YOU CAN WIN WITHOUT SOMEBODY ELSE LOSING

When I published my first e-book, What Can Go Right? In 2011, I discussed the concept of small victories – essentially small steps in the right direction when making a behavior change. That type of change rarely happens dramatically; instead it stems from incremental successes – sometimes with a relapse or two that interrupts steady progress. This wasn’t a revolutionary concept of mine. If you recall the 1991 comedy, What About Bob? you learned about the psychiatrist’s concept of “Baby Steps,” which coincidentally was the title of his book. It’s also a concept that is still readily used and widely understood.

Fast forward a few years, and you may notice that my educational and coaching programs are titled, Winning in Overtime, specifically aimed at helping people navigate life’s 2nd half-century so that they experience it as a period of continuing growth rather than decline. It’s based upon my book, REJUVENAGING®: The Art and Science of Growing Older with Enthusiasm, and what I consider to be the Non-negotiable 4 behaviors: Healthy eating; Owning your body; Building brain health; Staying socially connected. Winning in Overtime increases the chances of you outliving and out enjoying your contemporaries.

When I’ve mentioned the last statement to some people lately, I’ve been getting some pushback. Some have questioned whether I consider aging to be a competition to be won by the last person standing. While this isn’t a very common reaction, I’ve heard it from more than one person – so I feel a need to explain.

There are two types of winning. In most team and individual sports, you keep score and there are winners and losers. There may be various benefits that may come from simply participating – such as building a healthier body, spending time in nature, and/or building friendships, but there are winners and losers.

But there is another type of winning that is marked by participating in activities that make you a better version of yourself – and here are some examples. There are no competitive meditation or yoga classes; everyone who participates wins. If you eat a healthy diet, that doesn’t stop me from eating healthy too. And if two people reach the age of 100 in good health, they have both won without anyone having lost.

I will be talking more about this in the future, but for now remember that nobody has to lose for you to be a winner. And if you have a lifestyle based upon the Non-negotiable 4 behaviors, you’re on your way to winning even if you’re not yet in overtime.