Moses Hardy is 113! He was born in 1893 and he is the oldest living documented man in the continental United States. His home is in Aberdeen, Mississippi. When I first saw the headlines in the Jackson, Mississippi newspaper, The Clarion-Ledger, I was stunned. After all, 113 years old is pretty darn old.

What If You Lived To Be 113 Years Old?

Once I worked with a man who turned 65 years old. At his retirement party, he was asked to say a few words as he accepted a gift. I clearly remember the regret in his voice as he told us he would have taken better care of himself if he had known he was going to live so long. While others chuckled, I felt a tinge of pain in my heart for the bittersweet sentiment that accompanied his words. I quietly wondered what other choices he might have made in his life if he would have chosen to believe that he would reach those golden years.

Why Not Assume That You Are Going To Live A Long Life?

Mr. Hardy has shown us that it is very possible to live well over 100 years. If you lived your life based on an assumption that you would reach 113 years of age, what choices would you make? Would you change anything in your life? Would you still use the "it's too late" excuse to justify squelching a yearning or desire you wish you could/would explore?

There is not a right or wrong answer to the above questions. The only thing you must know is that You Get To Choose how you dance with life.

Beverly Keaton Smith, CPCC owns and operates Embrace Your Gifts and Soar! She is a certified life coach who offers individual life coaching, group coaching, workshops and retreats to women who are ready to discover and embrace their unique gifts so they can live more athentically and joyfully. She is also co-author of The Book of Druthers. To learn more about Beverly, visit http://www.embraceyourgifts.com