Word of Encouragement

In this crazy COVID world of ours, it can be a bit mind-numbing to contemplate all the things that are happening around us. That’s why this week’s “Word of Encouragement” may be a bit unusual, but hang with me—because it addresses a critically important question: “What reduces the chances of dying the most?”

I know. Even mentioning the topic of death or mortality can be a giant bummer. But my buddy, Ray Oberhofer, sent me a great TED presentation that addressed the flip side of that question: “What does it take to live to 100 and beyond?” As the proud grandfather of two spectacular grandsons, I am certainly motivated to know the answer to that question!

The TED talk highlighted research from Julianne Holt-Lunstad at Brigham Young University and was based on a series of studies of tens of thousands of middle-aged people. The researchers looked at every aspect of their lifestyles and waited for seven years to see the results. Their quest was to understand what gave people the best chance to live a long life and then rank the least powerful and strongest predictors of the aging process.

What do you think those predictors looked like? Personally, I’d have guessed that the most positive factors would be diet and exercise, and the most negative would be tobacco, drugs and alcohol.

So I was a bit surprised to learn that the top predictors of a long life are two features of your social life: Having close relationships and having social integration with others.

It reminded me of something that I learned in 2002, when the doctors thought it would be a good idea to crack open my chest and remove a tumor. As I have shared in numerous talks, upon hearing the doctor’s words, I was shocked. But when I grasped the gravity of the situation, I fell back on the three F’s in my life: Faith, Family and Friends. Guess what? 18 years later—just as it did back then, these three F’s have come in pretty handy in this COVID journey.

In a previous “Words of Encouragement,” I highlighted my friend, Karl Wadensten’s, “Everyone Needs a Choir” philosophy. Little did I know that the research confirms the importance of his philosophy. Having that choir is really important—now more than ever!

Personally, when I read the words of John 16:33: “In this world we will have tribulation, but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world,” I think of how valuable my choir has been in reminding me that there are plenty of reasons to “be of good cheer.”  

For some, building that choir may come naturally; for others it may be a bit of a challenge. But a mentor of mine, and the author of the bestseller Halftime, the late Bob Buford used to remind me that “low cost probes” can be valuable. In other words, don’t be afraid to reach out and be part of someone else’s choir and invite others to be in yours.

In that spirit, I’d like to personally thank those of you who have reached out in response to these notes of encouragement with your own uplifting words to me. And if you’d like to, connect with me over at LinkedIn.