If you aren’t 94 yet, chances are excellent that you will be, someday. Art Linkletter can tell you how to enjoy the ride. This entertainment icon is well into his 90s and entertains no thought of retiring or becoming any kind of potato, couch or otherwise. In a recent conversation, venerable celebrity Linkletter shared with me some of the secrets of aging not only gracefully, but stunningly.
The man reminds me of one of those inflatable boxing toys - you know the ones. Stand them up and punch them in the nose. They go down and pop right back up. Do it again. Same result. He’s like that.
Abandoned at birth, raised by a Baptist minister, (a shoemaker) and his wife, Linkletter began life with the odds against him.
“Before anyone knew my name, I rode the rails as a hobo. I never had any money. I was a learn it myself kind of guy,” he told me. “You gotta just get out there and do.”
You hear criminals, mass murderers, anti-social bad guys, whine and cry, blaming a bad end on sad beginnings. Not this man. He made his way.
Got himself a teaching degree, which he has used often. Latching on to projects that educate people of all ages, he still takes information, wisdom and advice around the country and claims he gets as much as he gives.
He’s suffered the most painful of losses, the death of a child, twice, a 20 year-old daughter to suicide and a son in a car accident. He’s had businesses and careers fail. He’s had financial reverses.
Married to Lois for more than 70 years, he kept it all positive with the help of faith, his family and a dedication to moving forward.
How to Create Your Own Potential
There’s no brag in the man. He doesn’t dwell on adversity. He believes anyone with guts, energy, and motivation can do what he’s done and advises not wasting time moaning or complaining. Are you 50? 60? 70? Doesn’t matter – his advice and example will stand you in good stead.
Linkletter has been places and done more than most people ever contemplate. Be a life-long learner, he says, that’ll get you through the rough spots. Never stop absorbing truth and knowledge. Never stop growing.
Take a look at his resume:
- Making Waldorf salads in a college cafeteria
- Part-owner of at least 70 companies
- Radio – news, man-in-the street interviews, his own programs
- More than a dozen TV series, over four decades, including two of the longest running shows in broadcast history Houseparty and People Are Funny; Kids Say the Darndest Things and Disney’s weekly series.
- He appeared in more than 50 other shows in various episodes.
- Produced travel filmsChairman of the Board of a firm developing solar energy alternatives
- UCLA as the president of the center on aging
- Real estate development
- Cattle and sheep ranching
- Treasure hunting
- Mentor
- Conservative political advocate for social security reform, health care reform
- Missionary and documentary film maker in Haiti and Africa
- Chairman of the Board for the J. Douglas French Research Foundation for Alzheimers
- Founding Board member of Kaiser Hospitals
- Former Commissioner of the Presidential Commission for Health & Recreation
- Best selling author (including Kids Say the Darndest Things which has been one of the top 14 best sellers in American publishing history since the 1950s)
- Served on committees under U.S. Presidents including Nixon, Reagan and both Bush’s.
- Received National Humanity Medal from President George W. Bush and Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, as well as 17 honorary doctorates and some Emmy’s.
- Grandfather of the Year
- Basketball Hall of Fame at San Diego State University.
That's the short list.
Remember – he’s in his late 90s. In a year, he has launched another best seller, How to Make the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life with co-author Mark Victor Hansen. He’s done more than 70 personal appearances, is still serving on presidential committees, maintains a vibrant family life, and has his hand in a slew of projects. He rests between engagements, in fact, sometimes does interviews from hotel room beds, but he’s gone surfing in Hawaii, too.
From the Guy Who’s Been There – Many Times
From a man who has written his three autobiographies and filled each with your money’s worth of entertainment and wisdom, comes advice on how to orchestrate a long and productive life:
- “Get an education. And work with what comes your way. Things turn out best for the people who make the best out of the way things turn out,” he says.
- “Save some money. No matter what, put some small amount in the bank every month when you’re young. Don’t touch it and you’ll have untold thousands when you’re fifty,” he advises.
- Pay attention to the details. Linkletter points out, “Success isn’t where you get to.It’s what you’re involved in now. Focus on the trip, not the destination.”
On Marriage
You can’t fail if you follow this awesome advice from the couple who have been together longer than many people live:
- Linkletter says with authority, “You’ve got to have a sense of humor. Communicate. Don't go to bed mad. Get this idea, it’s important: You can disagree, but you don't get disagreeable. By being friendly, you can always get by things.”
On Being Old, Successfully
Linkletter once said, “Money doesn’t buy success. It does buy a Rolls Royce to drive around in while you’re looking for it.” He’s enjoyed his wealth, he told me. He’s used it to benefit a lot of people, including his family, who he gathers together at least once a year for a huge party. The couple’s children, their nine grandchildren, 15 great-grands, and various spouses come from all over the world.
“We catch up - sharing the good and bad stuff and talking things over. To get them all there,” he says with a chuckle, “I always tell them there’ll be a reading of the will. But family is more important than anything.”
So how do you end up aging successfully – stunningly? Think about the energy and enthusiasm of one who’s been there before you.
Here’s Art Linkletter on being old, and he feels no need for euphemisms:
- Spend your time doing what you love. If you’re working. If you decide to retire. Fill your days with your passion. Get satisfaction. Create joy,” he says.
- “Share yourself, your time and your money with others. Volunteer. Get involved. Nothing creates more health and happiness than doing something for others. You’ll live longer.”
- “Find a great family doctor. Get to know him or her. See them a couple times a year and follow their advice.” Linkletter says his life was saved more than once by good medical intervention.
- “Love your family. That is your rock. Your place of strength. Value them, love them,” Linkletter said, obviously moved.
A conversation with Art Linkletter is, in a word, inspiring. He starts talking and spins visions of excitement, energy and effort that made him a legend over nearly 100 years, which he calls our most exciting century. They guy is truly fascinating.
He has a philosophy, you know, and credits his accomplishments to a set of initials – DTRT. You won’t believe how simple the meaning is.
“Do the right thing.”
About says it all, doesn't it?
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