Vitality and Long Living

It is not odd these days to see lethargic 20-year-olds drooping over tables at a fast food restaurant ‒ while watching a 90-year-old dance is a rare sight. Having had the gift of working with more than a quarter million people over the last half century, I have employed the vitality measurement as much as any other tool.

Just today, I spoke to an alumnus who attended the program in 1993, with her then 79-year-old grandmother. Together we recalled how this amazing “young at heart” woman danced for two hours while the Wheatgrass Band was rocking away.

At the pools, she was a surrogate swim instructor; in the classes she cheered everyone on. Needless to say, she was a glowing example of a woman on a mission of joy. She had just passed away, at 106.

What is it that diff erentiates people’s perception of life, between that of a tough and miserable existence and one of exploration, discovery, and elated adventure? Conventional psychiatrists may say it’s their brain chemistry; allopathic doctors would blame their genes; spiritual leaders would question their religious devotion; and I’d ask “Have they found their passion?”.

Lost ships in the night clog the waterways of the world, due to the foggy conditions that their lack of clarity and absence of values create. Wandering souls are desperate for guidance, and all too often, unscrupulous voices answer the call. Our cultural adherence to conformity causes a wide assortment of problems. At the top of the list are the limiting beliefs that are imposed on us. Exceptional parents who are balanced, happy, and giving, have their own restrictive patterns. How about the broken mom and dad who disseminate their own fear to their off spring? What a society we live in that thinks more about protecting themselves than they do of sharing.

People who are charged with their own passion, are on course to fulfi llment.

When reaching this reservoir, they quench their thirst, determined to continue on and raise their own bar.

Self-perpetuating growth and progress must be fueled and ignited by an unwavering determination to satisfy one’s own heart. There is never failure on the path to self-realization, only bumps that massage and increase your inner strength.

Every person is a candidate to live a long and happy life. There is no social status, gender, or race that has any more or less advantage. Freedom of thought and application of discovery is the duo of greatness that allows fruitful accomplishments to be reached. 

There is no rest time needed for those pursuing enrichment of the soul, and each plateau that they reach becomes a springboard for greater adventure. Richard Branson was once asked why he created an airline, a railway, and a record company. His answer was clear and simple: “Because I believed I could do a better job than what was being currently off ered.”

The interviewer went on to ask: “What makes you continue to reach out to the stars?” He responded by saying: “Because I think
I can feel even better.” Those who know that all acts should be encompassing life enhancing progress will be those people who live long and love vitally.

Recently, I spoke to a couple who have been married for 68 years and asked what was their recipe for success? This duo responded in unison like choral singers, saying the same thing: “It is exciting to be with someone who is excited to be with me.” This mature partnership led them to learn that why any of us do anything well is because fi rst and always, it personally fi lls us with joy. When partners fi nd this magic, it results in good marriages; when co-workers harmonize, it is successful business; when all humanity lets go of fear, it will result in the elimination of hatred, separation, war, and all other “isms”.

As natural history and biological science knows, all creatures living in their natural environment, can live seven times the length of their maturity.

For example, a bird that becomes an adult at one will live seven years. We humans physically mature around 20. Twenty times seven is 140. How many of you have ever met somebody of that age? Our own limiting factors have boxed us into a lifespan and robbed us of an exhilarating existence. As a result of this, we don’t only self-destruct, we contribute to the destruction of the very earth that we live on. Even though many of you will say it is Utopian to believe that we can break out of this destructive pattern, it is truly our birthright to do so. If you want to live to a ripe old age and still be sweet and vibrant in your golden years, start by challenging your own belief systems.

Assemble the essential trio of pristine plant foods, with vibrant movement, and exercise, topping it off with the humbleness to release all blockages. This life is yours and it is up to you to live it to the fullest and create the story that you aspire to!