3 Strategies To Prolong Your Life
Dan Sullivan
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 was forty-three, I decided I wanted to live for a complete century. Since I was born in 1944, it would have to be the 21st century, plus the 56 years it took to get to the year 2000, making my goal age 156.
This unconventional goal is only a concept, but it’s changed the way I live my life and approach 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 to an extraordinary age 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.
To set your own “outlandish” age goal and learn more about how to live your best life now, download your free copy of the My Plan For Living To 156 ebook.
Along with setting an exceptional age goal, here are a few strategies that can help you prolong your life:
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Science and technology. Adopting the goal of living to the age of 156 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.
Starting with a longevity mindset and multiplying it by life-extension science and technology greatly improves your chances of prolonging your life.
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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. Not only that, but there’s something to learn from people in every age group. Age doesn’t matter when you appreciate people for their unique talents and capabilities—the value they bring to the table.
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. You must never lose your purpose.
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Intentionality. Choosing an age at which you’re going to die causes you to be more intentional in how you live. Don’t let anyone else, or any statistics, tell you how long you’ll live.
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.
