How Your Mindset Can Add Decades of Vibrant Health to Your Life

The foundation of any major life achievement starts with believing it’s possible.

Whether you’re building a career, running a marathon, or adding decades of healthy living to your life, you have to first buy into the idea that it’s achievable. Why? Because what you’re aiming for requires action and intentionality.

As human beings, if we don’t believe something is possible, we’re unlikely to take the steps necessary to make it happen. We find ourselves stuck in our current experience, simply maintaining the status quo. This is true for health and longevity as well as any other endeavor.

To pursue a vibrant, healthy back half of life, you have to commit to the idea that it’s possible to improve your future. Otherwise, you risk looking back on your life and realizing you didn’t really try — an outcome I consider a far different experience than trying and failing.

Start With a Simple Question: Do You Believe?

The first step in adding decades of vibrant living to your life is to ask yourself a simple question: Do you believe it’s possible? You need to sit with that question and be honest about your answer.

For some, the answer is an easy “yes.” Whether it’s due to personal experience, trust in modern medicine, or just a gut instinct, they see how advancements in technology, medication, and health awareness make it possible to add vibrant years — many of them — to their life.

For others, the answer isn’t so clear. They may face barriers like limiting beliefs, past trauma, or simply a lack of hope, which make the idea of a fulfilling future feel out of reach.

If you find yourself in the latter group, I encourage you to picture your future self toward the end of a long, healthy life. What does that look like for you?

Are you active and engaged? Spending time with loved ones? Participating in the things you love? The answer to this exercise is deeply personal, but it’s important to start imagining it.

Once you do, you can come back to your present and ask yourself if anything is creating friction between where you are now and where you want to be. What limiting beliefs or obstacles stand in your way? What would you need to do to address them?

Next Up: Is It Worth It?

Once you believe a long, healthy life is possible, the next question is whether it’s worth the effort. This is where many people struggle.

Humans want the benefits of health — feeling good, being active, avoiding disease — but they’re often not sure if the cost of making the necessary changes is worth it. So many people get stuck in this messy middle. They understand the future consequences of not changing, but the status quo feels more comfortable in the moment, even if it’s not ideal.

The truth is, health requires effort. There’s no getting around that. But the key is realizing early on that the effort is worth it. When you make the right decisions today — quitting smoking, starting a workout routine, eating better, building stronger relationships — you stack years of quality living for your future.

When people do the math on the cost-benefit analysis of making these changes, they often think in terms of the immediate discomfort. Yes, I know smoking will cause all kinds of problems in the future… But my experience of smoking today isn’t so bad. And quitting is HARD.

This is why clarifying a vision of your future is so important. The future enjoyment of that long-term picture must be valuable enough to you that you’re willing to endure discomfort today to achieve it.

Think of it as a treasure hunt: Following the map may be arduous, but if you believe the treasure is worth finding, you do it.

Build a Compelling Future

A compelling future is what drives people to push through hard or unpleasant things — whether it’s with health, career, relationships, etc.

As humans, we need to feel like we’re making progress. We constantly measure ourselves, comparing where we are now to where we could be. When we feel like we’re moving toward something bigger, we have the fuel to navigate even the most challenging situations.

In my own life, I’ve found that the best person to inform me is my future self. That version of me is clear, confident, and free. He knows what’s most important and has the courage to live in that truth.

Whenever I feel stuck, I spend time with my future self — my North Star. I ask what he values, how he spends his time, and what he prioritizes. This practice has become a way for me to find clarity in my current life and align my actions with my future.

The greatest gift we can give ourselves is knowing who we are and what matters to us. And sometimes, the best way to discover that is by imagining the person we want to be in the future. When you start making decisions that align with that version of yourself, you begin to become more that person in the present.

The Work Begins Today

Believing in the possibility of a long, healthy life is the first step, but it’s only the beginning. You have to follow up belief with action. It requires discipline, courage, and, yes, work. But the return on that effort — extra decades of life spent doing what you love with the people who matter most — is immeasurable.

Your future self is counting on you to show up today, to make the changes that will allow you to live fully tomorrow. Start building a vision for your future, audit your life for friction, and begin taking the steps that will get you closer to your vibrant, healthy future.