How to Stay Young at Every AgeSample

Youth Is an Attitude

Attitude is so important—a good one will keep you feeling energized and enthusiastic about life at any age. John Maxwell has said, “Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it,” and I have found that to be true. If you think about it, some people have a hard life and a bad attitude to go with it, while others with similar problems learn to enjoy each day no matter what it brings. 

When I start to think negatively, stories like this one help me get my mind back in the right direction…

The lady is 92 years old, petite, well poised, and proud. She is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, with her hair fashionably coiffed and her makeup perfectly applied, in spite of the fact that she is legally blind. Today she has moved to a nursing home. Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making this move necessary.

As she maneuvers her walker to the elevator, the staff person provides a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet curtains that have been hung on her window. “I love it,” she states with enthusiasm of an 8-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy. “Mrs. Jones, you haven’t seen the room…just wait,” the staff person says.

Then Mrs. Jones speaks these words: “That does not have anything to do with it,” she gently replies. “Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like the room or not does not depend on how the furniture is arranged. It is how I arrange my mind.”

This story illustrates not only the benefits of a positive attitude toward every situation but also the importance of making good decisions and setting your mind in the right direction. Please don’t wait until you’re 92 years old to decide to have a positive attitude toward life. Set your mind today to be happy and satisfied in every moment and every season of your life.

Prayer Starter: Father God, I want to enjoy my life at every age. Please show me how I can prepare my mind today to stay positive and live purposefully in the years ahead. 

Adapted from the book How to Age Without Getting Old by Joyce Meyer. Copyright 2021 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.