These life tips were collected from men and women 85 or older. Some have been through wars, others through depressions, sickness, and even concentration camps. They are a generation that was unlike any other, and we can all profit from their advice. Even those of us over 85 ourselves, because these days, it is never too late to get good advice.
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Health
1. Drink lots of water.
2. Eat your breakfast like kings, your lunch like princes, and your dinner like beggars.
3. Eat more things that grow on trees and plants and less things that are made in factories. Remember your digestive system doesn't know it's the 21st century, so help it out by feeding it stuff it's built for.
4. It's always a good time for some TEE - Truth, Energy and Empathy!
5. Walk 10-30 minutes a day.
6. Get more actual games in your life, games that have no gain but the simple pleasure of playing them.
7. Read more books than you've read last year.
8. Sit silently (without a tv) for at least 10 minutes a day and take time to ponder things (for some - pray).
9. Invest at least 7 hours a night in your sleep. It'll pay back big time later on.
Character
10. Smile while you walk those 10-30 minutes a day.
11. Do not compare your life to those of others, it's easy to see the good but the bad is as well hidden as yours, or better. You have no idea what their lives are really like or if they are happy inside, get on with yours instead.
12. Don't waste time and energy thinking of things you will never be able to change. Instead, use that energy to works towards future positive moments. Make your spouse laugh for a moment, isn't that better than feeling bad?
13. Don't be extreme in any action. Remember that truth is mostly in the middle, and life is hardly black and white.
14. Accept the fact that you will sometimes lose the argument, and that you were wrong.
Or if you still think you are right, agree to disagree. Very few people have ever been shouted into true agreement.
15. Don't waste your energy complaining about people you don't know and their actions.
You have no idea what motivates or what lead them to that decision. Judging is so easy even 4 year olds can do it. The driver honking at you might have had a horrible day, or is anxious to see his sick wife at the hospital while worried about making rent. We only see the behavior, never the events leading to it.
16. Dream more while you are awake.
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have what you need, and being envy won't create more for you.
18. Try to never again bring up your spouse's past mistakes. It WILL destroy your present happiness, and even being right - just isn't worth it.
19. Life is too short to hate people. You should fear some and pity others, but hate is a bigger waste of time than any other emotion.
20. Make peace with your past, or it will make short work of your future.
21. No one controls your level of happiness but you.
22. Life is the school, remember that you are here to learn. Problems are like tests, and the lesson you take will help you solve the next one correctly.
23. Smile and laugh more with your entire face, including your eyes. Find humor when you can.
24. Don't take yourselves so seriously, no one else will!
Community
25. Call your family often enough so they feel like you are walking besides them in this life.
26. Every day - do at least one good thing for others that really helps them out. It will make you feel better about your own and later on - someone grateful will help you when you need it.
27. Try to forgive, it's the hardest thing there is, much harder than hate, but it's doable.
28. Spend some time with people over 70 and under 6 - it will teach you patience and empathy.
29. Try to make at least 3 people smile, every day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your concern, since they'll never tell you! So why bother? Live your life and stop wondering what's on the other side of their skulls, you will never know the complete truth!
31. Your work buddies won't take care of you when you're sick. Your family and friends will.
Don't let people that care about you out of your life. We all need help at some point, don't throw caring away.
Life
32. Do the right thing.
The kind that doesn't leave anyone hurt, despite your personal feelings. It will be worth its while in the long run.
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful, sentimental or brings you true pleasure in life.
34. Forgiveness can heal more than you can ever imagine. It can revive relationships and rekindle love and true appreciation. Forgiveness is way to show strength, and strength is impressive and attractive.
35. Doesn't matter how good or bad the situation is - it will change at some point. So plan for either and don't lose your head to overjoying or over fearing.
36. Doesn't matter how you feel at this particular moment - get up, get dressed and be there on time. A good start will help get rid of that feeling.
37. If actors can become huge successes in their 70's, you can believe that the best is yet to come. And if it isn't, then try to create the best for someone else, it will often be surprisingly great for you as well.
38. When you wake up alive in the morning, don't take it for granted - embrace life!
39. The biggest secret is that anyone can be happy. But some decide they won't be and then look for reasons to support that theory.Don't fall for that! Assume you are happy and find reasons to support that claim! Keep creating these reasons, and you just might start believing it.
40. Enjoy yourself, every day. Remember, life is just a ride, and you are shown many different things, some wonderful, other awful. But you always continue and it is always just a ride. Enjoy it.
"Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think... enjoy yourself, while you're still in the pink... The years go by... as quickly as a wink..."
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