A Life of Purpose Increases Longevity by Don Ingwerson

Today people are living longer than ever before.  Research has revealed that positive thinking and continuing to see ourselves as interested and productive may be the key to living a long and healthy life.  Don Ingwerson shares some inspiring and thought provoking insight on this topic.  Here is Don…

I recently returned to my rural childhood home, where I hadn’t been for decades. I found I still had vivid memories of past events, even though buildings had decayed and schools were closed. I had a chance to catch up with those I hadn’t seen since I was a teenager: What were they doing with their lives? Were they fulfilling their dreams and achieving the purposes they had outlined years ago? How did they see themselves?

Each had a unique story – family, profession, children, marriage, all told with a sense of pride. No one mentioned age, only what seeds they had sown in life and how those seeds had grown and blossomed. Catching up with my friends, I found myself wondering how they could have achieved their goals there in that small town.

But what I realized is that people are unique in what drives them. And apparently researchers and psychologists agree: “What your purpose is does not matter, just to feel there is one could be enough.” Their conclusions from a 14-year study involving 6,000 people substantiate what you probably suspected all along: health and longevity correlate with keeping busy and living a life of purpose. 

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