There is a simple explanation for this: by finding something that brings joy every day, people become more attentive to their health, they quit bad habits, experience positive emotions more often, cope more effectively with problems, and recover more quickly from life’s setbacks. Research suggests that a sense of purpose leads to better both physical and mental health, and improves quality of life. Thus, scientists from the University of Michigan evaluated the data of about seven thousand people, whose average age was 68.6 years. In 2006, all participants were tested to determine their psychological state. In the test it was necessary to indicate how much they agreed with such life statements as “I like to make plans for the future” or “in general I feel confident and positive”. The authors monitored mortality rates among the study participants until 2010. A total of 776 people died from various causes. However, the experts saw a direct link between the meaning of life and the probability of death: people who lacked purpose died more often. At the same time, they noted, this factor had no less influence on health than smoking, alcohol, inactive lifestyle and other harmful conditions. Researchers at Boston University came to similar conclusions. They confirmed that a sense of purpose in life is associated with less morbidity, lower risk of disability, cognitive impairment, and longer life expectancy. But what’s even more interesting is that children and grandchildren of long-lived people, having a model of healthy aging in front of them, increases their chances of living a long life by three times! To set a goal, to find the business of life – that’s the recipe for longevity, according to Canadian researchers from Carleton University. They interviewed about six thousand people about the presence of life purpose, and also asked to describe the prevailing emotions in life. After 14 years, nine percent of the subjects died, and, as noted by experts, most often left the life of those people who did not have a clear goal and experienced predominantly negative emotions. But those who had a clear goal and a positive attitude lived longer and were healthier. An optimistic outlook on life plays a crucial role here: those who are able to enjoy each day, the people around them and their surroundings have better health indicators. Studies have shown that optimists have a lower risk of cardiovascular, pulmonary and other diseases, which significantly reduces the likelihood of premature death, and heredity has nothing to do with it. Positive men live longer by 11%, and women – by 15% compared to pessimistic people – American scientists have proved.

Each person has his or her own life purpose, but if we generalize, they all boil down to some common ones: people wish to gain wealth, success, social well-being, to become an executive, to become the owner of status real estate, to find the love of their life, to see their grandchildren and great-grandchildren grow up. All studies have shown that the purpose of the goal is not important at all – the main thing is its presence. But to achieve all this, a person simply needs time – that valuable piece of life, which can be taken away from him by disease, aging and death. That means he must be motivated to maintain physical and mental health at all times. Striving to live 80-90 years and beyond should be one of everyone’s personal goals. After all, in order to achieve everything one dreams of, one must have good health, vitality, be free from pain and any diseases and illnesses. If you formulate a final goal – for example, “to live to 120 years old” – you can define for yourself the path from beginning to end and make a list of obstacles, internal and external, which may prevent you from living to the desired age, as well as everything that can help. Any knowledge and information will be needed here, such as exercise, diet, vitamins and the latest medical developments – in other words, anything that is necessary to reach the goal. It’s also important to make a list of those who can help you reach your goal, from family and close friends to qualified doctors, so that you can identify possible health problems in advance. Then you can schedule all the tasks that will help you stay healthy longer: for example, sign up for a sports club, meditate, give up fast food, get checked out at a clinic. There is a real chance to change the way of life you are used to. Such a plan will show a clear path to achieving the desired goal, and its implementation can significantly extend a healthy and active life.

Some people live without any goals, and some find it difficult to find the meaning of life, but those who have found it can truly appreciate the beauty and dignity of every moment of life and enjoy it every day. The Swedes call it “lagom”, the Danes call it “hugge”. In terms of Japanese philosophy, such people can be said to have comprehended “ikigai”. In Japanese, this word is used on various occasions, it can be used both in relation to small everyday matters and to great achievements. The first part of “iki” means “to live” and the second part “gai” means “reason”, which translates to the meaning of life. Writer Ken Mogi in his book “Ikigai. The Meaning of Life in Japanese” gives a simple explanation: ”it’s what you get up in the morning for.” Ikigai helps you find your purpose in life and gives you a direction to move towards it. And you don’t have to be Japanese to do this, just consciously walk each of the five steps:

• Start small. To do this, you need to open yourself to new and better things and let these changes into your life. You can, for example, start getting up earlier in the morning, take up something you’ve long dreamed of doing, set aside an hour for physical activity, etc.
• Free yourself. Accept yourself for who you are, and then let yourself go: release your inner child, be more direct, unpredictable in a good way, courageous and independent of other people’s opinions.
• Find harmony and stability with your environment and society. Without such a balance, it will be difficult to achieve goals and realize your plans. You do not need to think only about yourself, you need to remember about others.
• Rejoice in the little things. Many Japanese start their day with sweets – there is a sense in it too, because happiness is not only in something big, it is also in everyday events. Eat something sweet to please yourself, go to a school concert of the child, ride a bike – for these little things you should be grateful to fate.
• Be in the here and now. In a state of mindfulness, you don’t need to be distracted by external factors, don’t think about the past, and focus on the present moment. To do your work and enjoy it, to feel the inner joy of the fact that you are improving the world – these are the main moments of conscious being. The meaning of life is in life itself.

Of course, each person determines for himself his own way to achieve the goal: someone will prefer to follow the steps of his philosophy, and someone will find a strategy and make a plan of action. But one way or another, it will require a healthy head and good health. Folk wisdom says, “A life without purpose is a man without a head.” Now we can put it another way: a life without purpose is an early death. That’s why it’s so important to simply define for yourself what you need to strive for. Photo: gobrolly.com