Staying Alive

I’ve been reading and listening to the work Dan Sullivan quite a lot, lately. Dan is the founder of Strategic Coach, a popular coaching program for entrepreneurs. In this podcast episode that I listened to this past week, Dan suggested something that had never occurred to me before: He believes that being surrounded by younger, highly-engaged entrepreneurs is slowing his own aging relative to his octogenarian peers.

This is the psychological equivalent (in my mind) of the fact that exposing our bodies to certain types of physical stress promotes higher levels of bone density. I would not be surprised if Dan’s theory some day is validated by scientific research.

At the age of 81, Dan is more than halfway to his stated goal of living to the age of 156. I don’t know how he chose this goal, but it’s obviously ambitious. The nature of his work keeps him surrounded by 30- to 50- year old entrepreneurs, and he thinks this has made a difference in both his mental outlook and his own biology.

I remember my mother warning me during my teenage years to avoid spending time with certain peers - that they would be a bad influence on me. With the benefit of hindsight, she was clearly right. What Dan suggests is that hanging out with older people who have disengaged from life in certain ways could be a biological detriment to anyone seeking to maximize both lifespan and health span.

Could it be that achieving some level of financial freedom accelerates our own demise? That shutting down our hustle, coasting through a life of ease sends a message to our cells that “Hey, this person no longer needs to thrive.” Related to this I think are the many anecdotes we hear of elderly people who care for ailing spouses, only to decline rapidly themselves once relieved of the challenges of caregiving. We somehow rise to the challenges that surround us (to some degree).

This little nugget of an idea is going to stick with me, I think. I’m going to stay goal-oriented, engaged and seeking variety rather than monotony for the foreseeable future.

I don’t expect to live forever, but I do expect to live a lot.

Sunday Supper

Lori and I enjoyed this simple one-pot Miso-Turmeric Salmon and Coconut Rice this past week. This unique way of preparing Lemonade has caught my eye. It reminds me of a drink an Indian friend once prepared for me that was surprisingly refreshing. This Spring Salad looks great, too.

Sunday Music

The Buena Vista Social Club brought their amazing Cuban sound to the NPR Tiny Desk recently. And here is Snarky Puppy, live at North Sea Jazz, 2023. Enjoy!

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Have a great week ahead!  You can do anything you set your mind to. Let me know how I can help.


Peace & Love,