Team Up !

We’ve all heard of Lotto Winners who win millions of dollars and within a few years they find themselves broke. Perhaps with even less money than before becoming millionaires. What happened?

Over the years I’ve heard thousands of stories from people who have not only survived devastating events, but they have eventually thrived.  What got them through? 
Why do some businesses continue to do well, while others close their doors after trying their best? What was missing?

Recently I watched a documentary, Live to 100, Secretes of the Blue Zones, highlighting five ‘Blue Zone’ regions in the world where people not only live to 100 and beyond, but these centenarians are living extraordinarily long and vibrant lives of health and productivity with no signs of Alzheimer’s or diabetes… illness related to aging. 

These Blue Zones are located in Okinawa, Japan, Sardinia, Italy, Ikaria, Greece, Nicoya, Costa Rica and surprisingly, Loma Linda California, USA. Researcher Dan Buettner has studied these zones for over twenty years, exploring several factors in the lives of centenarians, from the obvious, diet and movement, to the not so obvious, religious devotion, duty to a life purpose and personal obligations to others. 

On the internet you can find what foods are best for living to 100 and the reason why movement is a necessary subscription for keeping the body lubricated and how drinking wine and unwinding regularly, is part of maintaining lower stress and cultivating peace of mind for longevity. There is much information for us to uncover and add to our daily routines if we want to live to 100 with a healthy and productive body, mind, and spirit.  
 
What caught my attention was the personal obligations to others. Each Blue Zone has its own close network of support, attention, and affection. Each centenarian is connected to family and friends, and a robust network with a dose of healthy touching, moving, laughing, and loving together. An obligation to their team of people they are connected to and serving.  

In our own lives, what networks do we depend on? Who is our team? In Okinawa, some elderly form moais, or groups of neighborhood friends, that meet regularly and support each other in times of need. They call this being with their ‘Right Tribe’. Supporting each other. A team of the right people at the right time. 

If the lotto winners had a solid advisory team of professionals who helped them invest and allocate their millions, and learned how to make money on their money, they would not go broke. They need a team. 
People who survive devastating events usually find help and support to get them through, a team to lean with and lean in with them. They found a team. 

Businesses who weather the rough storms of growing and retaining consumers, the business of doing business, usually depend on their team, including solo entrepreneurs who depend on clients, resources, and vendors, who become their team. Likewise, a great marriage maintains a great team. 

And then there is the team spirit of working, prospering, and staying healthy together. I discovered this acronym for TEAM, Together Everyone Achieves More! So, let’s team up with each other and if you want to live to 100, you can team up and go together. And get a measure of obligation to each other in healthy touching, moving, laughing, and loving each other. Resurrecting an old idea of essential communities working and playing together. Afterall, we know that together we are stronger and safer than alone. 

A very special thank you to my team…. you know who you are. Appreciate you forever.
Love,
Hilda