Thank you to all my friends who read this post, add your comments and give me smiles. If you are reading this – I count you as a friend.

Achieving “vintage” status I have but I am not a nonagenarian (person in their 90’s) but today’s post is wisdom from one who is.

I happened to surf by and watch the interview of this well-known and successful Canadian and enjoyed it.

I am going to share his wisdoms and see if you can guess whom it was, and wind up this post with a link to the interview.

I shook more than one million hands in my life.

Question #1 – What does it feel like to be 90 plus years old?

You have to take one day at a time. I feel normal, I get up in the morning and go to work and enjoy life. I don’t think about my age, I only mention it to impress people and they are a bit surprised that I still come to earn my living at my age.

Question #2 – What are the things you have done to get to this point and feel how you feel?

In my family we tend to get quite old. My Dad when he died was almost 93, and I have a sister who went to a 100, another brother 99, and another brother 95. So you know, it’s normal in my family to be that age. My family had nine kids and the youngest when he died was 81.

Question #3 – What do we need to know about how you grew up to understand the person you are today?

My father was a blue collar worker in the paper mills, a machinist who came from the Royal part of Quebec. My Dad dreamed to have one of his kids be a politician and since I was a hyperactive kid he thought I had the energy needed to do that.

He started to train me very young just like you train your son to be a hockey player, you go to the hockey rink at 5 in the morning. I wanted to be an architect, and Dad said “You will never get elected as an architect. You go to law school.” In those days when your Dad said something, you listen, so I became a lawyer at this request and a politician as it was his desire.

Question #4 – What did you do differently than everyone else that lead you to your successes?

I always had interesting jobs and for me I never had a problem to get up to go to work. I always found interesting what I was doing and it was a pleasure for me.

A lot of people treat work as a burden because they don’t have jobs that they love. For me it was exciting, it was always new, always new challenges and in politics you have to perform. If you don’t perform they talk about it in the newspaper and on tv and so on. It’s very challenging.

A lot of people they go to work at 9 and come back home at 5 and there was nothing very exciting happening so they are happy to leave at five. They go home where they have fun with sports and family and so on.

One of the difficulties of politics is family life versus public life but I had married my girlfriend. She was the first girlfriend I had and she was my girlfriend 5 years before I married her. I was 23, she was 21 and we had 53 years of marriage. She was a great lady, well liked in Canada and well respected. She spoke 4 languages, great political judgment and always told me the truth in a nice way. I think a lot of people have a hard time finding love or being with the right person.

She had the calming influence on me

Question #5 – What was it about your wife that you knew she was the right person?

When I was a kid, I was over-excited all the time and my mother would say I would be the black sheep in the family. That was until I met this girl next door who became my wife.

My mother realized that she had a calming influence on me so she did everything for me to meet her. My mother decided that she was the woman for me and she was right. My wife and I grew up together basically and she was very patient. Everybody would say that we were making a good couple and she was an exceptional lady.

She asked me to retire at age 70 and I kept my word to her, of course, and I retired at 69 years and 11 months.

She was in charge of the house and she raised the kids virtually alone as I was always on the road. She handled everything. If she wanted to have a colour on the wall that I didn’t like, I would shut up. She was in charge of the house. If the kids were not happy, I was always on her side. As a matter of policy, my wife was always right.

Question #6 – How did you handle pressure?

For me a problem is a problem. When you have a problem you have to find a solution. In life have to hopefully always make the right decision. So I was calm apparently when there was a crisis. I would never get excited. On the contrary I would become calm knowing that I had to face a challenge. I was always decisive.

That was one quality that people mention of me, that I could make up my mind. Decisions need to be made every day when you are Prime Minister and responsible for 30 million people.

I love to go to Question Period but most Prime Minister they hate it. (Question Period occurs each day in the House of Commons in Canada and members of parliament ask questions of government ministers including the Prime Minister)

It was a challenge (Question Period) and I used to make the joke that you never know if you have done well there. Most people would turn to their staff and ask if they did alright. I didn’t have to do that, what I would do was that when I got up after I would do this (touches his armpit), and it was dry I had done well and if it was wet it’s because I had problems.

Never make a decision on the spur of the moment

My advice to handle decisions is this. Stay calm, stay calm. Don’t make a move on the spur of the moment. I never made a decision in front of a meeting of people because if you have 10 people around the table some are very eloquent but that doesn’t mean they are right. Put distance between the discussion and the decision. Have an hour or so of reflection to forget about the presentation, some are very good at presenting things, some are shy or not articulate and they might be ones who are right. I was known not to make a decision after a discussion.

Question #7 – What makes a great leader?

One has to be honest, to be frank, to be knowledgeable and hardworking. You must do your best. I did my best and at the end of the day I would come home and would say to myself, yeah, I did my best.

Do your best all the time, have pride and best quality of your work. Sometimes you might not succeed and it’s terribly unfair. But if you are working and not in the bar when your luck comes, then you will have a chance to do well.

Hugs to everyone that has read through to this point. ♥ David

I sincerely hope you enjoy hearing the perspective of this man. I believe when

seniors reach this age they become their most transparent self and have gifts to

share to those who will take a few moments to listen. I appreciate you all. – ♥

The wise gentleman interviewed here was elected a Canadian Member of Parliament an amazing 12 times!

He was elected to Parliament when he was 29 years old (even though his English

was not fluent then) and active until he was 70 years old. He never lost an election.

He was a leader of a majority government 3 times and 40 years in the Canadian

cabinet and also leader of the opposition in the House of Commons.

I hope you will listen to the whole interview of the

Right Honourable Jean Chretien.

Link here to an interview that may make you smile and provide wisdom for you to share.♥