“Life is short, Art is long, opportunities fleeting, experiment treacherous and judgment difficult.”
-Hippocrates
I met two lovely octogenarian white couples during my recent wellness engagement walks. I smiled and recalled the lessons I gleaned from studies from the fascinating book Good Life based on Harvard Review, a retrospective study; sorry, I meant to say prospective survey on what it meant to be Good Life. I crossed over to the other side of the road and introduced myself to an author, physician, and coach focusing on well-being and longevity. Ted is 90, and Dana is 87. Despite their age, both went for a walk in the neighborhood when I had to nudge my two kids to go for a walk most days! As usual, I asked Ted and Dana your secrets to their Good Life and longevity. They smiled simultaneously and responded with gratitude and an active lifestyle, including walking and building relationships. Ted & Dana just summarized the book Good Life based on Harvard Review. You can grab a copy of the book if you have more appetite. Fascinating read. Everyone’s Longevity journey is different and unique; however, there is a detailed chapter in my book ALIVE OR NOT ALIVE on how people live a good life and are healthier, Smarter, and Longer.
A few days later, I was shopping with my beautiful wife. When writing, I am an introvert, but in a public place, I am an extrovert. In other words, am Ambivert? Who told you personal styles are set in stone? This is a conversation I had with my old professors at Maudsley Hospital. If you like to read about my conversation with two professors, please subscribe to our newsletter. They are both good people with good intentions and traditional psychiatrists. However, I am a preventative psychiatrist. Can you spot the difference in our mental model of the world? Disagreement is not disrespect. A blog on our website, “Can you teach an old dog a new trick?” is one of our favorite blogs. Enjoy reading!
In my recent conversation with Winston and Matt( Grandpa), I met Winston and his grandpa, both Asian Canadians. Winston asked if you were chatting a few minutes with a black lady and gentleman while they were buying a bottle of Wine. I said out of curiosity; I wanted to determine why they chose the Wine. I told the first chapter of my book ALIVE that decision-making is complex and multi-faceted and that my editor suggested I write a book on decision-making, mainly focusing on wellness and Aging. Both said it’s a great idea. Winston said he is considering whether to go to College or continue with family business. I thought, why can’t you both?
Matt asked Niran, are you going to buy the Wine? I said great question. Not really, but who knows, I said jokingly said. Grandpa looks about 20 years younger, another octogenarian. He smiled, and his wrinkled face disappeared behind his glasses, giving his youthfulness away.
Minutes later, I asked Winston if he was in any serious relationship. He said no. I smiled and told him I dedicated a chapter in our book ALIVE on relationships. What I wished I had known many years ago. I asked him what the most outstanding investment he would make regarding his well-being; I quickly added and reassured him it was not a trick question. He responded by getting a promising career. I said great, but in my own opinion, fostering a growth mindset and relationships. He nodded as he was taking notes into the mental lexicon. I told him about the book Good Life based on Harvard Review. I read that relationship is one of the most important predictors of wellness and a good life.
Decision architecture has a lot in common with actual architecture. Winston Churchill knows this, “We shape our building, and, afterward, our building shapes us.” This powerful quote came to mind.
I asked Winston, who said quote, “We shape our buildings, and afterward, our buildings shape us.” He looked perplexed; I don’t know he added. I said it’s okay to be unconfused, to borrow a neologism from Bill Gates. I tried to help him by giving him clues; I asked him who is Winston Churchill, his face beamed with smiles like a kid in a candid store. He said the previous PM of the United Kingdom said he could now remember what his history teacher told him a few years ago. Winston is a young man; he does not seem to suffer from memory problems, but can’t he remember this famous quote? One could argue that our memory is accurate.
How good is your memory?
People find it interesting that I need help remembering my Canadian phone number. However, I can remember my UK phone number; most importantly, I remember the quote I memorized yesterday: “Beauty is power; a smile is its sword .”That is my frustration with the current cognitive assessment. Is the current cognitive test fit for purpose? ” If you don’t use it, you lose it.”
“However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results”- Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of Great Britain during World War II.
Back to my question and theme for my next book, “How do we make decisions? What does my choice of architecture look like?”
Things are in flux; however, I would like to hear from you about the title of our next book. What would you do differently?
What am I missing?
‘Depression wasn’t just a problem caused by the brain going wrong. It was caused by the Life going wrong. It was caused by Life going wrong.”
- Johan Hari
If you like our newsletter, please share it with your family, friends and Colleagues.