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“If you wait, all that happens is that you get older.”
– Mario Andretti

Do you take charge and hold yourself accountable for your own health and well-being by using high octane fuel, reasonable but vigorous physical exercise, optimal posture and a positive mindset? Or will you wait until tomorrow to start doing what you know you need to do, spending today relaxing, watching TV, letting your body decay, and eating Pizza and junk food? Guess whose choice it is.

Last week I wrote about the power of enthusiasm. This week I am writing about converting that Enthusiasm into action and self-actualization. Henry Ford said “Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes shine to the stars. Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eyes, the swing in your gait, the grip of your hand , the irrestible surge of will and energy to execute your ideas.” Henry Ford may have said it, but to give credit where credit is due, I pulled that quote from a book by a friend of mine, Christina Daves, www.prforanyone.com, who’s book, PR for Anyone makes excellent reading for anyone who is taking action to promote an idea, product or service . . . and no, I don’t make a commission if you go to her site and buy it.

In the next four weeks, I will finish this series of nine principles of Health, Vitality and Possibilities with four action steps related to food and fuel, moving your body, posture and bearing, and rest and recovery.

Action and self-actualization are two slightly different parts with the same ending. Self-actualization includes taking action and taking responsibility for that action, both at the same time. A little bit of action taken each day to improve your health and well being can add years of healthy living, a spring to your step and a clarity to your mind that isn’t there in the typical older, sedentary adult.

All the acceptance of reality, the willingness to create the new reality you want for yourself, the formation of a purpose and generating huge amounts of enthusiasm for it all, doesn’t mean anything unless you take action to accomplish whatever result you choose for yourself. And what result am I writing about in this blog? I’m writing about Health, Energy and Possibilities. Unless you accept where you are and are willing to create a healthy and vibrant future, with less pain and more gain you will stay where you are on our friend Maslow’s Hierarchy. You will remain at the level of safety, security and inertia which, as Theodore Roosevelt once said, is reserved for the “cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Even though statistically, more older Americans are recognizing the need for exercise, the right food and other fuels, and the need for a Come Alive attitude toward life, the number of older Americans on the sedentary end of the curve is also expanding, with more and more older men and women being overweight, unfit, and unhealthy.

So when you decide that you want to live a little longer, live a little better, and enjoy the rest of your life in good health, with high energy, better posture, and a more positive and active attitude, then it’s really time to self-actualize, and take action.  It doesn’t take long to see positive physical and mental results. So, no excuses. Move through the fear. Simplify the process. Use only what you need, to do it. No preconceived limits. No obstacles in advance. Just action. And in the next four weeks, I’ll show you how.

So as we start next week with the action steps to health, vitality and possibilities, remember . . .

“You will either step forward into growth, or you will step back into safety.”
– Abraham Maslow

 Start taking action now! Thanks for reading.

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”

So said Ralph Waldo Emerson in one of the famous phrases in modern motivational writing. Here’s what his buddy Henry David Thoreau had to say about Enthusiasm:

 “None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.”

                 – Henry David Thoreau

In other words, to stay young, stay enthusiastic because when you lose the zest for life, you are old. In fact, my personal all time favorite quote about enthusiasm can be found in the book, In the Flow of Life, by Eric Butterworth, a Unity Church minister. He was quoting Charles Fillmore, the founder of the Unity Church who, at the age of ninety-four, awakened one morning singing these words:

“I fairly sizzle with zeal and enthusiasm, and I spring forth with a mighty faith to do the things that ought to be done by me.”   -Charles Fillmore

Eric Butterworth went on to say about Charles Fillmore that,  “this spirit was reflected in his life, where he was too busy, too excited about growing onward to grow old.” (more…)

It’s the waning hours of April Fools Day! And today I turned 74 years old. For some people, that’s old. For me, it’s just getting started.  I have a purpose! To create a movement and to encourage men and women over sixty that you can come alive and live your life with health, energy and purpose. Do you have a purpose in life? If you don’t, you might just want to create or find one. If you do, you’ll probably live a longer, healthier and more fulfilling life than most older adults. Read on and find out why. (more…)