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Our Next Moonshot: A Longer, Better Life for Everyone.


What if we could add 45 billion years of higher-quality life globally, or six years per person, by just taking a few public health steps? That is the premise of a new McKinsey study that I highly recommend our Wisdom Well geeks devour sooner rather than later.

This may not be as crazy as it sounds, as South Africa recently gained 6.5 years in one decade. Thailand gained 4.5 years. Ireland 3 years.

What I enjoyed about this heady report is that it doesn’t just focus on physical and mental health, but it also highlights the importance of social/relational and spiritual health in regards to living a longer and better life, much like the “Blue Zones” research has shown.

This moonshot requires six societal shifts, most of which we’re starting to make headway on:

Shift 1. Invest more, disproportionately on prevention and promoting optimal health
Shift 2. Improve measurement of a modernized understanding of health with better data
Shift 3. Scale what works
Shift 4. Innovate more and more quickly
Shift 5. Unleash the full potential of all industries
Shift 6. Empower individuals to steward their own health

While this list isn’t particularly new, the report is full of pretty fascinating graphics and data that help amplify how important it is that we address the global inequality of access to good health care.

P.S. Just watched Netflix’s JLo documentary “Halftime” which starts with her 50th birthday celebration and ends with her headlining the NFL Super Bowl halftime show. While superficial on one level, it offers a variety of MEA-relevant perspectives: what it’s like to be in midlife while still selling sex-appeal, how we evolve from being ego-centric to wanting to serve a bigger purpose, and how we stay true to our core when external influences pull us in multiple directions. It’s worth a watch if you enjoy pop culture and have always wondered how they pull-off those extravagant Super Bowl halftime shows.

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