There’s a scientific phenomenon known as the U-bend of life—the discovery that the world’s happiest people tend to be in their 80s and beyond.
In his book, Long Live the Queen: 23 Rules for Living From Britain’s Longest-Reigning Monarch, author Bryan Kozlowski writes about some of the rules the 94-year-old Queen Elizabeth II follows to stay vital. Here are a few in no particular order.
- Stick to a schedule. From her early days as queen, Elizabeth has followed a strict daily regiment that ends with writing in her journal.
- Learn to dial down negative mind chatter. Sweetening your self talk creates a type of psychological armor.
- Play. Elizabeth takes time nearly every day to play as she did as a child—specifically with horses. This keeps her brain youthful and and her body flexible.
- Serve others. The patron of hundreds of charities, Elizabeth II believes that giving herself to good causes also helps her put her own worries in perspective.
- Sustain your faith. As a regular church attender and person who prays daily, Elizabeth believes that whatever worries the world throws at her, there is “a higher throne on which to lay them.”
- Be open to change. Elizabeth II has never stopped learning and adapting. “The way we embrace change defines our future.”
Affirmation: I learn from a queen.
Coaching questions: Which rule do you currently follow? Which one applies most to your life? Which one will you strive to follow?
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
Life after losing a mother 
4, 5 & 6 speak to me. I can’t say I have a schedule. That would be like making a shopping list. I’m not very good at that either. But change certainly has been part of my life forever. Starting with attending 8 different schools in Kindergarten and 1st grade. Granted after that start I was in the same school system through high school. But since the high school class I was in was the first class in a new high school, we were the “Vanguard” class. We created everything that the classes from that high school are still living with 60 years later. The school colors, the school mascot. The name of the news paper. I think they are still singing the same school song too. So I and my classmates were change agents at age 14 and most of the ones I’m still in contact with have always embraced change in their lives.
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Great story!
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