How to Extend Your Life

Let’s meditate on a simple question for a moment. 

Simple but important: How long will you live? 

You must have a number of years in mind. 83? 95? Perhaps 107?

It isn’t anything complicated. However, the answer to this question is one that most people avoid confronting at all costs.

They are afraid of what they feel is a complete INABILITY to control that aspect of their life. 

The truth is that it doesn’t matter which number came to your mind. 

Most People Leave This Important Decision to Others

It doesn’t really matter because most likely, your parents and other people in your inner circle PROGRAMMED this into you many years ago.

• Americans have an average life expectancy
• That average becomes the accepted norm or goal
• Most people feel great if they make it that far
• We repeat that over for generations without ever questioning

But, should it be like that? NO!

I don’t think so. I refuse to believe it. And you should too.

Listen to this: YOU CAN LIVE WAY LONGER! 

Repeat it, believe it, embrace it, because it’s a reality (for those who seek it). 

There needs to be a conscious effort towards that goal. It won’t happen by luck. 

But believe me, it’s possible to do what on most human’s minds (yes, it’s a mindset matter) appears to be impossible: extend your life.

That’s why today, Dan and I met to discuss the Lifetime Extender program.

What is the Lifetime Extender?

The Lifetime Extender is a newly launched internal program for Strategic Coach members. 

Its core message is based on a thinking tool that has been with us since 1993.

In a nutshell, you ask somebody at what age they're going to die, they put down a number, and then you ask them all sorts of questions about the year before they thought they would die.

You explore aspects such as the physical, mental, financial, relationships, satisfaction with their life.

THEN you make them visualize how they’re going to be so extraordinarily healthy and vibrant the year BEFORE they said they would actually die.

Then, we analyze this question, “If you were living that way, would you still want to die the next year?” 

Of course, everyone’s answer is NO. 

When Would You Actually Die? 

So if you were doing so well the year before you said you were going to die, would you live longer?

How many EXTRA years would you want?

On average, EVERY person moves their original date around 15 years or 20 years. 

We've had that thought process as the first hour of our program for 30 years. 

It was always a GREAT process, one that STAYS with people. 

So, now we are having a full-fledged program, but only for people who are in Strategic Coach.

That is because they're the ones who've been living with this extended age thought sometimes for even 25 years.

Steve Job’s Story

We are here to live, and while death is imminent for every human being, I think we OWE ourselves the effort to try to live as much as possible.

A great long life is better than a great short one for sure. 

Even money, as great of a resource as it is, means NOTHING when we aren’t healthy or vigorous enough to ENJOY its fruits.

We can frame it with Steve Job’s story. 

He died of pancreatic cancer. Some cancers are slow cancers, but pancreatic cancer is the fastest cancer. You go from stage one to stage four within a year. It's really fast. 

Steve died in the 2000s, so there were protocols that would have given him another five or ten years of his life, but he just stayed away.

I remember a picture of him with Tim Cook, from the last week he was alive, and Steve had become half of his regular size. 

That tells me that one of the most innovative technological minds, that could have written ANY check for ANY medical procedure in the world, decided to ignore the options available and die.

Are we aware of all of the things that could make us live longer?

The One Thing That Money Can’t Buy

I know how to make money, and a lot of people do. 

I was at an invite-only conference this year, with a whole bunch of very, very wealthy people.

There were a lot of billionaires in the room.

I was sitting next to an 86 year old man, while they were talking about the billions they've made and the theories and practices.

Out of all the topics that were discussed that they spent THE LEAST amount of time on, of course, it was longevity. 

The old man said, “that's the ONLY thing I'm interested in talking about. I've got my billions. 

I want the one thing that money technically can't buy, or very rarely can buy, which is I want to extend my life.”

We All Need This Perspective

Dan comments that he has been more energetic since his own cancer experience. 

The possibility of death CERTAINLY narrows your perspective. 

What you consider MOST important really shows up at that time. 

For him, there were two things that showed up: her loved partner and doing workshops. 

Nothing else was important.

What would be the TRULY irreplaceable things for you?

My desire is that you would think on that question throughout the day, as well as reconsider how long you would like to live.

A lot can change for good if you change your perspective.