Education, health and economic status are all important but, believe it or not, satisfaction and longevity depend on a whole lot more. Saul Friedman (Newsday: Long Island, N.Y. June 5, 2001) wrote that when all is said and done, a positive attitude is the determining factor.
Wouldn’t it be nice if aging came with a set of instructions and some rechargeable batteries? Who can resist reading an article that starts out with a thought provoking truism like that? Granted, there are a lot of books and magazine articles that hint that they have this set of instructions, but truth be told (the author hits the nail on the head here) we don’t want to think about it. We would rather not age at all.
All of the article and books encourage us to stay active, exercise, learn an instrument or fulfill our dreams. They all promise that if we follow these instructions we will be happy and fulfilled, but we all know that it doesn’t work that way. The author wonders why none of these manuals explain why so many people turn their backs on these tidbits of advice.
Old age isn’t what it used to be. Many seniors do not look like their parents did at the same age and many do not feel old at all, but there are still a substantial number of people who act like old age is an illness. Studies show that a positive attitude is they key to an active lifestyle, longevity and good health. Psychology overrides all of the other factors.
Negative emotional states such as anxiety, hatred and anger wear you down over time. People who are happy and optimistic do better. Unfortunately once a grouch always a grouch, and it is not easy to change. However, while your basic personality doesn’t change much after you reach 30, your attitude and behavior can change. Experience or a catastrophic incident often pair up to make you wise-up. For many this earthshaking experience is a heart attack, a stroke, cancer or the death of a loved one. These things do tend to make you reevaluate your mortality. Time is short and you may not come this way again, but you still have time to smell the roses. When do you think your moment arrived?
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