This Harvard Professor Explains the Secret to Aging in Reverse | David S...

Harvard professor David Sinclair believes that not only can we slow aging down, we can actually reverse it. On this episode of Health Theory with Tom Bilyeu, David Sinclair explains the three levels of aging, and what can be done on each level. He describes the lifestyle changes that slow aging down, the drug treatments that begin to stop aging, and experimental new procedures that may actually reverse aging once they are fully developed.



Summary1
David describes the way that cell stress causes aging [5:20]
David explains what proteins are and how they work [6:40]
David recommends lifestyle changes to slow down or reverse aging [9:14]
David recommends stressing the system by consistent fasting [10:52]
David explains why we don’t live as long as whales [15:01]
David describes resetting the biological clock [16:16]
David explains how to tell when someone is going to die [18:47]
David explains why people are taking metformin [20:03]
David shares his regimen of exercise and metformin [24:18]
David advocates cold exposure [25:28]
David explains work he’s done to try to reset the aging clock [29:01]
David explains why you don’t want to turn the cellular clock back too far [31:37]
David describes the actual process of reversing aging in masses of cells [33:20]
David talks about some results with mice that appear to reverse aging [36:40]
David shares his father’s story of metformin and NMN use [38:10]
David explains the effects of resveratrol [39:07]
David describes the kinds of testing he advocates [43:13]
David shares the impact he wants to have on the world [45:44]

Summary2
1. Exercise (at least 1 hour per day, five days a week; weight lifting is essential)

2. Yoga (30 minutes every morning)

3. Eat clean (consume organic – very important)

4. Diet (reduce meat and increase veg)

5. Stay hungry!

6. Cut carbs to a minimum

7. No sugar at all

8. Monday & Thursday fasting (only fruits and fruit juices)

9. Drink at least 3 litres of clean water (1 litre immediately after you are awake)

10. Sleep (8 hours minimum; Recommendation - 9pm - 6am)

11. Take cold shower

12. Reduce artificial heating and expose yourself in cold weather

13. Use sauna and steam room (Listen, if you are a man, better do this only after you become the father of a child because too much exposure to sauna/steam room/Jacuzzi/hot tub reduces your sperm health)

14. Laugh as much as you can

15. Embrace nature and your true self (go for long aimless walks in the bush, beaches etc. to sense the beauty of nature and to recognise that you are a tiny part of the singularity)

16. Do not keep hatred because it will consume you. Forgive and move on.

The Secret To Happiness - 90 DAY CHALLENGE

Have you heard of the 90 day challenge? It's a secret technique to happiness.

What do you need to start? 

It's very simple , you just need

• 1 post it /sticky note pad
•  1 pen
•  1 minute per day

What do I have to do?

All you need to do is to write down daily, your heart's desire (e.g Relationships jobs, business,health, happiness, etc) on the post it note

• Write by hand
• Write as if the thing you wish exists already in the present
• Not I wish or I could have but I have
• Not negative , state in positive
• For example: 
• I have a great relationship with my wife
• I have more than enough to give to others
• I am blessed
• My finances are doing well
• I have perfect health
•  I have a great relationship with my children
• On the bottom right corner of the post it note, write a number.
•  Start with number 1 then next day number 2 then next day number 3 until you reach 90
• However  if  skip one day go back to 1. so the 90 day challenge might take you 1/2 a year.

The Secret to Health, Wealth, Relationships and Happiness

The secret on Netflix is an amazing boost of positivity and focus. I would recommend watching this - see trailer below.





The secret is the law of attraction.  Everything coming into your life is  to  attracted to you by whatever you are thinking about.

THOUGHTS
Your life is a physical manifestation of thoughts in your head

You become whatever you think about - thoughts become things and thoughts have a frequency so think about what you want with all your focus.

If you think of what you don't want - you will attract it so it is important to think of only the things you want.  Don’t focus on what you don't want, For example, don't say  " I  don't want to be late"  or complain about how bad it is  as both these will create what you don't want.

 You are the masterpiece of your own life and you do it with your thoughts


FEELINGS
Feelings are a feedback mechanism of your body.

Many people just try and think good thoughts but nothing manifests in their lives. This is because they are not using their feelings.


The more that you  feel good, the more you will attract the things that make you feel good so you should feel healthy, feel prosperous  and feel love.

But how can you feel good if you are having a bad day or not feeling good. It's easy , just do one of the following.

• Listen to  music, 
• Sing something that uplifts you, 
• Think of something beautiful ( like a baby you love) - dwell on it  and use all  your senses)
• Feel love for  something/someone (e.g your pet)

HISTORY

The secret is not knew and has been known for thousands of years. 

