Let's look at health.
Two ways of looking at health have developed over the last 40 years.
One group sees health as something a doctor maintains.
You go to the doctor.
He issues a prescription.
If that pill doesn't resolve the problem, you go back again.
By the time you're through you may be taking 10 different pills.
The second group approaches their health a little more creatively.
They look at the evidence from other cultures that don't live and eat the way we do.
They see that these people are healthier, and don't suffer from the same diseases that we do.
So instead of going to the doctor for a pill, they change the way they live.
They exercise.
They eat a diet high in plant foods.
The eliminate excess refined foods and fats.
While both groups have some concern for their health, which group do you think feels they have more control over their health? Let's look at finances.
There are multiple ways of dealing with finances.
Some cause more anxiety than others.
Being completely dependent upon Social Security creates a great deal of stress.
There is uncertainty as to the stability of the whole system.
And even with cost-of-living adjustments, it doesn't keep up.
Seniors who looked at retirement as that goal in life are much more likely to find finances one of the stresses they have to deal with in retirement.
The creative group of seniors stops looking at retirement as something to attain.
Instead they look at life is a continuum where you can choose to cut back as you get older, but you never disengage in life.
There are CEOs of major corporations in their late 80s still making a contribution.
They don't retire.
They remain involved.
Their life continues to have meaning, and they continue to earn money almost as a sideline.
And it probably isn't a surprise that these seniors stay healthier.
Let's look at relationships.
Basically, seniors have three kinds of relationships in life.
They have family, a close inner social circle and a broader social circle.
Loss of the broader social circle, such as the friends you have at church or at work, has some impact but most seniors can deal with this loss.
But loss of a close inner social circle or family is the real concern.
Many seniors complain, especially as they get older, that all their friends have died off.
Sometimes even their children have died.
And they really feel alone.
This is more likely to happen to someone who is naturally shy and finds making friends difficult.
Creative seniors, even the shy ones, realize the value of maintaining connections with others.
While losing someone you love is painful, failing to open yourself up to others is even more painful, because it leaves you feeling lonely, disconnected, washed up.
The creative senior looks for opportunities to interact with people.
It might be church, or volunteering at the blood bank, or attending a workshop.
It might be volunteering as a "grandma" or "grandpa" for a foster child.
There are many ways to get involved, and the creative senior looks for them.
Creative seniors retain their independence longer, because living life to its fullest supports better health.
And when you have better health, it's easier to stay in your home.
Two ways of looking at health have developed over the last 40 years.
One group sees health as something a doctor maintains.
You go to the doctor.
He issues a prescription.
If that pill doesn't resolve the problem, you go back again.
By the time you're through you may be taking 10 different pills.
The second group approaches their health a little more creatively.
They look at the evidence from other cultures that don't live and eat the way we do.
They see that these people are healthier, and don't suffer from the same diseases that we do.
So instead of going to the doctor for a pill, they change the way they live.
They exercise.
They eat a diet high in plant foods.
The eliminate excess refined foods and fats.
While both groups have some concern for their health, which group do you think feels they have more control over their health? Let's look at finances.
There are multiple ways of dealing with finances.
Some cause more anxiety than others.
Being completely dependent upon Social Security creates a great deal of stress.
There is uncertainty as to the stability of the whole system.
And even with cost-of-living adjustments, it doesn't keep up.
Seniors who looked at retirement as that goal in life are much more likely to find finances one of the stresses they have to deal with in retirement.
The creative group of seniors stops looking at retirement as something to attain.
Instead they look at life is a continuum where you can choose to cut back as you get older, but you never disengage in life.
There are CEOs of major corporations in their late 80s still making a contribution.
They don't retire.
They remain involved.
Their life continues to have meaning, and they continue to earn money almost as a sideline.
And it probably isn't a surprise that these seniors stay healthier.
Let's look at relationships.
Basically, seniors have three kinds of relationships in life.
They have family, a close inner social circle and a broader social circle.
Loss of the broader social circle, such as the friends you have at church or at work, has some impact but most seniors can deal with this loss.
But loss of a close inner social circle or family is the real concern.
Many seniors complain, especially as they get older, that all their friends have died off.
Sometimes even their children have died.
And they really feel alone.
This is more likely to happen to someone who is naturally shy and finds making friends difficult.
Creative seniors, even the shy ones, realize the value of maintaining connections with others.
While losing someone you love is painful, failing to open yourself up to others is even more painful, because it leaves you feeling lonely, disconnected, washed up.
The creative senior looks for opportunities to interact with people.
It might be church, or volunteering at the blood bank, or attending a workshop.
It might be volunteering as a "grandma" or "grandpa" for a foster child.
There are many ways to get involved, and the creative senior looks for them.
Creative seniors retain their independence longer, because living life to its fullest supports better health.
And when you have better health, it's easier to stay in your home.
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