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Building your ideal 100 Year Lifestyle means building a life full of health and happiness. But for many the question is, how is the best way to do that? Where do I start? What’s my first goal? Goals are a great place to start this conversation. Have you ever noticed that achieving a goal is sometimes…disappointing? You put in the hard work, time, and attention, you make any changes or even sacrifices to achieve your goal only have your sense of achievement and happiness be…fleeting. But goals are surely the difference between where we are and where we want to be. Or are they? What if success and health live in the process, not the actual achievement of goals? What if the process is where our happiness lies? Maybe it really is all about the journey, or in this case, the lifestyle.
The Pitfalls
In our pursuit of happiness and success, we often use goals as guiding stars, milestones that mark our progress and achievements. We set them ambitiously, envisioning the fulfillment and satisfaction they promise. However, by their nature goals are future-oriented. They represent outcomes we strive to attain—a promotion, a fitness milestone, financial success. While achieving these goals can indeed bring moments of joy and satisfaction, they also come with pitfalls.
For one, our happiness becomes contingent upon achieving specific outcomes. If we succeed, we feel elated; if we fall short, we may experience frustration, self-doubt, or even despair. Even if we have bettered ourselves along the way, we still didn’t actually meet the goal, and therefore we believe we failed.
Additionally, the euphoria of reaching a goal often fades quickly. Once achieved, we may find ourselves immediately setting new goals, chasing the next milestone without fully feeling the impact of our achievement or savoring the present moment.
Furthermore, goals can sometimes be driven by external validation or societal expectations, rather than genuine personal fulfillment. This can lead to a sense of emptiness even upon attainment.
Powerful Alternative
While well-defined goals have a time and place, there exists a powerful alternative—the process. In the case of living at 100% for 100 years or more, it’s creating a lifestyle that enforces your objective of healthy longevity, while giving you a process that you can enjoy every step of the way. By process we are referring to the daily habits, routines, and systems that you engage in consistently. Unlike goals, which are fixed endpoints, processes are fluid and ongoing. They are about the journey rather than the destination.
Finding Joy in the Journey
The essence of enjoying the journey lies in finding joy and fulfillment in the systems we create and the daily practices we cultivate. Whether it’s a morning meditation routine, regular exercise, or dedicated time for learning and growth, these rituals become sources of intrinsic satisfaction and well-being, and are key components of your 100 Year Lifestyle.
Instead of a week or two spent changing our habits in pursuit of a goal, only to revert back to our old ways once the weight is lost, the class ends, or the book read, creating a lifestyle change means coming to a realization. It means understanding the value of and committing to doing what’s necessary to achieve lasting, positive change
When creating that lifestyle, remember the journey, the process, is about progress, not perfection, where each day presents an opportunity to refine habits and excel in endeavors.
A Process-Oriented Mindset
By focusing on the process, we detach our happiness from any particular outcome. By developing a process-oriented mindset we are able to appreciate the present moment and find meaning in the daily activities that contribute to our overall objectives. We find happiness in each step of the process, we enjoy our lifestyle here and now.
Ideally, our process, our lifestyle, promotes resilience by encouraging us to learn from setbacks, adjust our strategies, and persist but adapt in the face of challenges. When we derive satisfaction from the process itself—whether it’s the joy of creating, the thrill of learning, or the fulfillment of helping others—we cultivate intrinsic motivation that sustains us over the long-term.
Each Step You Take
As you create your ideal 100 Year Lifestyle, focus on your journey, your process, and the “goals” of healthy longevity will be yours. Cultivate joy in the process, cherish the daily rituals that enrich your life, and embrace a mindset that values progress and personal fulfillment above all else. In doing so, you’ll discover that true happiness lies not just in achieving goals, but in relishing the journey of continuous growth and self-discovery.
The best part of this journey is you don’t have to take it alone. There is a 100 Year Lifestyle provider near you who is excited to support you in creating your ideal 100 Year Lifestyle. They’ve got your back, every step of the way!
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