Don’t just lengthen your life, broaden it too

A few years ago when I turned 50, my doctor told me that if I died now, people wouldn’t think much of it as I had already lived for half a century. His attitude shocked me because I didn’t consider 50 to be very old.

My mom had lived to be 82 and my dad was in his late 80s at the time, so it seemed to me that turning 50 wasn’t much more than a good start.

Yeah, I know people die in their 50s, so it seemed like a good idea to lengthen my years by taking better care of myself -- eating better and exercising more.  But that just increases your years. We also need to think about increasing our living by broadening our life.

I know a fellow who retired at 60 and has almost spent every day of his life since sitting in his easy chair in front of his TV. He’s now in his mid-70s. He’s happy, I guess, but his lifestyle seems a little one dimensional. After you get done visiting with him about the latest episode of the “Big Bang Theory”, we’ve pretty much exhausted his knowledge of current events.

Keep looking for the next
adventure

As for me, I want to not only live longer, but I also want to live broader. So I’ve landed on 10 things that a young person might want to consider to live a bigger life…not just a longer one.

1.  Get a quality education in a field that you will enjoy. The underpinnings of a broad life generally require a good job…because some things are going to cost money. If you can’t afford to travel, that’s going to be a problem later on. Going to college is also a great way to run into a lot of different people. Many will try to change you and broaden your perspective. Hemingway called this a “moveable feast.” College will stay with you forever.
2. Marry someone interesting and adventuresome. I always thought I wanted to marry a woman just like dear old mom until I met someone who was just like my 60-year-old mom and then I thought, “Hey, mom wasn’t always 60. When she was 20, she traveled to Florida to be with my dad who was in the service. She had spunk at 20.” And so I decided that marrying someone in their 20s who acted like she was 60 was a bad choice.
3.  Have children. They’ll not only keep you young physically but they will also keep you young mentally. It was because of our children that we took a leap of faith and bought a CD player, and a computer, and a….well you get the picture. Now in their mid-20s, they are still telling me about fashionable clothes, popular music and the hottest video games.
4. Travel. We have seen some beautiful places and met some wonderful people because we have a love for travel. We have an entire family in Brazil that loves us very much when we fly 4,000 miles to see them. We have been to Hawaii so often that sitting on the beach and watching the waves come in, one after another, is probably the only thing that we aren’t tired of. I’ve also literally been to the top of the world…north of the Arctic Circle. Even riding a speed boat over the rapids of Oregon’s Rogue River has been a thrill I’ll never forget.
5. Find a job that challenges you and then do that job so well that people around you feel like you are deserving of being promoted. I’ve had a couple of great jobs that fit my talents well. Generally, I tell people that I’m a writer…but that’s just the basic skill that I possess. I’ve built that one skill into many and it’s helped me provide more value to my employer which has increased my value to them and thus my paycheck. Like the old saying goes, the harder I work, the luckier I am.
6. Join a club or  a church and become a volunteer….or do something else that helps you meet people. Then try to do something that you would never dare do otherwise. For me, it was public speaking. I was deathly afraid of public speaking so I joined a Toastmasters Club in 1989. I not only learned to speak but I also learned leadership skills. When I was only in my mid-30s, I was a district governor of Toastmasters in North Dakota and western Minnesota and the experience was worth my weight in gold. It opened up so many doors…back then and still today.
7. The next time you want to say “No”, say “Yes” instead. There is an old saying that says “Success comes in Cans and not in Cannots.” By saying yes, I’ve had many opportunities to broaden my horizons. Right now, I’m on the board of directors of a church-based pre-school….because I said yes. I’m speaking on behalf of the pre-school to a group of ladies…because I said yes.
8. Remember, family comes first so don’t become married to your job. I’ve had lucrative opportunities present themselves that would have taken me away from my family. I turned them down because my family has always come first and I’ve never regretted that. Pound for pound, I get more love from my family than a paycheck. I want people to look at me and say, “There’s a guy who is always there for his family.
9. Wear a smile, crack a joke, and don’t forget to say you’re sorry if you make a mistake. In other words, be the kind of friend you would like to hang out with. Be approachable. And don’t take yourself too seriously.
10.  Find a hobby that you like and delve into it. For me, I probably have more interests than actual hobbies. Or maybe I’m a little too nervous to like anything too long. I like to garden, cook, read and watch sports. When I can, I like to go to professional baseball games. This has been a lot of fun and I’ll never forget my trip to the baseball hall of fame. I still have a dream of going to Yankee Stadium. I’ve been to New York several times and I’ve seen Shea Stadium and the Mets. I’ve also seen the Yankees, but that was in Minneapolis. I would like to see the men in pinstripes play in the House that Ruth Built.

So there’s my 10 tips….your recipe might be different, but don’t forget: Broaden your life. You’ll never regret it.