If you travel enough, you start to notice something odd. The longest- lasting, most admired buildings in almost every city are the temples and churches. Glass offices come and go. Grocery stores close and reopen with new names. But the temple stands. Solid. Purposeful. Built for the long game.

On a recent trip to Nashville, the great temples there reminded me of a truth that hits harder in your 60s than in your 20s. You and I are temples too. And if we hope to build the “third half ” of life—that wild, productive, meaningful stretch from our 60s into our 90s—we must tend to our structure with reverence. We cannot leave our future to chance. We have to build it on purpose.

That is where the acrostic TEMPLE comes in. A simple word. A deep philosophy. A blueprint for a life worth living.

T — Time and Take Action

Your temple does not get built during commercial breaks or while scrolling past photos of other people’s lunches. You must take time for yourself and take action for your future.

Guard the first fifteen minutes of the morning.

Take one small action each day that supports your temple: a walk, a glass of water, the refusal of a donut that could double as a flotation device.

Treat your time as sacred. If you would not let strangers walk into your home uninvited, do not let distractions walk into your mind.

E — Eliminate What Erodes Your Temple

Every great structure faces erosion. The question is whether the caretaker notices in time.

Eliminate the tiny self-betrayals: late-night snacking, mindless scrolling, and the “just this once” excuses that become everyday habits.

Cut back on the modern trifecta of trouble: ultra- processed food, excess alcohol (yes, even the “just a couple beers” routine), and digital overstimulation.

Address the daily habits that seem harmless until they’re not: the nightly drinks, the dip of tobacco, the pills that started as medicine and became something else.

Remove the mental termites: grudges, comparisons, and doom-scrolling. Reduce sugar. Not because sugar is evil. Because too much turns your interior cathedral into a bouncy castle.

Stop multitasking, and end the habit of saying yes to everyone but yourself.

M — Meditation, Mindfulness, and Motivation This is the pivot point, the inner chamber of the temple.

Meditate even for a minute or two. Clear the debris. Quiet the noise.

Visualize the great things you want to build in your third half. Motivate yourself by remembering this: others will be motivated simply by watching you rise.

Your mind will either build or break your temple. Train it daily.

P — Purpose, Praise, and a Powerful Mission Purpose is the fuel of the third half. Identify your major purpose. A person with purpose can outwalk, outthink, and outlive their past self.

Praise your Maker. You were given a billion-dollar body. Treat it with awe.

Act on your purpose daily in small ways. Purpose grows through movement.

Anchor yourself in gratitude. A thankful temple grows strong walls.

Remember: your purpose gives you permission to ignore the noise and focus on what matters.

L — Long Life and Living Fully I have watched temples crumble. Not from earthquakes or floods, but from years of small neglect. A habit here, a compromise there, and one day the foundation cannot hold the weight anymore.

The tragedy is not that the temple falls. The tragedy is that it could have stood.

Living fully means living awake. It means recognizing that the third half is not guaranteed—it is earned. Earned through movement, through choosing the salad when no one is watching, through going to bed at a decent hour, through showing up for the people you love.

Live on purpose. Not on autopilot.

Love the life you are building, even when it is hard.

Lengthen your life through movement, nutrition, sleep, and connection.

Learn. SuperAgers keep learning. Their minds stay young because curiosity keeps the lights on.

Leave a legacy of vitality, not regret.

E — Environment and Eating

The environment you build determines the life you live.

Design a home environment that supports your health: fruit visible, junk food invisible.

Create a mental environment of peace. Protect it with boundaries.

Eat for the temple you are building. Whole foods, real foods, life-giving foods.

Engineer your surroundings to encourage better habits. Equip yourself with community. Healthy temples are rarely isolated.

Notre Dame Cathedral burned. People cried. The world mourned. And then builders rebuilt it with precision, love, and reverence.

You can rebuild too.

Whether your temple needs a fresh coat of paint or a full renovation, the blueprint is in your hands.

Mike Thompson is a health coach based in Richmond Hill. Reach him at mike@selfcaresustained. com or on LinkedIn.