That headline in VegOut Magazine captured my attention the other day and it really caused me to think about an answer.
I have noted repeatedly that aging is inevitable, but growing old is optional. However, contemplating aging with purpose is a whole new game because the stakes are high.
In fact, VegOut noted that the differences between a person aging by default or with purpose becomes evident by age 67. But, for people who opt to age by default, the magazine suggested the process is irreversible by age 75.
Personally, I think the difference is noticeable long before someone reaches 67 and the process is difficult to reverse within a few years of deciding you are just going to “go with the flow.”
I noticed this in 2019 after I shut down my news publication that had been my identity and source of purpose for nearly 20 years. With nothing to do, I settled into a rut within months of blowing up that business.
The nonsense associated with COVID certainly accelerated the aging-by-default process. It forced me into isolation and removed all opportunities to have meaningful connections with people for more than two years.
Fortunately, a good friend saw something had changed in my thought process as my life started to drift as if I was being carried along by an unseen tide. That friend reminded me of the importance of having meaning and purpose in my life. He was right.
There are several studies that show people who retire before age 65 are often dead within three years, and that is especially true for men.
I have personally seen the devastating impact just waking up and watching TV all day can have on people who lose all enthusiasm for life as the walls of the rut slowly swallow them.
VegOut identified 11 intentional habits people adopt that ensures they do not drift by default. Here are my favorites:
They learn something uncomfortable every week. That means they are forcing their brains to think as they learn new skills or new information.
They intentionally develop their social circles. Too many times seasoned citizens simply do nothing as their friends move away or die. Soon they are left with the same group of people sitting at the same table at McDonalds on the same day every week rehashing the same world problems they talked about last time they met.
They maintain a project that outlives the day. Having something to return to day after day gives them another reason for living. It could be tending a garden or writing their life story. Whatever it is, it connects tomorrow with yesterday and today to give them a reason to get out of bed.
They create more than they consume. The creation process generates energy all by itself.
They stay curious about their own evolution. Their perspectives shift and they become students of their own personal development. “They are curious about who they’re still becoming rather than mourning who they used to be,” the article noted.
I encourage you to read all 11 intentional habits suggested by VegOut and work to adopt as many as you can to ensure that you don’t “vegout” and allow your golden years to drift by without meaning or purpose.
