: The older I get the younger I think.

Motivational Memo: The older I get the younger I think.

The number of years denoted by the calendar and your birth date are no reflection of how old you really are, or how healthy you are in your spirit, soul and body. There are some twenty-one year olds who, in their mind and attitudes, are older than someа in their eighties.
Age is not a matter of chronology. Age is a matter of attitude, and of the state of your mind.
So to keep you from suffering from mental rigor mortis and vision arthritis, here are four cures that will keep you 'young at heart' and 'young of mind' for many years to come.


1. Keep Learning

People who work a job and who do additional study outside of their working hours attract advancement. In this day and age there is no excuse for not pursuing some external study.
Personally, I attend seminars, take online courses and position myself to learn new things at every opportunity. I make certain that I am always a student, because I have enrolled in a lifetime of learning.
By doing this, your mind is stimulated, new ideas are sparked, fresh insight is revealed, and a different perspective is gained.
I pay for some of this learning, but it is amazing how many complimentary courses are available - both offline and online in written, audio and video format.


2. Keep Reading

Now I'm not talking about the newspaper here. I'm talking about selective reading of material that stimulates your brain, challenges you through questioning, and causes you to take notes.
In addition to books, set up Google Reader on your computer so that you can be alerted about great articles that have just been written in blogs all over the world.
Join your local library, and that way you have access to an incredible array of material for free.


3. Keep Great Company


I'm a firm believer of the power of coaches and mentors. The greatest value of having these people in your world is that they are unafraid to ask you the hard questions. In addition they also keep you accountable.
It is so easy to lie to yourself, and to fail to fulfill the plans that you have proposed to move you forward in life.
Whether they are paid or unpaid really doesn't matter. But make sure that you meet on a weekly basis for at least an hour for an extended length of time. Watch how that relationship makes you sharper in every area of your life.
In addition, the conversation focused on your personal improvement - whether in person, or over the phone or via Skype - will develop you in your communication skills and perception.


4. Keep Pursuing Great Goals


In my wallet I have a list of my goals that I carry with me and refer to on a daily basis.
On this year's goal list I have my:
Major goal for the year
Travel goals
Financial goals
Spiritual goals
Mental goals
Physical goals
Social goals
Business goals
Future goals - that spread beyond this calendar year
In addition, next to my bed I have a major two-year goal that I am pursuing, and the financial reward for that goal once achieved. It is written on my note pad so that I see it and speak it each night before I go to bed and each morning when I rise.
So by learning, reading, keeping great company, and pursuing great goals you are offsetting the disease that afflicts those who remain staid in their thinking and unchanged and unchallenged in their thought processes.
I recently wrote a great article about how to live with no goals. You can read more here..
By maintaining an atmosphere of stimulated thinking, mental rigor mortis and vision arthritis will have no power over you. Healing shall be yours.