Dr. Joseph Mancusi: Choose Health, life and love

“I am going to go back to school because of your speech,” the young woman told me after a talk. “I am a secretary, and I want to make more money. I liked when you said that a 45-year-old woman with good health habits and regular exercise would live to be over 90 years old. I’m over 40. My life isn’t even half over.” She then hugged me.

I returned her hug and whispered, “Write me on the school stationery,” I said. “Everybody gets religion in front of the preacher.”

She laughed. About two years later I got a letter from a small midwestern college.

“Dear Doctor Mancusi,

You may not remember me. I told you I wanted to go to college. Here I am. What you didn’t know was that I was a single mother at age seventeen. I never married. When I told my daughter I wanted to go to college she was excited.

She said, ‘Mom, if a seventeen year old mother can put her daughter through college, a twenty three year old college graduate can help her mom.’

She helped me study for the GRE and college entrance exams. At 43 years old, I am the oldest woman in the freshman dorm. Even though the college is in our town, my daughter paid for my first semester in the dorm so I could have the real college experience to start. Thank you and God bless you. You changed my life.”

To be honest, this woman changed my life. I saw clearly that words matter. I saw that there is hope for anyone who keeps trying to do the right thing. I saw the power of mother-daughter love. I saw the power of trust and optimism. I saw that it is never too late to follow your dreams. When I got this letter I was thinking of quitting and going back to a 9 to 5 job. This woman inspired me. In part because of her story, I decided to continue my motivational and business talks despite slow sales. It has been over twenty years since I got this letter. I value her letter more than my commendation from President Reagan.

She saw the power of keeping healthy, exercising, staying hopeful, working hard and having a strong, supportive family. It is true that she made a big mistake as a teenager, but she did not compound it by marrying the wrong person, getting discouraged and giving up on her responsibilities. She chose health, she chose life, and she chose love.

I would love to hear your inspiring stories or comments. You can use the internet to find ways to calculate your life expectancy. Every county has agencies and schools that can guide you in going back to school, regardless of your age. Most hospitals and clinics can supply free information on taking charge of your own health. Choose health, choose life, and choose love.

www.calculator.livingto100.com and www.msrs.state.mn.us/info/Age_Cal.htmls are two ways you can calculate how long you are expected to live.

Action Items:

1. Change life habits that are reducing your life span.

2. Keep learning new things no matter how old you are.

3. Share your love and optimism, especially with the young and discouraged.

4. Call a friend or teacher who has helped you in the past. You will both benefit.

Dr. Mancusi is an inspirational speaker and psychologist. drmancusi@yahoo.com www.mancusi.net ©2009