In the bible in Matthew 7, 7 it states : Ask, and it shall be given you

The Buddha said "All that we are is the result of what we have thought"

In the famous story of Alladin, the genie always says "Your wish is my command". In modern versions the genie grants 3 wishes but if you trace the story back you find originally it was unlimited wishes. Think about the significance of that for a moment.

Whether you believe in God, or the universe or a higher power you just need to ask and believe and act in a way as if it was true and the manifestations of your wishes will appear.

3 STEP PROCESS
So how do you follow the secret. It is a simple 3 step process.

1.   Ask:
• Ask for what you really want. State it in the  present tense, e.g   I am so happy and grateful  that ....... (say what you want in the present tense as if it already is happening).
2.   Believe it's already yours
• You don't need to know how. The universe will rearrange itself to make it happen
• It is like a car driving in the dark. You cannot see the whole route, you can only see 50 meters ahead but you can keep going.
• If you start doubting, replace it with unwavering faith. You can do this by continually saying what you want. Your subconscious will eventually accept it as true.
3.  .Begin to receive
•  Feel good. It is a  feeling universe  so need thoughts and feelings to manifest in your life
• Go test drive your dream car, view your dream house. Start getting good feelings and associating them to the things you want. 
• When you feel  joyous, this is an intuitive nudge from the universe so act on it.
• Whether you think it is a big or small wish, it makes no difference to the universe so wish big.

Many people are stuck/imprisoned/confined  in their current circumstances. However your current circumstances  are the  residual outcome of past thoughts and actions.

So start to change your thoughts, expectations and feelings.

Begin with making a daily list of things you are grateful for.  You will then  attract more of what you want.

Whatever you visualise,  you materialize. Start  dwelling on the end  result that you want.  For example close your eyes and focus on the back of your hands, see the hairs, feel the skin. Now imagine your hands are on the steering wheel of your favorite car , hear the engine, feel the speed . Imagine feeling  happy, joyous and exhilarated.


Make sure you are persistent. Many people try and give up just before they reach success. As soon as you say "it doesn't work " then the universe will say "your wish is my command" so be persistent.

Don't worry about how it will happen - the  universe knows the shortest quickest way.

So decide what you want , believe you can have it, deserve it and it is  possible for you. Close your eyes,  visualise having what you want and feel feelings of happiness and gratitude. Then release it  into the universe and believe the universe will manifest it for you.



WEALTH
Declare what you want from the catalogue of the universe.

Make sure you think about what you want , not what you don't want. If you are thinking                about getting out of debt, you are still thinking of being in debt and that is what you  will  get .

Focus on Abundance, not scarcity.

Visualise cheques coming in the mail. Visualise that  money comes frequently and easily to you.

HAPPINESS
Go for inner things, inner joy then the outer things appear.
Think about things that make you feel happy and focus on these.

RELATIONSHIPS
Do you treat yourself the way you want to be treated? Make sure you treat yourself with love as you need to respect yourself before you can be in a relationship with someone else.

Love yourself ! This is not conceit but just love your amazing body and your wonderful self.

If you find yourself arguing in  a relationship, get a piece of paper and  write everything you appreciate about them,. Write a list  daily.

HEALTH
Dis-ease means your body is not at ease.  Diseases and  all stress are feedback from your body that you are not balanced.

Many people have healed themselves by continuously saying "thank you for my healing" and putting themselves in a joyous state (e.g. by watching comedies and avoiding stress).

Albert Schweitzer said all healing is self healing. Your immune system heals your body.
Disease cant live in body in a healthy emotional state.

Anything we focus on we create, if we are angry - we are focusing on the anger which brings more anger.


Jung said   "What you resist, persists ".  Don’t be anti, be pro. Focus on what you want , not what you don’t want . .Mother Theresa understood this.  She said she would  never attend an anti war demo. but she would gladly come to a peace movement.


ENERGY
Energy flows where attention goes. We are all energy. Einstein's famous equation E=mc(squared) shows that energy and matter are interchangeable.

You are an energy field operating in the larger energy field of the universe. Everything is connected. You are an infinite field of unfolding psssibilites.

What are you going to do nw= when you focus on what your want the things you don’t want fall away.  You are the author , the pen is your hand and the outcome is whatever you choose

Whenever you say   I cant do that  or she wont let me or he wont let me then every single I'm not is a creation. We are unlimited beings - we have no ceiling so don't limit yourself.

