Heart and Soul
9. Find a partner who helps you treat yourself well. This is not in “The Blue Zone,” but we include it here given our mile-a-minute lifestyle. We now recognize the importance of having a significant other in your life for at least a big portion of it, as a partner to help you navigate this face-paced world. The best significant other (whether this is a spouse, friend, or relative) helps you treat yourself well, in order for you to take time to learn, heal, have fun, and regularly reward yourself.
10. Have purpose. Doing what you love is not just a cliché. It has powerful impacts on how you experience and view each day, each hour, and each moment. In Okinawa, they have a phrase for this: “ikigai” which means “the reason I get up in the morning.” Blue zones centenarians have very strong ikigai. To be able to live until you are very old you should too. Purpose gives your life meaning which gives you more reason to live.
