I've Decided To Live 120 Years. The Ancient Secret to Longevity, Vitality, and Life Transformation In Review
What if your doctor said that you would live to be 100 years old--would you have a plan for the remainder of your life? Today, people can live twenty, thirty, even forty years after retirement. The current mindset is that the retirement years are a time to wind down and take it easy. But do we really want to spend decades winding down? I’ve Decided to Live 120 Years provides a blueprint to live a healthy and fulfilling life with a deep sense of purpose until our last day.
We must take charge of our physical health. Lee writes ''physical power is life - just move your body”. Staying healthy may sound obvious, but in today’s society we habitually rely on external sources such as medication to manage our health, and thus, we treat symptoms rather than underlying causes. We must be in control of our health first, or as the author says, “When it comes to my body, I am the primary doctor''.
Lee gives several suggestions for maintaining our health and vigor to live our later years to their fullest. The book suggests three kinds of physical training: 1 minute exercise, which is high intensity interval training like push-ups, sit ups, squats and jumping jacks performed for one minute. The second is longevity walking, which is walking pleasantly and strongly, with one's feet parallel while pressing down the energy point in the sole of each foot. The third is called belly button healing. This involves rhythmically compressing our navel, which is an important energy point. The benefits include increased blood circulation and better creation of the happiness hormones serotonin and dopamine. Practicing these three forms of physical training benefits our body and mind and helps us establish a better relationship with ourselves.
Once we are in charge of our health, it is easier to move to the next steps of finding our life purpose and achieving our goals. Life can feel boring and pointless if we do not have purpose. Too often our goals for retirement are easy (I’ll play more golf!) and do not come from deep within. If we do not consciously plan, our goals can be a reflection of our younger years, such as acquiring even more wealth and possessions. We need to prioritize. Do we really need more stuff? Are we financially well off enough to live comfortably? If the answer to these questions is yes, then we need to look deeper inside until we realize that the true purpose of life is to live for completion. In the first 60 years of our life, we live for achieving external material success. When we retire, we give up the pursuit of success and life can suddenly feel boring and pointless without that external purpose. This is the perfect time to begin examining our internal self. We realize that the second half of our life is the time for us to complete our life--to find that sense of satisfaction which can only be experienced internally.
If we choose completion as our goal and take responsibility for achieving this goal, then there is no better sense of purpose and fulfillment for our life. To be truly happy, our goal needs to lead to peace and harmony for ourselves, humanity, and the Earth. Unchanging happiness means discovering our true self and using this for the benefit of the whole. If we live mindfully towards each other and the Earth, we will naturally create a better world. This is the best way to live the second half of one’s life and this is the true meaning of I’ve Decided to Live 120 Years.
Ilchi Lee is a visionary, educator, founder of Body & Brain Yoga, and an author of 41 books, including the New York Times bestselling book The Call of Sedona. Journey of the Heart. He is a dedicated advocate for a peaceful, sustainable world who has helped millions of people globally find their true potential and develop it for the benefit of all. Many contemporary thoughts leaders, such as don Miguel Ruiz and Dr. Christiane Northrup have endorsed his latest book, I've Decided to Live 120 Years. For more information, please call 201-444-6020.