The Link Between Success and Longevity

Predictors of work success, health and longevity are typically studied as separate domains, but in reality, there are many correlations.

As one Pub Med article noted "personality traits such as conscientiousness and achievement motivation may represent behavioral correlates of the mental processes [for] both career success and longevity."

Do you want to live longer & be successful?

Here are the top 5 things you want to do and why:

1. Get good sleep - good sleep is essential for maintaining mental acuity, emotional well-being, immune function, and cellular health, all of which contribute to overall longevity and quality of life. Mental acuity also helps you stay laser focused on your day-to-day tasks, while contributing to accomplishing those big goals.
2. Maintain a whole food diet - lets be honest. We eat a lot of crap. I call it the case for REAL food. If you focus on getting 100g or more of protein and completing the rest of your food with 80-90% whole foods, you'll get 95% of the benefit, while still enjoying some treats. This will keep inflammation at bay, leaving you sharp to perform in and out of the office, and maximizing your health.
3. Staying active - as I noted in my recent posts, walking and racquet sports are two activities that have strong correlations to longevity. In general staying active, however works for you, will improve your health, career, and longevity.
4. Find 4 friends with enviable habits - your mom probably told you that who you're friends with matters. Well, she was right! When you surround yourself with people who stay fit, are successful, do the things you want to do, push you out of your comfort zone, etc, you'll all rise together. There is also strong data suggesting a correlation around diet, exercise, and obsesity amongst friends/partners. So if you are looking to get fit, bring your spouse along!
5. Having Purpose - purpose gives you hope, resilience, and a reason to wake up every morning. Purpose is puts you on the path to achieving goals in an unbreakable fashion because ITS YOUR PURPOSE. This aligns with success and with continued stength later in life. Find your purpose, commit to it, and see how your life takes off.

Focusing on our career is important and creates daily meaning for us, but focusing on the long term gives us a broader outlook on where we want to head. I always tell people that I want to live to be at least110, but with independence, high function and a good quality of life, hopefully not with someone changing my diaper. Focusing on longevity improves our outlook, attitude, mental well-being and resilience so much that it will inevitably contributes to our career success. But more importantly, it creates resilience, adapability, and fullfillment over the long term.

Whats your longevity goal? Do you have an age in mind you'd like to make it to? Whats your best elderly story?