Your purpose is what you say it is. Your  mission is what you say it is.
You have a future of unbounded potential, unbounded possibilities.  You deserve to be happy,. You were  born to add something of value to this world so be best you can be .

Every single  thing that you’ve been though ,that you’ve come through  has  prepared you for this moment. You are the creator of your destiny. Imagine what you can do from this day forth with what you now know,. Will you seize the moment? No one else can sing your  song,  or dance your dance  or write your story. It begins now. I believe you are great. There is  something magnificent about you. No matter how old or young you think you are.  You now have the power that will take over your life, direct and sustain you. That is what I know for sure.

When the voice and vision inside is  more profound and  louder then opinions  outside you’ve mastered your life
 Life should be abundant--believe it , see it, act from it and it will show up for you
What you think and feel and belief and thank about , you bring about. That is the secret.

Become the deliberate creator of your life. Life can be wonderful  and should be and it will be when you follow the secret.

Don't just exist but live - maximise life's most precious commodity- Find out How in Seneca's book - 'On the shortness of Life'

On The Shortness of Life

This was written almost 2000 years ago (around ad 49) by the great stoic philosopher Seneca the younger and it has great lessons for everyone on what is important and what is not. 

You should definitely read it. It is not long. I have put a put interesting points and links to summaries and the full text below. Enjoy!

Don't just exist but live - maximise  life's most precious commodity

'You have been preoccupied while life hastens on. Meanwhile death will arrive, and you have no choice in making yourself available for that'

You think you will live for ever and waste time

'You are living as if destined to live for ever; your own frailty never occurs to you; you don't notice how much time has already passed, but squander it as though you had a full and overflowing supply - though all the while that very day which you are devoting to somebody or something may be your last. You act like mortals in all that you fear, and like immortals in all that you desire. You will hear many people saying: 'When I am fifty I shall retire into leisure; when I am sixty I shall give up public duties.' And what guarantee do you have of a longer life? Who will allow your course to proceed as you arrange it? Aren't you ashamed to keep for yourself just the remnants of your life, and to devote to wisdom only that time which cannot be spent on any business? How late it is to begin really to live just when life must end! How stupid to forget our mortality, and put off sensible plans to our fiftieth and sixtieth years, aiming to begin life from a point at which few have arrived! '

Most people waste life with no direction. They are just tossed about by external events and end up going nowhere

,For suppose you should think that a man had had a long voyage who had been caught in a raging storm as he left harbour, and carried hither and thither and driven round and round in a circle by the rage of opposing winds? He did not have a long voyage, just a long tossing about,.

You have control of your life, don't blame your parents or your environment. You can change who you are and how you respond.

'We are in the habit of saying that it was not in our power to choose the parents who were allotted to us, that they were given to us by chance. But we can choose whose children we would like to be'

Guard your time

'Be careful of others who sabotage your time.How many days are left to you and not taken by others?

How many days has that defendant stolen from you? Or that candidate?....Or that influential friend who keeps people like you not for friendship but for display? Mark off, I tell you, and review the days of your life: you will see that very few - the useless remnants - have been left to you.'

Don't waste time on useless tasks

'dedication to useless tasks'

Have goals

'Many pursue no fixed goal, but are tossed about in everchanging designs by a fickleness which is shifting, inconstant and never satisfied with itself. Some have no aims at all for their life's course, but death takes them unawares as they yawn languidly'

Organise and plan your day. A good way to do this is a daily journal

'But the man who spends all his time on his own needs, who organizes every day as though it were his last, neither longs for nor fears the next day'

  

Live in  the moment

'But putting things off is the biggest waste of life: it snatches away each day as it comes, and denies us the present by promising the future. The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow and loses today. You are arranging what lies in Fortune's control, and abandoning what lies in yours'

Summary

Value your time and don't waste it. Most people know this but don't do this. Common sense is not common practice

Don't put things off. Live in the present.

Do not waste time on trivial worries.

Plan and organise your time.

LInks 

Link to summary: https://dailystoic.com/on-the-shortness-of-life-seneca/

Link to summary: https://jamesclear.com/book-summaries/on-the-shortness-of-life

Link to full book:  https://epdf.tips/on-the-shortness-of-life-penguin-great-ideas.html

Link to full book: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/On_the_shortness_of_life

Daily Habits of Successful People | Brian Tracy

What are the habits of successful people? How can we learn from them? This great video from Brian Tracy shows you their secrets.




What is it that successful people do habitually every single day, that leads to them being in the top 20% of money earners in our society? Well Aristotle said that 95% of everything you do is a result of habit so the rule is form good habits and make them your masters rather than allowing bad habits to form.

