His mind is still as sharp as ever—alert, inquisitive, and focused. He’s also a good teacher and does a weekly seminar at church on Bible Prophecy. I really enjoy engaging him in conversation and when he speaks wisdom drips from his mouth like honey. What amazes me is that even at the age of 84 he still has a zeal for life. He mentioned to me the other day that he would like to buy a computer and learn how to use it. Being very interested in music he also wants to learn how to play the piano and is considering taking some lessons. Wow!

He asked me what I thought about his plans. I said to him: “Go for it Grandpa!” After that conversation I began thinking. What if grandpa is still alive today because he still has a contribution to make—he still has more to offer, more to do—unfinished business.

A lot of people my grandfathers age (older and younger) feel that they have nothing left to contribute. They are living lives of quiet desperation and fading away quickly.

In the book, The Noticer by Andy Andrews, Jones, the personification of wisdom, makes six points to Willow, a seventy-six year old lady, who had given up hope that she had anything left to contribute.

1. God has a purpose for every single person.
2. You won’t die until that purpose is fulfilled.
3. If you are still alive, then you haven’t completed what you were put on earth to do.
4. If you haven’t completed what you were put on earth to do, then your very purpose hasn’t been fulfilled.
5. If your purpose hasn’t been fulfilled, then the most important part of your life is still ahead.
6. You have yet to make your most important contribution.

You may be sick. You may be old and frail. You may be broke. You may be divorced. You may not have any friends at all. You may be depressed and discouraged.

But you’re still alive!

And that my friends, is proof that you have unfinished business. You have not completed what you were put on earth to do.

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

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These common denominators are:

1. Move Naturally

• None of these people in the blue zone areas exercise, well at least not in the way we think about exercise. Rather, they set up their lives so that they’re constantly nudged into exercise.
• The Okinawan women sit on the ground and get up and down about 30-40 times a day. The Sardinians live in vertical houses and are forced to go up and down the stairs many times throughout the day.
• They don’t have many conveniences. Instead they walk to the store, do their own housework and yard work etc.

2. Right Outlook

• They set up their lives so that they have the right outlook. They take time to downshift, pray, and just generally slow down.
• They have a strong sense of purpose and they activate it in their lives.

3. Eat Wisely

• They drink a little bit of wine everyday.
• They eat mainly a plant based diet. Lots of nuts, beans, seeds etc.
• They have strategies that keep them from overeating

4. Connect

• They put their families and loved ones first.
• They belong to a faith based community.
• They belong to the right tribe.

These points are explained more extensively in the video.

When it comes to longevity, there is no quick fix. We have to be conscious about the decisions we make when it comes to our health and well being. And as we have seen from the video, there are some specific principles and practices to follow in order to live longer, better lives.

Question: What did you think about the video? What else are you doing to increase your longevity?

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1. 7 Health Habits That Will Help You Live To 100

In my previous post, I said that I would share my 6 habits that I would focus on for this year. I’ve actually added an extra one to make it 7 (I love odd numbers!). Which 6 habits you choose for 2010 is a highly personal issue – it depends on what you want in life, where you’re at, what you’ve done already, and what kind of a person you want to be.  Well, I made a commitment to myself that I would go public with mine and blog about it.

So, here they are.

1. Give up TV

2. Eating healthier (become vegetarian)

3. Blog at least 4 times a week

4. Daily exercise

5. Become an early riser

6. Read/study the Bible everyday

7. Focus on creating. (Every day, set aside time at the beginning of the day to clear away distractions and just create that something amazing)

In my attempt to implement these habits, I’m embarking on a 40 day fast for all of them. I’m gonna do it one habit at a time. This is just to kick start the habit and really make a conscious effort to work on it relentlessly for the 40 day period with the hope that by the end of it the habit will be cemented and a part of my life.

I’ve started with the “No TV” habit from February 1. I’m two weeks into it already and will give an update soon on how that’s going.

Question: What habits are you focusing on for this year? How’s it going?

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1. The 6 Changes Method
2. 7 Health Habits That Will Help You Live To 100
3. 7 Bad Eating Habits that Affect Your Productivity

The good news is that the PDF is free. You can view it in the embedded Scribd player above or you can download it here. Inside you will find articles by such writers as:

• Guy Kawasaki
• Tim O’Reilly
• Seth Godin
• Dave Ramsey
• Tim Sanders
• Gary Vaynerchuk
• Martha Beck

…and many more. The overall objective of the ebook is to demonstrate that big thoughts and small actions really make a difference.

Question: What do you think will be important next year?

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1. Challenge yourself and make the decision - This is where any journey begins. You have to decide to do something different. No one can make this decision for you. Until you make the decision to lose weight, get in shape, or start exercising, nothing else will happen.

2. Enter a race - This gives you a concrete goal. It makes the training relevant. It also puts a stake in the ground and says, “I’m going to do this.” It might be a 5K, a 10K, a half marathon, or a full marathon. The important thing is to sign up. Once that happens, you’ll be committed.

3. Run your own race – At the start of the race the majority of the pack began with a really fast pace—a lot faster than what I was used to in training. I tried to match their speed but after about 200 meters I decided it was best for me to let the pack go and run my own race, otherwise I would have burnt myself out and risked not finishing the race.

4. Run with a friend - My training buddy and I entered the race together, it was actually his suggestion. He also gave me the motivation to take part and later I guess we motivated each other while we were preparing for it. I honestly don’t think I would have taken part in the race if he didn’t join me. We ran the first few kilometers together before I held back and slowed down a bit. I started to struggle as a result of having the flu — which leads me to my next lesson.

5. Never run when you are sick – I came down with the flu 3 days before the race which really sucked. I knew I shouldn’t have run but I went through with it anyway. I struggled the whole race and felt really terrible, my body was sore and I felt really weak. It was like I hadn’t even trained for the race and felt like I was running for the first time. I know I took a really big risk as exercising with flu can lead to inflammation of the heart muscle. Medical experts also recommend that you only start exercising seven days after recovering from the ‘flu, after which you can gradually return to exercise.

6. Never give up – I must say that after the first 2 kilometers of the race I really felt like throwing in the towel and calling it a day. But I’m thankful that my will and drive to finish prevailed. I just had the end in mind and started visualizing the sense of accomplishment I would feel once I crossed the finish line. When going gets tough…keep going. NEVER GIVE UP!

7. Just do it! - The best way to start running is to … start running. There’s no substitute for putting on your shoes and hitting the trail. I remember when I started running 2 months ago, the first few weeks were the most difficult. I was out of shape and sore. Sometimes, I couldn’t wait to be through with my run. But after about six weeks, something happened. I actually started looking forward to running. I especially love how I feel immediately after running. I feel great and full of energy. But it all comes down to getting started.

Forget about setting records. Your first goal is just to finish—and enjoy the experience.

Question: What lessons have you learned from challenging yourself and trying something new?

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1. Life’s Lessons