It seems that once we “grow up,” we begin to “act old.” We lose our zest for life, replacing excitement for responsibility. Of course, we need to be responsible – adulthood requires that of us. But can we increase in maturity without sacrificing exuberance?
Many years ago, I made a list of the practices I felt would keep me youthful and vital. Recently, I found this list and realized how critical it is to grow young intentionally. Time can be cruel, so I have made this little checklist of the actions, habits, and mindsets I want to foster that will keep my heart young and my step light.
10 Practices to Grow Young
1. Passionate - Find your passion and pursue it vigorously
· Our passion doesn’t need to be our job. What is necessary is that we find (or remember) what we are passionate about and rekindle that passion.
2. Purposeful - Invest your life in something bigger than you.
· The world needs people who are committed to making a positive difference. Whether our cause is global or local, joy comes with living for something bigger than ourselves.
3. Giving – Give and serve. Help others thrive! Invest in people younger than yourself.
· When we are young, investing in those younger than ourselves may not seem necessary. As we get older, we learn that as we connect to, relate with, and offer the wisdom of our successes and failures, we benefit from the energy and vitality of those we help.
4. Strong - Take care of your body. Strive to beat the clock at all times.
· The health benefits of exercise and activity are beyond dispute. It literally keeps us young. Whether we are in our 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s or 60s, like me, staying active pays massive dividends.
5. Grateful - Be grateful for each day. Write and speak your gratitude!
· With enough time, our bodies will grow weaker. But our hearts can grow in gratitude until our last breath. Gratitude is both a discipline and a habit. Practiced daily, it can transform the hardest life.
6. Joyful - Smile, laugh, find joy every day.
· In dark seasons, joy does not come naturally: we pursue joy and discover joy in unlikely places. Find new joy. Smile at a child. Laugh at a comedy. Find joy in a walk.
7. Adventurous - Always be planning an adventure.
· We all need something to look forward to. The harder the season, the more critical it is to have an adventure on the horizon. The adventure need not be huge; it just needs to capture our excitement and create hope.
8. Curious - Crave curiosity.
· Find your places of curiosity and dive in! Better yet, develop a curiosity habit. Ask others lots of questions! Always be learning!
9. Loving - Never forget that people make life rich, not money.
· Money has its place – and it is behind people!
10. Positive - Be an eternal optimist.
· Choose to see the good and be a voice of positivity. It is possible to be optimistic and realistic at the same time.
My encouragement to you is to look over this list and find the one Achilles heel that is aging you and making you feel old. Give that one weak area your focused attention. Then, return to the list in a month and see if something else needs your effort. Regardless of your age, use this list as a reminder of the kind of older person you want to become.
Such good advice. Thanks for the reminder!
I'd love to know which of these practices you think is most important for you?