Want to Live Longer? The Blue Zones May Only Be Part of the Story

I am fascinated by blue zones. You know, those places where people routinely live past 100?

According to this Harvard Health article, you don’t have to live in Sardinia, Italy or Okinawa, Japan to reap the benefits of living a healthier life.

The people in these studies tend to maintain similar eating patterns. They stop when they are 80 percent full, make breakfast the heaviest meal of the day, followed by a lighter lunch and an even lighter dinner.

Not surprisingly, these people eat more plants, But what I found most intriguing is that finding a sense of purpose is crucial:

“Understanding your purpose is a critical part of the culture in blue zones — knowing why you get up in the morning and what your responsibilities are. Blue zone residents feel needed, and it helps them live longer.

Research shows that when someone knows and can explain their sense of purpose, they have a 15% lower risk of dying prematurely.”

How Do You Actually Find Purpose in Life?

I think a lot of people struggle with that. This Reddit thread resonated with me. The OP just quit a dead end job and is struggling to find a clear goal, and meaning in life.

I love this person’s response. You don’t need to achieve some grand plan. The little things in life make all the difference:

“As far as finding meaning and purpose, the advice I try to give myself and improve on little by little is to stop seeing meaning as some nebulous future concept and to see it in the everyday and the mundane. Meaning doesn’t have to be what comes in 10 years when you finally have the “right” job and the “right” salary. Meaning can come from an afternoon chatting with your friends, or a good meal you make for yourself, or just a night in reading a book or listening to music.”

That comment came at exactly the right moment for me. I find myself worrying too much abut the future, fretting about what is not happening, and forgetting to savor the everyday moments.

Someone makes a kind remark. You see a turtle on the sidewalk in front of you. You take pride in exercising a little more that day.

In this article, psychologist Dr. Douglas LaBier says often, our true purpose is right in front of us. We simply do not notice:

“I think most people retain at least a glimmer of awareness of their life's purpose within their inner being. It often feels like a leaning, an inclination, that continues to pull at you. Sometimes is right in front of your eyes but you don't allow yourself to see it, like when you're hunting for your missing keys and then discover that they've been right in front of you the whole time. For example, an investment advisor found himself doing more and more work with charity organizations. He finally realized that what he felt most in sync with was hands-on work helping people. That was the part he enjoyed about his work, not the money managing per se. Helping people was his true calling, and it was staring him in the face the whole time.”

He adds that the people who find true meaning in life, use their creative energy on something larger than themselves.

To that end, if we get involved in our communities we not only find purpose, but also build social connections that are supposed to help you live a longer and more satisfying life.

As Dr. LaBier so eloquently put, maybe, what we are truly looking for is right there in front of us.