Life is diverse. Each millisecond is filled with sound, texture, color, movement and emotions – trauma, love, joy and sorrow – and all of these things come at us, sometimes with breakneck speed. To navigate (and stay sane), it serves us to become something of an artist, taking all the various elements and intentionally arranging them on the canvas of our daily life into something that is harmonious and pleasing.
When you can begin to look at life as art… as a way to express your important ideas and feelings, you can begin to understand that you are the artist of your life. You get to choose how you look at and think about what happens, or has happened, in your life. Mistakes can be forgiven with a splash of color- painted over never to be seen or thought of again… for all intent and purpose… gone.
The artist creates with imagination and skill. Einstein knew the value of imagination when he wrote, “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge, but imagination.” You can begin to see how imagination is critical when deciding how you want to live the rest of your life. And, as the artist of your life, you get to choose the thoughts that populate the canvas of your mind. The science of Quantum Physics is clear that everything begins with our thoughts. “As you sow, so shall you reap” is not advice from Jesus for farmers! Voltaire wrote, “Each person must cultivate his own garden.” The colloquial expression, “What goes around, comes around” and the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” are examples of the power of intention and imagination as part of our human lexicon that has been expressed through the millennia.
The art of living longer is about creatively and intentionally choosing what you want on the canvas of your life. And, when you make choices that support your physical, emotional and mental health, your canvas is a picture of health, vitality and longevity.
Be a Savvy Senior. Follow the Savvy Senior Credo: “I’m old enough to have a past and young enough to have a future. I don’t know my expiration date and so I commit to live into my future consciously, making choices – mind, body and spirit – that will help me achieve a healthier, happier, extended lifespan.”
