people who's purpose is giving advice about having purpose.

[editorjuno]

The issue is the quality and not the quantity of ones days. If longevity is what motivates you, you'd be wise to look into the fear the underlies such a motivation.

[Ivatsol]

If our Sun thought like you, it might have "super-novaed" 3 billion years ago, and left this region of the cosmos lifeless.

Not all motivation is out of fear. It is fit for all events in the cosmos to reach full maturity before succumbing to death. So why should it be different for you or I. Is it because no one knows what the maturity of consciousness really looks like. The same plant budding from the soil can never experience life with the kind potency as it would given a single rose petal.

The quality of ones days are in direct correlation with the purpose of our lives. But it takes great wisdom in order to realize the kind of purpose that would do more than sustain us.

There are only two things that can happen as long as you are trying to sustain you life:

1: you sustain it for 70-100 years Yippieeeee.... fun at the nursing home...
2: You die earlier of disease or other... Oh well...

In this modern age, we try and stay healthy in the same way that a farmer tries to make sure his mule keeps walking never realizing the mules stubbornness is a protest against the farmers own routine.

Last option:

Thrust yourself into the experience of your event/life, so much so that you come to a holistic and timeless understanding of what it is you really are.

LIVE LONG!