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How long do you want to live?
I’m not talking about being mindless in a wheelchair… but living vibrantly with the cognition, esthetics, and mobility of your youthful self.
That’s my mission (and hopefully yours): to learn what it will take to add 20 or even 30+ healthy years onto our lives—so that we can live long enough to intercept the slew of age-reversal therapeutics that will be available in the coming years.
These will be therapeutics uncovered by AI and quantum chemistry, utilizing epigenetic reprogramming, CRISPR, gene therapy, and cellular medicine (just to name a few of the techniques) to increase our healthspan.
Given all of these exciting developments, there are strong reasons to be optimistic about adding healthy decades to your life.
In today’s blog, I’ll discuss how having a Longevity Mindset can maximize YOUR healthspan and why it’s so important to me personally.
Let’s dive in!
The “Will to Live”: Your Mindset Matters!
A key part of your Longevity Mindset involves being excited about the future and having something to live for and look forward to.
My coach, Dan Sullivan of Strategic Coach®, puts it this way, “Always make your future bigger than your past.”
Tony Robbins says, “Having a bigger purpose to live for is absolutely key to longevity.”
My favorite story illustrating this comes from the annals of American history.
As it turns out, in an extraordinary demonstration of “the will to live,” two of America’s Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, both willed themselves to live long enough to see the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Even though in the early 1800s the average life expectancy was only 44 years, Jefferson (who was 83) and Adams (who was 90) made it to July 4, 1826, both dying on that exact date, the 50th anniversary of the nation they had founded.
Clearly, they had a goal in mind, something to live for!
So, how long do you think you’ll live? Until you’re 80 years old? Maybe 100?
What mindset or purpose would you require to set a target of 120 healthy years and make it there?
Your health is your greatest wealth, and today is the most extraordinary time to be alive.
Please begin to change how you discuss your lifespan (and healthspan) with others. Make it known to friends and family (with conviction) that you’re shooting for 100, 120, or even 156. Pick a number that inspires you and program that into your mind.
Optimists live 15% Longer!
Again, your MINDSET MATTERS... and it turns out that optimists live longer.
I came across an incredibly compelling piece of data on why you should be optimistic about an extended healthspan—and why you should be optimistic in general.
In a study of 69,744 women and 1,429 men, published in the prestigious journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, it was found that optimistic people live as much as 15% longer than pessimists.
The study was conducted over the course of 3 decades, controlling for health conditions, behaviors like diet and exercise, and other demographic information.
There is a lot to be grateful for—and a lot under your control.
Evaluating Your Longevity Mindset
As I mentioned in the last blog, every year I hold a high-end, 5-day Platinum Longevity Trip where I bring together investors and family offices for a deep-dive into the entrepreneurs, scientists, and CEOs transforming this industry.
Over the course of the 5 days, participants hear from over 40 leaders in the field in areas ranging from sleep and diet to stem cells and gene therapies.
At the beginning of the Trip, and then again at the end, I have them take a self-assessment on their Longevity Mindset.
I’ve included a simplified version of it below if you want to evaluate your own mindset.
For each of the 5 Mindset Areas, rate yourself 1 through 10 and then add up your score. The maximum is 50.
So, how do you score?
Why I Want to Increase My Healthspan
One of the most important conversations you can have with yourself, your friends, and loved ones is to ask the following question: “What would you do with an extra 30 years of healthspan?”
Having a clear vision and emotionally connecting on why that is important to you makes all the difference in the world.
The results are powerful. For me, my motivations for getting an extra 30 years of healthspan are many, but primarily:
#1. I had kids later in life (twin boys born when I was 50). I want to see them thrive and meet my grandkids and great grandkids.
#2. I want to see humanity settle the Moon (and go there myself), reach Mars, build O’Neill colonies, and settle space. I’m a child of the 60s when the Apollo program and that scientific documentary Star Trek showed us how far humanity can reach. I want to see it all.
#3. I’m excited to see how the development of brain-computer interfaces proceeds, helps pioneer our ability to connect our consciousness with the cloud, and even pioneers the ability for humans to “upload” our minds. (Yes, I know this is pretty far out, but heck I’m 62, and a lot can happen in the next 60-plus years!)
So, what are your motivations for added longevity?
Being clear about WHY you want added years of health and connecting with that emotional motivation is an important part of powering your Longevity Mindset... It’s how you announce to the Universe that you’ve got A LOT MORE to contribute to the world!