Good habits are hard to form but easy to live with. Bad habits are easy to form but hard to live with.

Now one of the turning points in my life and my study of psychology was the discovery that all habits are learned and can be unlearned actually you don't unlearn a habit you replace a bad habit with a good habit that has more powerful impact, how do you develop a good habit? You develop by repetition. Almost everything you  do from the time you get up is habit. so think what are the best habits to have.

1.Develop  the habit of daily goal setting and goal orientation. 

What does this mean?

1.  When you  go to sleep at night  think about your goals for the coming day
2. Make a list for each day  of all the goals thjat you are going to accomplish that day
3. Keep a journal and write down your goals on a regular basis
4. Throughout the day (e.g. when walking or driving) think about your goals

You do become what you thing about most of the time. You do achieve what you think about most of the time. So all successful and wealthy people think of their goals all the time

2 Be result orientated.

Results orientated people are always thinking of  the most important things that they can do right now to achieve their most important results. They make a list of everything they have to do and set priorities.

Here is a great way to become result orientated. When you have your list for the day, ask yourself If you can only do one thing today (as you will be called out of town), then what would it be. Put a circle around that and start on that immediately first thing  you do and then work on that one thing non stop until you complete that one activity. This simple technique has taken people form rags to riches all over the world for 100s of years. Pick your most important task and start on it immediately and discipline yourself to stay with it until it is completes.

3. Be people orientated

Recognize that everything you achieve in life is going to be with the help of other people . What is it that other people want and need from it. How can I help other people so they want to help me back. If you are in sales top salespeople think about their customers all the time. Who are they, what they want , how they can help them the most, and help them today.

In their relationships successful people are very focused on the most important people in their world in business and personal lives.

4.Be health orientated.

Think of eating less and better food.

Think of daily exercise.

Think of lots of rest. 

Remember to be successful in our competitive world you  need lots of energy. To get a lot of energy you need good food and lots of rest.

5.Stay Honest. 

Always tell the truth no matter the price.

6.Develop Self Discipline 

Self discipline seems to be the foundation habit that makes everything else possible. The best definition of self discipline is the ability to make yourself do what you should do when you should do it,whether you like it or not. Anyone can do it when they feel like it. It's only when you do it when you don't want to that you develop the self discipline.

What is the one habit you should develop right now to develop your other goals? Whatever it is start practicing that habit every day from now.

Taking Action - Exercise (Babyak et al., 2000)

Here's a great talk by psychologist Shawn Achor on why exercise is good for your success and happiness.



Everyone knows exercise is supposed to make you happier but we tell you the wrong reason for it. Usually we say  if you run enough maybe endorphins might get released and you might get addicted to those. Endorphines, these neurochemicals, they give you short term happiness but we are talking about today is long term quantifiable happiness and what we found is exercise does this but for a completely different reason. Exercise does this because it changes your tetris effect. What it does is people who exercise  also started eating healther on average. Why because their brain says I've been successful in one domain I bet I can be succcesful in  another domain.  which is why we found when senior level executives exercise in the morning they are better at dealing with their inbox at 2 oclock in the middle of the day. Two separate functions at two separate parts of the  day  and yet linked to the same activity. That activity is that you are getting your brain to believe your behaviour matters. If you exercise and go to work and you look around at other people you think I exercised and look at all these people that didn't , Even though that's the fist time you've exercised in a decade. you feel a moment of success and that moment of success translates into the very next action you take and just like we see in sports we see they get into the momentum of success that happens because they have an initial victory which leads to a cascading effect and those individuals start building an entire constellation of positive habits around them based on that first belief that my behaviour matters.

How to make stress your friend | Kelly McGonigal

Do you want to live longer? Do you want to deal better with stress. Listen to this talk by Kelly McGonigal to find out how.

Stress. It makes your heart pound, your breathing quicken and your forehead sweat. But while stress has been made into a public health enemy, new research suggests that stress may only be bad for you if you believe that to be the case. Psychologist Kelly McGonigal urges us to see stress as a positive, and introduces us to an unsung mechanism for stress reduction: reaching out to others.



So what should you do to live longer and be able to deal with stress. You should do the following  3 things.

1.Rethink your view to stress from being bad to something good that is making your body energised and ready for action. Stress actually has some benefits as it releases oxytocin which:
      i)Makes you more social.
     ii)It is anti-inflammatory
    iii)It repairs your heart

2.Care for others

3. Go after meaning in your life.

Rethink you view of Stress

Your belief changes your world and now has been shown to save your life.

