Nelson Mandela dies – A Life of Impact

Graffiti art of Nelson Mandela by Thierry Ehrmann, courtesy of Wikipedia (click to open)
Graffiti art of Nelson Mandela by Thierry Ehrmann, courtesy of Wikipedia (click to open)

Having just heard the news of Nelson Mandela’s passing, I cannot help but reflect on the amazing impact this one man has had during his lifetime.

What captivates me most is the story of a dream, and determination for a better future.

He was able to overcome obstacles, having served 27 years (of a life sentence) then to be released in 1990, to become the first black South African President by 1994.

The legacy of Nelson Mandela, to me, will always beg the question – what do I do next?

Make your time count… Impact the world!

Source: Wikipedia, The Australian, SMS from my mum

What can you do to extend your life?

Live Long and Prosper

“Live Long and Prosper”. The phrase made famous by the Vulcan’s on Star Trek has been an aim of mankind for an age. Modern medicine and higher wealth and standards of living are making in increasingly possible. What can we do to live longer?

As a financial planner, a great deal of my time is spent helping people achieve the second part, “prosper”. It involves an array of strategies from savings plans, investment strategies, tax and strategic management and providing an understanding of what funds people need to meet their expectations. It can be a very technical field which I love. The former part is a little more challenging, and I regularly spend time investigating modern research into longevity.

It is not just eating right and exercise that can help us live a longer, more prosperous life. A number of factors including our parents, our surroundings, social relationships and importantly, our attitude have significant influence.

Positive Thinking

Positive thinking tends to be a key attribute in many people outliving the average. Many people see milestones such as 40, 50 or 60 as significant steps that mean they cannot do the things they used to. Having a negative attitude about your job can also be working against you. Even just thinking these things can lead you to slow down, “age” and not be able to do what you did before. That same process happens at 25, 55, or 75… The power of the mind will impact greatly on your power in life.

If you want to live longer; it is important to feel good about yourself!

We will explore more factors in living longer in future articles and blogs. Until then, “Live Long and Prosper”!

How to live to be 100+

Dan Buettner, best selling author, explorer and writer for National Geographic, explores some of the characteristics of longevity. Sometimes its both who you know and what you know…

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Some of the interesting points include keeping yourself moving in little ways, having a good friendship group around you, knowing how to eat to avoid excess, and not retiring!

I have to thank |b for bringing this to my attention, I shall return the favour with a few more longevity articles I have, keep posted for more!

I would love to hear some feedback on this, so by all means, please comment.