Did We Find the Fountain of Youth?

For centuries people have searched for the Fountain of Youth. The name most closely linked to the search for the Fountain of Youth is Ponce de Leon.

He thought it was located in Florida. Not many people think of Florida like that anymore.

We may have accidentally discovered the Fountain of Youth… or at least a fountain of youth.

Here’s the journey that led us there.

This time last week, the Global Gratitude Society was hosting (re)Ignite YOUR Gratitude: A 5-Day FastStart to Living IN Gratitude.

It was a transformational experience for many of the participants. I had a front row seat to watch the transformations unfold.

If you know me, you know I love word clouds and always use Mentimeter in sessions and invite people to share their words, thoughts, and experiences.

We collected word clouds every day. On the fifth and final day of this journey, I invited participants to look back over the 5-day journey and share what word or phrase best described their experience.

To my surprise, the biggest word in the cloud was REJUVENTATED.

I was intrigued. I remember saying out loud — rejuvenated. Hmm, I wonder about the origins of that word.

Obviously, a couple of participants were equally intrigued and had the liberty to do a quick search as our conversation continued.

Anna, a co-founder of the Global Gratitude Society, piped up.

“Juvenis is to re-energize yourself before losing initial energy or restore the vigor you had beforehand.”

Cat chimed in and said, “to think like a child again”.

A few moments ago, this conversation came rushing back. If you know me, you know I can be a word nerd and get drawn into the etymology of a word.

Here’s what my etymological exploration of REJUVENATE found and where it took me in thought.

The root of "rejuvenate" is the word "juvenile", which comes from the Latin juvenilis meaning "of or appropriate to youth". The original Latin juvenilis is derived from juvenis, meaning "young man".

From these Latin roots, the word "juvenate" was formed, meaning to make young again or restore youthfulness to.

"Juvenate" entered English in the late 16th century, with the meaning of making something young or youthful again.

Later, the prefix "re-" was added to form "rejuvenate". The prefix "re-" means again or back, so "rejuvenate" came to mean to make youthful or active again, to revive or restore vigor to.

So "rejuvenated" originally referred to literally becoming young again physically or regaining youthful vitality. But over time the meaning has broadened to refer more generally to becoming vigorous, active or lively again, even if not literally turning back the clock.

So, what’s the connection between our 5-day journey where participants explored, expressed, and experienced gratitude and them feeling rejuvenated?

What if rejuvenation is a matter of perspective rather than a condition of age?

What if rejuvenation is not found in WHERE you live, but HOW you live?

Extending that thought just a little, what if what Ponce de Leon traveled to Florida looking for could have been found in his homeland of Spain?

If he had only looked through the lens of gratitude?

Gratitude truly is a fountain of youth, one that is always available to us and replenishes itself the more we drink from it. When we practice gratitude regularly, cultivating an “attitude of gratitude,” it rejuvenates us from the inside out, bringing a sense of youthful vitality and renewed zest for life.

Science has shown that grateful people tend to be healthier and happier in many ways. They sleep better, exercise more and make wiser dietary choices. They have lower blood pressure and stronger immune systems, suffer less depression and experience more joy. By focusing our thoughts on what brings us pleasure, gratitude activates areas in our brains linked to reward and wellbeing. In this way, practicing gratitude literally rewires our brain in a more positive, youthful direction.

But the rejuvenating effects of gratitude reach beyond the mind into our very physiology.

Let me take you to that final session of our 5-Day FastStart.

The people who joined us — were much like you and me — dealing with a wide range of situations and circumstances. Navigating the ups and downs of the post-pandemic VUCA Vortex. That cocktail of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity.

For some, it’s physical pain. Others are navigating grief and loss — of loved ones, a job, a relationship, of something else of value.

Some are navigating the maze of caring for loved ones with dementia, or other life-altering ailments.

And yet, they all described feeling physically lighter, mentally clearer and emotionally uplifted - like a weight had been lifted off them.

It was palpable. It was visible.

What if gratitude is the fountain of youth?

The simple act of gratitude thus offers us a powerful fountain of youth we can access any time, day or night, simply by focusing our thoughts on what we appreciate in life.

A vision of ours at the Global Gratitude Society is seeing our world touched and transformed by gratitude. By LIVING IN GRATITUDE!

Gratitude is more than a hack, habit, or practice. It’s a way of living… a way of being far more than it is a list of doing.

As you embrace the transformational power of gratitude, you’ll notice subtle yet significant shifts: your perspectives changing, burdens melting away and a new sense of youthful vitality filling you up from within.

Could gratitude be the real Fountain of Youth?