An 8 year study of 30,000 people showed that people who did not view stress as harmful had the lowest risk of dying.

Another study analysing people under a stressful situation (the social stress test) would have blood vessels constricting normally but they wouldn't constrict if they viewed stress as a sign that their body was energized and preparing to meet a challenge. So you should think of the stress response as helpful, as it is preparing you for action.

Makes you social

Oxytocin is a neuro hormone. People don't realise it is a stress hormone pumped out by pituitary gland. It has been called the cuddle hormone. It makes you crave contact, seek support, increase empathy and make you help people.

Anti-inflammatory
Oxytocin is anti -inflammatory

Strengthens you heart
Oxytocin helps heart cells regenerate and heal form any stress induced damage

Caring for others

A study of 1000 adults with ages ranging  form 34 to 93 showed that people who spent time caring for others showed absolutely no stress related increase in dying. Caring created resilience

Go after meaning

Go after meaning is more important than avoiding discomfort.

How To Design a Remarkable Life

Would you like to have a remarkable life? Warning this exercise could seriously change you life for the better (and has for many people). Debbie constantly receives letters saying it has all come true.

This is an extract from a Tim Ferris Podcast where he talks to Debbie Millman. Debbie shares 'Your Ten Year Plan for a Remarkable Life' exercise she modified from Milton Glaser and  teaches in her classes. Here's the exercise

THE EXERCISE

So let say it is 10 years from now (eg Feb 2028. What does your life look like? What are you doing? Where are you living? Who are you living with? Do you have pets? What kind of house are you in? Is it an apartment are you in the city are you in the country? What does your furniture look like? What is your bed like? What are your sheets like? What kind of clothes do you wear? What kind of hair do you have?

Tell me about your pets, tell me about your significant other, do you have children? Do you have a car? Do you have a boat? Talk about your career. What do you want? What are you reading? What are you making? What excites you? What is your health like?

And write this day, this one day ten years from now. So one day in the winter of 2027, what does your whole day look like? Start from the minute you wake up, brush your teeth, have your coffee or tea, all the way through until minute you tuck yourself in at night. What is that day like for you?

Dream big, dreams without any fear. Write it all down. You don’t have to share it with anyone other than yourself. Put your whole heart into it. And write like there is no tomorrow; write like your life depends on it because it does.

And then read it, once a year, and see what happens. It i!s magic!It is astounding!


To listen to full podcast click below. The section about this exercise is at 1:33:51.

https://tim.blog/2017/01/12/how-to-design-a-life-debbie-millman/

TRANSFORM IN A WEEK AND MAKE 2018 THE BEST YEAR EVER

Einstein said to do the same thing over and over again and to expect different results is insanity.


We are approaching the end of February and this year is speeding past. New Year's resolutions have probably disappeared from sight. Before you know it this year would have passed by and it will the 31st December and you will be wondering, where did this year go?


STOP!


Now Imagine it is the 31st Dec and you are at a New Year's party and someone asks you what you did this year. Suddenly you have a big smile and you proceed to say how you are the healthiest you've ever been, in the best shape of your life, having a great job and feeling happy and it all started when you did the 'Transform in a week' process back in February. So START NOW and get ready to feel proud at the end of this year.
The transform in a week process has 7 steps, one for each day.Ideally do it with a friend as you can encourage each other. Good luck and keep me informed how it goes.




TRANSFORM IN A WEEK PROCESS

Day 1 Find a central place for your notes

Have you ever had a really good day where you have learnt a lot but then a few weeks later you can't remember what you did or how you did it. In this transformative  process you will be creating lasting change, so make sure you have notes that you can access easily and refer to constantly.
You could use a note taking app (Evernote or Onenote (for Microsoft fans), or Workflowy (if you like lists) or just write in a notebook. Whatever you do choose one before the end of the day.


Day 2 Goals

Set goals for the year. Remember when you were a kid and you were excited at Christmas. If you set the right goals, you will wake up in a similarly happy state.
Spend a good amount of time and just write all the goals you want to do.
Switch your critic off and just let your brain come out with what you would love to do. For each goal be specific, what would you like by when.
Lots of people focus on just money or fitness and then feel unfulfilled because they haven't thought about the 8 sides of their life. So as you are writing your goals, classify them in the following 8 headings and  make sure you have goals in each area.

1)Physical/Health
2)Financial
3)Spirtual
4)Mental
5)Family
6)Contribution/Social
7)Vocation
8)Fun

Think about these goals before you go to sleep and let your subconcious work on them. Thomas Edison used to this and enables you to use all the amazing resources of your subconscious to drive you to success.


