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Susan Amori's avatar

My ‘sixth’ would be mindset, and maybe I’d put that first. “A mindset is a series of self-perceptions or beliefs people hold about themselves. These determine behavior, outlook and mental attitude.” My father (age 87) has had the mindset of someone 30 years younger for as long as I can remember. He’s been active his whole life - walking, traveling, cooking, eating good food, enjoying a glass of wine, engaging with others (especially his grandkids) and just living with a positive, curious mindset. He’s been an inspiration to so many. Mindset can be the engine to drive all those other behaviors, and it can also be the excuse. So if you find yourself making excuses for not sleeping, exercising, etc., start by working on your mindset.

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Greg Colley's avatar

I have narrowed all 5 things down to one necessary ability which is the ability to say no. The ability to say no to those people and/or tasks that steal a large chunk of your personal time. Imagine this: "Can you come over and help me with this or that or the other thing?" The response: "No I can't, I'm about to go for a run or I'm going to bed in 20 minutes or I have to fix my healthy dinner...etc". The ability to say no at key times of your day could free up your time which would reduce stress. Just say No.

I've heard the poppyseed argument since I was on active duty almost 40 years ago.

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