This article was written at the time of Wimbledon, the Test between The British and Irish Lions, and the Tour de France. While these events may have passed and the respective results known, the key message of this article remains, namely the importance of always having something to look forward to.
Important Message If You Want to Live Longer
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Dr_Neil_Flanagan]Dr Neil Flanagan
Wow! What a weekend we’re in for. There’s Wimbledon, the decider between the British and Irish Lions and the Wallabies, and the Tour de France gets down to business after sight-seeing around Corsica. Add to this sporting extravaganza your own list of things you’ll be looking forward to, and we’re in for a grand time. It’s not only that Wimbledon is one of the world’s number one tennis tournaments but it’s also the oldest (first held in 1877). The Lion’s-Wallabies Test promises to be sensational, although you never know with ‘the game played in Heaven’. And the Tour will ensure that sleep will be the only thing missing over this weekend of sport.
Too bad if you’re not into sport, or you’re reading this after you know the results of the tennis and the Test. Just make sure that you replace these events with others.
Having something to look forward to is an important part of living a longer, better life. It’s more than 10 years since The Berlin Aging Study, but one of its major findings is just as current, and relevant, as it was back then. The Study identified that one key characteristic of people who lived to be 100 was that they had some reason to get up the next day-and the next-and the next. And that something to look forward to need not be major, life-changing events. So, if tennis, Rugby, or cycling are not your ‘cups of tea’, make sure you choose something else that is. As long as the event has meaning for you (and doesn’t harm anyone else, of course), that’s all that matters. A holiday, a family outing, a night out, gardening, hugging the grandkids, all qualify: what gets the hunger-juices going for one person might mean nothing to another.
Keep in mind that no one can tell you what specifically should appear on your radar screen of big-deal events: what you should be looking forward to. In a world where many are eager to take control of your life (drive your bus, if you like), only you can decide what’s of value to you. History and the media relates some great examples of the importance of having something to look forward to. Researchers are now confirming what Viktor Frankl observed in the Death Camps of World War II: that death rates decreased leading up to a major event (like Christmas) and increased after that event when the hoped-for change did not occur. Having something to look forward to is life-changing.
The challenge for you is not only to ensure you have something to look forward to but to also replace that ‘something’ after the event has passed. For us sports-lovers, after Wimbledon there’ll be the US Open and pretty soon we’ll be back enjoying the Super XV Rugby. And there’ll be other cycling events to follow.
Sam Walton, of Walmart fame, reminded us that it’s not what you drive, but what drives you that counts. Always having something to look forward to helps to provide that drive.
Dr Neil Flanagan is a keynote and conference speaker. You can comment on any item in this article and download a free copy of his bestselling book BLINK! The Speed of Life (How to add years to your life and life to your years) when you visit http://www.neil.com.au
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Important-Message-If-You-Want-to-Live-Longer&id=7839218] Important Message If You Want to Live Longer