Day 3 Make a Compelling Vision

With all the goals you have written choose the top 3 and write them down and put them

a) Next to your bed
b) In your wallet / purse

You should look at these all the time and say them out loud every morning and night.

Also create a vision board with all your goals. This will be a board with all pictures of your successful goals. Again put this next to your bed so you see it constantly.


Day 4 Reason why

This is the big one.
Victor Frankl in his amazing book 'Man's search for Meaning ' wrote that the people who survived the terrors of  the  concentration camps where the ones with a reason why. If you have a big enough why you can bear any how.
A good trick is to make it not about yourself. Think if you can succeed you can provide for your kids or your parents or your loved ones.
So think about your reason why. Make it a big one as this is what will drive you to success.


Day 5 Feedback system

Once you have your goals and direction you need to know when you getting closer or further away so you need some feedback system.
At the end of each day think what went well and what could be improved.
With the things that went well - can you make them better or can you use the techniques in a different area of your life.
With the things that could be improved - how could you improve them. Is there anything from another area of your life that you could use to improve this area. Ideally write 3 possible options and then the next time the same situation occurs you will have options to come to a different solution.


Day 6 Measurement vs goals  and iterate

Would you like to know the secret of success? The head of IBM Thomas J Watson said if you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate. So you need attempt and reattempt and change each reattempt based on the feedback you receive. So you need to measure where you are against your goals and what you need to do to change.
With your initial goals, break them down into monthly and weekly goals then start doing actions to get there.
I remember Tony Robbins used to smile when everyone said he had a natural talent for public speaking. All the other speakers were presenting a few times a month wheras Tony was presenting a few times a day. So once you know your broken down goals just attempt and reattempt , re-adjusting for each attempt based on feedback.


Day 7 Accountability and Environment

The easiest and quickest way to get where you want to get is to hang out with people who have already got there. This is like an elastic band. If the people around you are better than and you fall behind, just like an elastic band you will spring back to their level. This also works the other way that if the people in your environment are much more negative, they will drag you down.

They also say that you are the average (in terms of money, fitness, happiness, everything) of the 5 people you spend the most time with. Look through the people you spend the most time with. Do they give you energy or take away energy? Do they inspire you or make you feel down?
Ensure that you surround yourself with people who inspire and help you reach your goals

Also find someone and share your goals. Then put a weekly call to ensure that you are accountable to each other. 

I would  love to hear of your successes, challengers and  processors. Please write in the comments to tell me of  your journey! Good luck. Here is to the best year ever.

Ikigai - The Secret To A Long And Happy Life

Do you have a fulfilling life? If not check out this great article by Thomas Oppong talking about a Japanese concept to have a happy life.

Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life Might Just Help You Live a More Fulfilling Life

In Japan, millions of people have ikigai (pronounced Ick-ee-guy)— a reason to jump out of bed each morning.

What’s your reason for getting up in the morning?

The Japanese island of Okinawa, where ikigai has its origins, is said to be home to the largest population of centenarians in the world.

Could the concept of ikigai contribute to longevity?

Dan Buettner, author of Blue Zones: Lessons on Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest, believes it does.

According to Buettner, the concept of ikigai is not exclusive to Okinawans: “there might not be a word for it but in all four blue zones such as Sardinia and Nicoya Peninsula, the same concept exists among people living long lives.”

Buettner suggests making three lists: your values, things you like to do, and things you are good at. The cross section of the three lists is your ikigai.

Studies show that losing one’s purpose can have a detrimental effect.

American mythologist and author Joseph Campbell once said, “My general formula for my students is “Follow your bliss.” Find where it is, and don’t be afraid to follow it.”

“Your ikigai is at the intersection of what you are good at and what you love doing,” says Hector Garcia, the co-author of Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life. He writes,“Just as humans have lusted after objects and money since the dawn of time, other humans have felt dissatisfaction at the relentless pursuit of money and fame and have instead focused on something bigger than their own material wealth. This has over the years been described using many different words and practices, but always hearkening back to the central core of meaningfulness in life.”



ikigai is seen as the convergence of four primary elements:

· What you love (your passion)

· What the world needs (your mission)

· What you are good at (your vocation)

· What you can get paid for (your profession)

Discovering your own ikigai is said to bring fulfilment, happiness and make you live longer.

Want to find your Ikigai? Ask yourself the following four questions:

1. What do I love?

2. What am I good at?

3. What can I be paid for now — or something that could transform into my future hustle?

4. What does the world need?

In their book Ikigai The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life, Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles break down the ten rules that can help anyone find their own ikigai.

