Be Well
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”
– C. S. Lewis
How many of you function best with a schedule? A list? New Year’s resolutions? Goals of any kind? I imagine few people have no plans at all as they move through this life. And frankly I have often envied people who are always relaxed and take each day as it comes – and I know several (who shall remain nameless!).
Goal-setting can be a useful process to help people alter their lifestyle to allow them to age more successfully and reduce risk factors associated with dementia.1
Although I have always been what you may call a “planner” or “organizer” (there is something to be said for those “first-born” attributes) recently I have been thinking more about how these attributes can affect our health. Reflecting on the quote above by C. S. Lewis and the statement by the NCBI, it is obvious to me that goal-setting or planning is integral to aging successfully.
The link between planning and goal-setting and improved state of health would seem to be strong. After all, without a daily plan of some kind we just let the world move us about at will, which can lead to depression or a feeling of uselessness. In particular as we age our plans or goals of course change over time. In my 20s, my main goal was to obtain a professional position which would enable me to make the salary I desired and to raise my children in a way that I hoped would enable them to become sane and productive adults. Fortunately, I was able to obtain those goals. Moving through my 40s, 50s and UP my goals continued to change and evolve. Over the years many of my goals were not met and many plans did not come to fruition – but the important part is that we never stop planning and dreaming. A life without dreams is not the healthy life to which we aspire.
Granted that if you are my age (class of ’68, so whatever!) your dreams will usually not compare to those of a 25-year-old – and who would want that anyway! How about a dream to read all those books you have wondered about over the years, making time for children in need of a mentor or tutor, learning to play guitar, adopting a rescue pet who really needs you, or writing a book!
Having lost several friends my age and younger this past year, one reflects on what life is all about and the best and most productive way to navigate through it. I recently heard of the passing of a journalist I have admired for 30 years, Cokie Roberts, who from all I know and have heard led a life of setting goals and meeting those goals as a world-renowned journalist. She inspired me and led me to host a weekly local cable TV show for over 20 years, then to publish a book and write a newspaper column. “Small potatoes” comparatively, of course, but goals and plans that were positive for my mental and physical health I believe. Teaching and coaching fitness have helped me to stay physically active in my “retirement” and I continue to look for opportunities for growth.
Don’t ever believe that you are too “old” to continue to plan and set goals – even though you may not reach every goal, the planning of it and interest in it will help you maintain your mental acuity and interest in life, two important aspects of healthy aging.
1 National Center for Biotechnology Information U.S. National Library of Medicine
Sharon McMahon, CNWC
The opinions expressed in this article are not intended to replace advice of your personal physician or licensed health professional. Please consult your physician for any issues you may have related to nutrition or fitness activity.