From the time I entered my fifties, I had a growing sense that aging was going mean inevitable, probably significant, decline. I mean, that’s not unusual, right? Isn’t that what everyone believes?
I was generally healthy, but nagging health issues were cropping up. The more it happened, the more I was convinced they were inevitable precursors of old age. When they persisted, and in some cases increased, my anxiety grew.
I wondered, “If this is how I’m feeling now, how will I feel in my sixties, seventies, and beyond?”
Today, that has almost entirely turned around. I’m living an active life, healthy and fit. I actually feel younger than I have in years—even though I’m obviously not younger than I was.
Have I discovered the fountain of youth?
Sorry, but no.
The truth is, I read a book. That book taught me three things:
- I’d been thinking about the whole idea of aging all wrong
- The American cultural environment (and, more generally, Western culture) was a large part of the reason I thought that way
- There was a simple way to change my mind
So, about that book. If you haven’t already heard of gerontologist Dr. Becca Levy (Yale School of Public Health and Yale University), I’d urge you to look her up. Her book is Breaking the Age Code, and it’s a doozy.
The book supplies an abundance of rigorous and convincingly documented scientific evidence demonstrating that the prevailing western view of aging is not only wrong-headed, but—to put it simply—it can be bad for your health.
I want to make sure no one misunderstands me about this—I have no vested interest whatsoever regarding the book, or Dr. Levy’s work. I don’t know her and, in fact, I’d never heard of her before I picked up her book.
However, I’ve gained remarkable, sustained benefits from her research and her insights, and I’ve decided to write a series of posts. If these help one person to live a happier, healthier life, I’ll consider this a success. And if, by some chance, I can help her further the cause that she calls “Societal Age Liberation,” well, I’d be thrilled.
I only needed to read the book’s first few chapters for my assumptions about aging to be shaken. Then as I continued reading, I began connecting with and then gradually internalizing the positive age-related set of beliefs Dr. Levy advances. The point she makes from the outset is that positive age beliefs are actually quite common in many cultures—and older people actually live happier, healthier lives as a direct result.
Again, the book is titled Breaking the Age Code and that’s literally what it did for me. It broke the pre-existing, pernicious paradigm I’d always accepted about aging, disentangling my thinking from the negative assumptions that had been coded into my beliefs.
Maybe you’re fifty. Maybe you’re eighty. It doesn’t matter. If you can change your beliefs about aging, I’m here to tell you, you can gain and maintain remarkable benefits, now and into the future.
More about all that in the following posts. For now, here is what a couple of experts say about Dr. Levy’s work:
“In this ground-breaking book, filled with stunning scientific insights, captivating stories and easy-to-use tools, Dr. Levy offers a new way to approach aging and longevity that can benefit readers of any age.” — James C. Appleby, CEO, The Gerontological Society of America
“Levy has produced a manifesto to inspire us to fight against the scourge of ageism and its negative effects on older adults, and our society. This book will be remembered as a turning point in the fight against ageism.” — William E. Haley, PhD, Chair, Committee on Aging, American Psychological Association
Much more to come. In the meantime, for those new to my posts, I’m Robert S. (Rob) Gordon, author of Brand Positioning With Power, available on Amazon. Experts say this trailblazing book “shows, in detail, why positioning is one of the most important elements of the marketing and branding process.” I’m also co-author of The Backstage Man, “. . . An apt doorway into a universe where true inspiration occurs at the cellular level of consciousness”—also available on Amazon.
