As I approach my 80th birthday, I still have trouble letting go of the idea that I should be smarter than when I was half that age. I’m not. More experienced, more knowledgeable, for sure. But I am still not very good at simplifying things down to something that could serve as a basis for making the best of my remaining years.
For example, I thought perhaps reading books on aging or watching YouTube videos of people in their 80s and 90s might help. They didn’t. Most are well intentioned, but not that useful for what to do after you get out of bed every morning.
So, here’s an approach I suggest is worth trying every day:
Separate health challenges into ones I can do something about, and those which I can do nothing about. Ask whether there is anything I need to do today to improve or maintain my health. Everything that follows depends on this.
Ask if there is anything I can do today for someone else, without being asked or expecting anything in return. Think small and note where it leads.
Ask if there is something productive I can do today that at the end of the day would give me satisfaction. Think small and note where it leads.
Spend a few minutes thinking about what “leisure time” might mean to me today. I try not to confuse “entertainment” with “learning”. I distinguish between them this way: if something has the potential to change my life and the way I lead it, then I call that “learning”. Watching a YouTube video purporting to show Bruce Lee battling an 800-pound woman is “entertainment”, at least for some.
Engage in a little self-directed empathy. It’s OK to give myself a break such as skipping an exercise I had planned to do or eating something I had vowed not to eat. I find it ironic that when working on becoming less judgmental of others I neglect to apply that goal to myself.
Remind myself that tomorrow is another day, regardless of what happened today.