My dad once said to me in a private moment, “You know, I’m 75 years old and I feel like I’m 17 and saying, What the hell happened?” That was nearly 20 years ago and I was in my mid 30’s. Today at 53 years old, I can relate better. (P.S. Picture to your right is Dad at 17…his ideal age)

This past weekend, Barb and I attended the Ideal Life Day retreat held by my colleague and Shrimp Tank podcast co-host, Brad Berger. Brad led a session where one of the focal points was acting and feeling your ideal age throughout your life. During the exercise, we were asked to come up with the age we felt like we were at our optimum peak in mind, body, spirit, and health. I ended up being pretty to close to Dad’s memory at 19 years old. Brad then asked the participants to imagine what it would be like to act your optimum age today. In fact, Brad’s research indicates that we as humans are at our highest performance and productivity between the ages of 55 and 80. Heck, I’m just getting to my best years!

Benjamin Franklin is credited as proclaiming that “some people die at 25 and aren’t buried until 75.” We all know people like that. We might even employ, work with, or are family and friends with people like that. In order to unleash your potential, you need to live like your 19 (or whatever your optimum age is) throughout your life. Here are three suggestions on how to accomplish this along with a few disciplines to keep you on track:

Don’t listen to what the world tells you about age. Legendary film and television producer Jerry Bruckheimer (CSI franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean, Top Gun) just started working on his latest film and is one of the new owners of the soon to be expansion NHL team in Seattle. He’s 74 and not thinking about “retiring.” Plan on living 20 more years than you think you will. Now what do you want to do with your life?

Protect Your Mind and Body. The fastest way to age is to stop being active and to eat unlimited carbs, sugars, and processed foods full of chemicals, then slouch in your recliner watching reality television and scouring Facebook. While pharmaceutical companies may love you, your heart, vital organs, and brains will hate you and those aching, stiff bones that we all have been told come with age, will flare up.

Act Your “Age.” One of my heroes is a lady in my Rotary Club. Ardis is 93 years old but you’d swear she 30 years younger. She has been the driving force, voice, and face for our club being able to raise over $2M to build an 8-unit building for housing for victims of domestic violence. I’ve known Ardis for 15 years and her secret sauce is that she hangs out with people half her age (or younger), she’s active, she has a purpose, and she has a passion for life. She’s lived – and is still living – an Unleashed and “ideal” life. Visit Morrow Manor website

Here’s the deal. You control your attitude, your health, and your volition. Don’t conform to the age bias. If you’re reading this, you’re either at your peak performance and productivity age or you’re not even there yet. Start visualizing what you want to do when you “grow up” by acting your age.

Quote of the Week:

“Do not go gentle into that good night but rage, rage against the dying of the light.”

~ Dylan Thomas (20th century Welsh poet)

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