Rules for aging well are just aphorisms if they can’t be enforced

Too much information? That’s good, in a way. It means we are forced to be highly selective about the truckloads of advice that come our way about aging in style. Our BS detectors are always at the ready.

I’m left cold by tips on improving my character. (Whaddya mean, ‘Be opportunistic?’) I am interested in practical tips, stuff I can do and know when it’s done.

Glance at the Nine Rules for Living (abridged) from Olga Kotelko, a 95-year-old superstar of track and field. Do they resonate with you? Only Rules 1, 2 and 9 could be implemented and measured. The others … doubt it.

Olga herself was astounding, an inspiration. However, the secret of her success cannot be deconstructed this easily. She might just as well have told us, “Be Olga.”

1. Rule One: Keep Moving
2. Rule Two: Create Routines (But sometimes break them)
3. Rule Three: Be Opportunistic 
4.  Rule Four: Be a Mensch  
5. Rule Five: Believe in Something
6. Rule Six: Lighten Up
7. Rule Seven: Cultivate a Sense of Progress 
8. Rule Eight: Don’t Do It If You Don’t Love It 
9. Rule Nine: Begin Now