1. Stay active and don’t retire

2. Leave urgency behind and adopt a slower pace of life

3. Only eat until you are 80 per cent full

4. Surround yourself with good friends

5. Get in shape through daily, gentle exercise

6. Smile and acknowledge people around you

7. Reconnect with nature

8. Give thanks to anything that brightens our day and makes us feel alive.

9. Live in the moment

10. Follow your ikigai

What you deeply care about can unlock your ikigai

Follow your curiosity.

Philosopher and civil rights leader Howard W Thurman said, “Ask what makes you come alive and go do it.” … “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

The problem for millions of people is that they stop being curious about new experiences as they assume responsiblities and build routines.

Their sense of wonder starts to escape them.

But you can change that, especially if you are still looking for meaning and fulfilment in what you do daily.

Albert Einstein encourages us to pursue our curiosities. He once said:

“Don’t think about why you question, simply don’t stop questioning. Don’t worry about what you can’t answer, and don’t try to explain what you can’t know. Curiosity is its own reason. Aren’t you in awe when you contemplate the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure behind reality? And this is the miracle of the human mind — to use its constructions, concepts, and formulas as tools to explain what man sees, feels and touches. Try to comprehend a little more each day. Have holy curiosity.”

A classic example is Steve Jobs’ curiosity for typefaces which led him to attend a seemingly useless class on typography and to develop his design sensibility.

Later, this sensibility became an essential part of Apple computers and Apple’s core differentiator in the market.

We are born curious. Our insatiable drive to learn, invent, explore, and study deserves to have the same status as every other drive in our lives.

Fulfilment is fast becoming the main priority for most of us. Millions of people still struggle to find what they are meant to do. What excites them. What makes them lose the sense of time. What brings out the best in them.

“Our intuition and curiosity are very powerful internal compasses to help us connect with our ikigai,” Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles write.

What is the one simple thing you could do or be today that would be an expression of your ikigai?

Find it and pursue it with all you have, anything less is not worth your limited time on planet earth.

Thomas Oppong: https://journal.thriveglobal.com/ikigai-the-japanese-secret-to-a-long-and-happy-life-might-just-help-you-live-a-more-fulfilling-9871d01992b7

MOAI - THE SECRET TO A HAPPIER LIFE

Have you heard of MOAI? - The Japanese secret for a longer, healthier, happier life. This is an interesting article by Shelley Prevost about this. 

Build a “moai” for better relationships, longer life

Residents of Okinawa, Japan, are considered an extraordinarily healthy and happy cohort, where members live well into their 100s. Researchers wanted to know why. One of the things they discovered is a remarkable tradition called “moai” (mo-eye).

A moai is an informal group created by people who commit to offer emotional, social or even financial assistance to one another. The concept originated when farmers would meet on a regular basis to discuss the best ways to plant crops and how to support one another should their crops fail.

Today, members of these social cooperatives meet one another’s practical needs-problem-solving, planning, pooling resources and collaborating. They also serve as extended family where social and emotional needs are met-managing a crisis, reducing stress, connecting emotionally and, at times, assuaging grief. Essentially, a moai is a group of people who “have your back” and commit to all aspects of your well-being.

Are you in a moai? If not, you should be. Here’s why.

Members of a moai live longer. Because of contagion theory, where behaviors in a group spread among group members, a moai also helps sustain a healthy lifestyle. If one member of the moai eats well and exercises, it spreads to other members, quickly becoming the group norm.

Members of a moai are happier. Social cohesion is the bedrock of happiness. If we’re connected to others emotionally, then our need for love and belonging is fulfilled. We need emotionally intimacy in order to be happy.

Members of a moai are less stressed. Like a small team, they help you problem-solve everything from parenting dilemmas to career crises. During a crisis, a moai disperses the stress among the members so that no one receives a blow without others pitching in to help.

Members of a moai have secure attachments. We aren’t meant to “go it alone.” With extended families being co-located or just far away, your moai provide a sense of emotional safety and grounding. They are the people that you can always turn to.

Building your moai takes some time and effort, and it won’t happen overnight. Thankfully, it really only requires one thing: courage.

We need courage to be vulnerable and open with the people in our circle. Vulnerability is what allows us to talk about self-doubt, “shadow” emotions like jealousy and hate, and even say “I love you.” Through vulnerability, we build trust, and we all know this is the foundation of great relationships. Without trust, friendship is reduced to a high-maintenance acquaintance. Inch your way toward building trust, and see what happens. Reach out. Invite someone to lunch. You may have to “go first,” but the risk may very well be the thing that ignites more courage in you, creating an upward spiral of new possibilities.

