Blog | Entrepreneurship

What Centenarians Can Teach Us About Success

Do you have these three traits?

In recent studies on centenarians, or people living over 100, they found three, common denominators. As I read through the information, I realized how closely these factors apply to business too.

How do you rate yourself on these factors in regards to your business?

1. Sense of Purpose

According to The Journal of the American Medical Association and The Archives of General Psychiatry, having a sense of purpose in life reduces the effects of Alzheimer’s disease and increases cognitive function.

This goes back to your mission in life.

Why do you get up in the morning and do what you do?

If you have a sense of purpose, your journey to financial freedom becomes more focused and it’s easier to accomplish your goals faster.

2. Optimism

U.S.News & World Report recently reviewed the Longevity Genes Project done by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Here, researchers discovered that centenarians are “often extroverts who embrace the world from an optimistic and carefree perspective.”

A good sense of humor was also important to longevity. Results indicated that, “the majority of near-centenarians were found to be relaxed, friendly, conscientious and upbeat about life. Importantly, said the authors, an easy laugh and an active social life were observed to be a group norm.”

With this in mind, how stressed are you?

If you look at things negatively, you not only hurt your health, but you hurt your business as well. After all, true business leaders provide inspiration and teach others to lead. If you are negative, you’re not inspiring anyone.

3. Resiliency

How well do you come back from a setback?

Per the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation, “each time you suffer a set back, are exposed to a situation that has you feeling overwhelmed, or during times of great effort, your ‘battery’ depletes and it can age you too fast if you don’t do something about it.”

This is true in business too. If you can’t bounce back from problems and learn from them, your business will stay at the status quo, or more likely, start declining rapidly. If you want to be more resilient, check out the tips from The Resilience Institute here.

Are you ready for a long life of success?

If you want to be successful in life, why not take some advice from those who are well over ninety years old?

Establish a mission and wake up each morning knowing what you are trying to accomplish. Have a positive attitude about life, and treat problems as opportunities to learn new things. When things get tough, do what it takes to bounce back and keep going. This way, you’ll be more likely to reach your business goals and lead a longer, more fulfilling life.

What are you going to do today to improve these three factors of longevity in your life?

For help on your business journey and reaching your financial freedom goals, check out our free resources here.