Last week I promised to write to you today about why staying positive might actually extend your life. And by the way, the story with my kids did continue after all – just not in the way we had planned. Always keep on smiling. More on that a little later.
Let’s start with what really matters. There is something that is often underestimated when we talk about living a long life. And it’s not found only in the gym or on our plates. It’s hidden right between our ears – something that contributes far more than many people think: your brain. And within it, your attitude, your view of life, and the conversations you have with yourself.
Scientific research shows that people who are generally optimistic and positive have a measurably higher chance of living longer and healthier. In large, decades-long studies, a positive basic mindset was associated across all age groups with a higher likelihood of reaching the age of 85 or even 90 – regardless of diet, exercise, or smoking habits.
So what does that mean in real life? Optimism alone won’t prevent illnesses or strokes of fate. The real question is how you perceive these things – and what you make of them. Living life through the “blue glasses,” grounded in faith, trust, and the ability to see the good, turns out to be a true ally for your well-being. And therefore, for the length of your life as well.
Do you know what the best part is? New insights from positive psychology show that optimism can be trained – just like a muscle that grows stronger when you use and challenge it. When you consciously question negative thoughts and look for the good in them, when you don’t let bad news constantly flood your mind, when you practice daily gratitude, or when you create a clear vision for your new year – especially at the beginning of the year – you gradually change your inner baseline. You move away from focusing on what’s wrong and toward seeing what’s good and what might become possible. That shift turns inner tension into relaxation.
And I needed exactly that perspective last week. When we landed in Madrid an hour late and our flight to Munich literally took off right in front of us, all hope of getting back to Germany that day disappeared. The flights to Düsseldorf and Berlin were already boarding, and we weren’t allowed on the Vienna flight (our plane from Lisbon) because it was completely full.
So what now? Fly back the next day and miss the ship – or … look at the situation in a completely different way?
When you can’t change things, look at them from another angle. The good news was: from my very first booking I still had a hotel in Madrid and a flight from Frankfurt via Madrid to A Coruña. And now we were already in Madrid. A blessing in disguise. So if those pieces were already in place, there was only one possible way to get back to the ship in time: the kids would simply have to come with me on the flight to A Coruña the next morning.
After checking with their mom and the general manager on the ship, this one option suddenly became our workable master plan. How the kids would get from Bremerhaven to the south was another question. And sometimes the solution is already there before the problem even appears.
A few days earlier, I had hosted the cooking duel on board. One of the judges didn’t want his gift – a book by Tim Raue – and I followed a spontaneous impulse and auctioned it live on stage for the benefit of the crew. With Gina De la More as our auctioneer, we raised 1,000 euros for the crew.
And the couple who won the book – along with many other items the captain and cruise director added spontaneously – came from Flein near Heilbronn, just 30 minutes from the kids’ hometown. That night, this didn’t seem important at all.
But while I was on my way to the hotel in Madrid with the boys, Anke met the couple. And Sabine and Ingo spontaneously offered to take Philip and Luis with them to the south.
So the solution was already prepared before the problem had even fully shown up.
You never know what – or who – might help you one day. So be kind to others today, because tomorrow you might need their help.
So keep on staying positive.
