Zadra Creative Blog

Step Out of the Fast Lane and into the Blue Zone

Screen Shot 2015-10-04 at 3.02.28 PMHow to add 12 years to your life and be 40% happier

The trouble with living in the fast lane all the time is that you get to the end of your life pretty fast. According to a worldwide National Geographic study, the average American could live an extra 12 years and be 40 percent happier by simply adopting some of the savvy, kicked-back practices followed in the world’s “Blue Zones.”

Blue Zones are regions where people routinely live happily past the age of 100. Here are a few of the attitudes and habits that make it possible:

  • The longest-living people in the world “work to live,” rather than “live to work.”
  • They take daily breaks for walks in the sunshine, wine or coffee with friends, or heading to outdoor cafes to socialize.
  • For lunch, they often go home and curl up for a nap with a significant other.
  • For dinner, they gather with family—usually several generations—for laughter and reminiscing.
  • They honor their Sundays and other holidays by…well, not going to work.

Your hopes, dreams, aspirations and work are important. Go ahead and pursue them with all your heart. But I want you to live a long and happy life, too, so I really hope you will give some thought to weaving some blue zone practices into each week. Just remember, nobody ever goes to their deathbed, thinking, “I wish I had spent more time at the office.”

I have more to write on this subject, but it’s lunchtime, so I think I’ll go home and curl up for a nap.

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