LIVING TO 100 DIGEST | July 2026
Greetings, Friend.
I hope you’re having a wonderful summer. Thank you for being part of the Living to 100 Club community. This month I’m sharing one insight, one practical resource, and one invitation — all centered on a simple but powerful idea: staying interested in your future.
💡 Insight
Helping People Become Interested in Their Future Again
The Psychology of Looking Forward
Healthy aging isn’t only about staying physically active. It also depends on whether we remain interested in what lies ahead. One of the most powerful aspects of a healthy aging mindset is continuing to see possibility in our future.
Recently, I had the opportunity to lead a discussion with a group of older adults. Instead of giving another presentation, I asked three simple questions.
What gave your life purpose in the past?
What brings you joy today?
What would you still like to learn, experience, or contribute in the future?
The responses surprised me.
The first question was easy. People spoke with pride and warmth about careers, raising families, volunteer work, military service, friendships, travel, and accomplishments. Their stories flowed naturally. They knew who they had been.
The second question took a little more thought.
When I asked what brings them joy today, the room became quieter. The answers came more slowly.
Then came the third question — what would you still like to learn, experience, or contribute? This was by far the most difficult.
What struck me was that relatively few people talked about what they hoped to learn, create, or experience next. The conversation naturally drifted back to familiar memories and present-day concerns.
That’s when I realized I wasn’t simply asking about future plans. I was asking whether people still felt drawn toward the future itself.
Do you still have an active relationship with your future?
It struck me that many of us become excellent historians of our own lives. We can tell wonderful stories about where we’ve been, what we’ve accomplished, and the people we’ve loved.
But somewhere along the way, many of us stop asking an equally important question:
Who am I still becoming?
Perhaps one of the quietest losses that can accompany aging is not physical ability or even memory — it’s the gradual fading of curiosity about what comes next.
📘 This Month’s Resource
Small Steps Toward Possibility
During many of my recent discussions with older adults, I’ve noticed a common pattern. It’s easy to become focused on maintaining our routines and getting through the day, while losing sight of what we still want to learn, experience, or contribute.
I created Small Steps Toward Possibility to help shift that perspective. Rather than encouraging dramatic life changes, the guide offers simple prompts and practical ideas to help you reconnect with curiosity, purpose, and the possibilities that still lie ahead. Sometimes one small step is all it takes to begin writing a new chapter.
As you read the guide, choose just one idea to try this week. Small steps often lead to meaningful change.
✉️ An Invitation
Every month I try to share one helpful idea, one practical resource, and one invitation to keep growing. If these monthly Digests, podcasts, or presentations have been helpful to you, I’d be grateful if you would consider leaving a brief Google review. Your comments help others discover practical ideas for healthy aging and encourage them to begin their own next chapter.