Who hasn’t heard that common adage, “If you’re going to grow old, at least do it gracefully?” Well, what exactly does that mean? And, how can we practice that which so many of us preach?

Just like fine wine, some of us do mellow with age. Research now confirms that older folks generally have better emotional control and a more positive outlook than their younger counterparts.

When it comes to controlling negative emotions, brain scans have proven that life experience may be just the tonic for a happier and healthier existence. In short, older people tend to be healthier mentally than younger people.

But the “road to mellow” takes work for some of us. Physical decline associated with aging can weigh heavily on any senior. And, in fact, depression and suicide are more common among the elderly, especially older men.

But the good news is that mapping a course to a positive outlook can add years to your life, regardless of your health or socio-economic status. Yale University researchers tracked hundreds of adults over 50 for more than two decades. They found those with a positive attitude lived roughly seven-and-a-half years longer than participants fearing the travails of old age.

If you add longevity and attitude, you get what we call, “longitude.” This is not a line on an actual map, but the territory that defines your mental approach to life. Here are five simple, but profound, steps you can use to adjust your “longitude”:
 

• - Practice Random Kindness
• - Look For Beauty Around You
• - Talk With People
• - Live In The Moment

For more on the Road To Mellow, please watch video report below.