We also need courage in order to confront our own self-defeating beliefs. Within all of us is a little reel that loops an invisible yet potentially destructive script (that goes something like “You’re not good enough,” “If people really knew you, they’d never like you” or “When you change _______, you’ll be lovable”). Fight the urge to listen to this script by calling on your courage to believe something different. Believe that you are worthy of belonging. This TED Talk does a great job describing this shame-vulnerability-courage dynamic, and I highly recommend watching it (set aside 18 uninterrupted minutes).

Courage is risky business. It means you venture out into unknown territory with no promise of reciprocation. It means you finally let go of deeply held beliefs about yourself that serve no purpose other than to protect and, ultimately, destroy you. But courage also may be the catalyst that changes the course of relationships in your life for the better. Just try.

Shelley Prevost: http://nooga.com/155096/build-a-moai-for-better-relationships-longer-life/

THE SECRET TO A FULFILLING LIFE

Great article by Melanie Curtin, writing about one of the longest studies on human development, health, well-being and happiness.
You might think you know what would make you happy and fulfilled but the data doesn't lie. This will tell you what you should focus on  for a healthy, wealthy and wise life!

This 80-Year Harvard Study Found the 1 Secret to Leading a Fulfilling Life

Here's some wisdom gleaned from one of the longest longitudinal studies ever conducted.

                                                            Credit: Getty Images

Prioritizing what's important is challenging in today's world. The split focus required to maintain a career and a home, not to mention a Facebook feed, can feel overwhelming.

Enter the science of what to prioritize, when.

For over 80years, Harvard's Grant and Glueck study has tracked the physical and emotional well-being of two populations: 456 poor men growing up in Boston from 1939 to 2014 (the Grant Study), and 268 male graduates from Harvard's classes of 1939-1944 (the Glueck study).

Due to the length of the research period, this has required multiple generations of researchers. Since before WWII, they've diligently analyzed blood samples, conducted brain scans (once they became available), and pored over self-reported surveys, as well as actual interactions with these men, to compile the findings.

The conclusion? According to Robert Waldinger, director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, one thing surpasses all the rest in terms of importance:

"The clearest message that we get from this 75-year study is this: Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period."

Not how much is in your 401(k). Not how many conferences you spoke at--or keynoted. Not how many blog posts you wrote or how many followers you had or how many tech companies you worked for or how much power you wielded there or how much you vested at each.

No, the biggest predictor of your happiness and fulfillment overall in life is, basically, love.

Specifically, the study demonstrates that having someone to rely on helps your nervous system relax, helps your brain stay healthier for longer, and reduces both emotional as well as physical pain.

The data is also very clear that those who feel lonely are more likely to see their physical health decline earlier and die younger.

"It's not just the number of friends you have, and it's not whether or not you're in a committed relationship," says Waldinger. "It's the quality of your close relationships that matters."

What that means is this: It doesn't matter whether you have a huge group of friends and go out every weekend or if you're in a "perfect" romantic relationship (as if those exist). It's the quality of the relationships--how much vulnerability and depth exists within them; how safe you feel sharing with one another; the extent to which you can relax and be seen for who you truly are, and truly see another.

According to George Vaillant, the Harvard psychiatrist who directed the study from 1972 to 2004, there are two foundational elements to this: "One is love. The other is finding a way of coping with life that does not push love away."

Thus, if you've found love (in the form of a relationship, let's say) but you undergo a trauma like losing a job, losing a parent, or losing a child, and you don't deal with that trauma, you could end up "coping" in a way that pushes love away.

This is a very good reminder to prioritize not only connection but your own capacity to process emotions and stress. If you're struggling, get a good therapist. Join a support group. Invest in a workshop. Get a grief counselor. Take personal growth seriously so you are available for connection.

Because the data is clear that, in the end, you could have all the money you've ever wanted, a successful career, and be in good physical health, but without loving relationships, you won't be happy.

The next time you're scrolling through Facebook instead of being present at the table with your significant other, or you're considering staying late at the office instead of getting together with your close friend, or you catch yourself working on a Saturday instead of going to the farmer's market with your sister, consider making a different choice.

"Relationships are messy and they're complicated," acknowledges Waldinger. But he's adamant in his research-backed assessment:

"The good life is built with good relationships."

Melanie Curtin: https://www.inc.com/melanie-curtin/want-a-life-of-fulfillment-a-75-year-harvard-study-says-to-prioritize-this-one-t.html