The Fountain of Youth, 7 Keys to the Prime of Life

“A self is not something static, tied up in a pretty parcel and handed to the child, finished and complete. A self is always becoming.” ― Madeleine L’Engle, A Circle of Quiet

Lucky me! I work out at the gym with Tyler. He’s twenty-four. He may be decades younger than I, but he’s a great motivator and teacher. I think he’s actually more inspired than he realizes. He challenges me in my workouts and basically all areas of my life. His enthusiasm and positive outlook encourage me to dig deep and find improvement.

During a recent workout he was rather quiet in thought. Then he blurted out, “I’m in the prime of my life!” He looked a bit overwhelmed with this amazing reality and started talking. I listened. He just graduated from college. He recently married an amazing girl. She has a start-up business and they just participated in an entrepreneurship conference. He’s working a temporary sales job until his full-time job starts in a couple of months.

This all sounds like a dream, and it really is good. It carries responsibility and just like anyone, he’s lived long enough to be molded by his challenges and the challenges of reaching out to and supporting others around him. Learning and growth continue as roadblocks and obstacles continue to come his way, motivating him to continue to assess his life and to seek out mentors along the way.

His body and mind are at their peak. I listened on as he emotionally expressed gratitude for his experiences, his freedom and opportunities. He is also taking advantage of and optimizing his prime health. He travels with his wife, plays soccer, lifts weights, snowboards, and takes on a number of other outdoor activities.

Being at the prime of life really is relative to your perspective. No matter where you are in life or your physical attributes, you can optimize your potential and opportunities with a “Prime of Life” perspective. I am not at Tyler’s level in everything he does, nor is he equal in everything I do. However, we each excel in motivating the other. When we do our floor exercises together, Tyler’s form is so graceful that I think he should be on video advertisement; my clunky form doesn’t even come close. However, I do beat him in bench press! Tyler and I, and others that we workout with continue to improve by starting where each of us is right now, regardless of our experience, age, physical ability or attitude.

The Fountain of Youth

Ponce de León and other early European explorers of the Americas brought with them the legend of ‘The Fountain of Youth.’ One would receive the blessings of longevity by drinking of and bathing in its waters. It sounded even better when local Americans embellished the legends and identified where such a fountain would be, perhaps on some distant island. Maybe the native peoples were hopeful that the explorers would keep moving on, kind of like throwing a bone for dog.

People still search for the proverbial fountain of youth. It’s inspiring to me to see examples of people who live long active lives while maintaining alertness. I first noticed examples of this when I moved to a dairy farming town as a teenager. In spite of a bitterly cold climate I saw a number of people thriving well into their eighties, still throwing up bales of hay and running dairy herds. You can’t help but notice examples of famous people, such as actor Dick Van Dyke, Queen Elizabeth II, and fitness guru Jack Lalanne.

One of the early legendary locations of the Fountain of Youth was near Saint Augustine, Florida. Considering the number of people that relocate to Florida in their advanced years, there still appears to be a natural draw.

The waters of your own Fountain of Youth flow within you, always ready to provide insight and courage. You can activate your physical, mental and spiritual potential right now. You can bathe in the fountain of youth and take in its waters at any age, in any physical condition.

Keys to the Prime of Life

• Freedom

The voting age in the United States used to be 21, but now you get an early jump on adulthood and can vote at 18! You can also move out of your childhood home and either forge out on your own, or soften the blow by tapping into financial aid programs while attending college. ‘Decision making’ can be one of your greatest challenges. In the twenty-something mode you usually have a lot more flexibility in deciding where to live, who to live with and what career to follow. You have less institutional fear than typical middle aged people. Once you are established, changes are more difficult. Though you may be less flexible as you get older, you can still assert your freedom at any age.

• Experience

By your twenties you have experienced a number of successes and have likely fallen on your face a few times. Many forces in our society might lead you to think that some failures or lapses doom you forever. A good friend of mine served his jail time, successfully completed a drug rehab program and now has a great full-time job. He’s paid his dues, so to speak. But some of the difficulties of his past still present challenges in the present. Symbolic of greater challenges, his driver’s license is still suspended for another two years. That’s a logistic problem that he solved by changing his physical environment. He found a job and a place to live that are connected by public transit. There is always room to start and rebuild, from wherever you are right now. Put your experiences into perspective. They provide you with a treasure trove of understanding that forms a great foundation for continued progress. Author Dr. Wayne Dyer taught that you couldn’t be who you are today if it wasn’t for where you’ve been and what you’ve gone through.

• Physical Potential

In my sixties I am amazed when I see younger people jumping from boulder to boulder or effortlessly stepping off of a four-foot high platform. I seem to remember having that kind of flexibility and agility. Though in some ways I am physically inferior, I can be present as a 25-year-old. I can optimize my physical abilities and usually do more than I thought I could, as long as I reach for it.

A friend of mine had a tragic accident in his twenties, leaving him a quadriplegic. He had always been active and vowed to continue to be active and to learn new skills. I grabbed another friend and we helped him figure out how to swim in spite of his limited condition. He has continued to extend his abilities and is now a longstanding internationally ranked quad rugby star.

• Mental Development

For a typical person, by about age twenty-five the part of the brain that registers cause and effect is fully developed and the entire brain is at peak performance. This state leads to the wisdom of putting life’s experience together. With continued use and the right attitude the mental capacities will continue to develop and learning will continue. The wisdom and ability to apply experience provide distinct advantages.

• Responsibility

By your twenties your experience has taught you that your decisions and actions have consequences. From this decade forward your impact in the world is enhanced as you continue to take responsibility for who you are becoming.

• Maturity

So often we think of an endpoint of success. Even though your physical and mental capacities may seem more challenged, your potential to new things continues and expands. In his book, The Man Who Tapped the Secrets of the Universe, Glenn Clark tells us how Sir Walter Russell taught that our true greatness and contributions occur in our forties and beyond, as we continue to mature through our experiences and contributions.

• A Giving Heart

A giving heart comes from a perspective of gratitude. At 25 you can still reach back and remember you exposure to the wonders of the world. Whatever circumstance you experience, the child within has sought to bless others by sharing wonders with them or by standing up and protecting them from harm. The heart of a true 25-year-old looks for opportunities to support and strengthen others.

Everyone has a twenty-five-year-old living inside. It isn’t the calendar, it’s perspective. Not all 70-year-olds are in decline. Not all twenty-five year-olds are living in the prime of life. It is a choice whether or not to thrive now. Once you make that choice, the whole world around you changes. It’s not always easy or comfortable, but in the midst of trials, miracles shine through. You will be in closer alignment with the Universe and with other people who need you. Mentors and teachers will appear.

A few years ago I was overweight and feeling lethargic. I was creating a list of things that I physically no longer could or would do, an excuse list, a checklist toward potential doom and gloom. I was slipping. I lost my 25. One of the greatest keys to my transformation was surrounding myself with the right people, people with a 25-perspective.

Jack Lalanne, ‘The Godfather of Fitness,” overcame health problems as a child. He found some key mentors and sought the best environment. By his example, people around him improved their lives and in turn inspired Jack to even greater potential. His influenced inspired many millions of people to greater health and longevity. I count myself as one of those. He continued to teach others until his death. His influence continues due to his impact on health and fitness strategies and products, including the fitness club as we know it today. Jack performed his last daily personal workout the day before he died in 2011 at age 96. He allowed his Fountain of Youth to flow in him until his last breath.