The Algorithm

Getting to where we want to go with a better script.

“Life has no limitations, except the ones you make.” -Les Brown

An algorithm is a set of rules or procedures for solving problems, producing a specific outcome, or completing a task. It is commonly used in mathematics and computer science. Medium has its own algorithm, and so does Google's search engine. There is even an algorithm on how to be happy. Algorithms extend into just about everything in life, from making pizza to saving lives.

When the American Heart Association (AHA) developed its first Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) algorithm in 1974, life improved for cardiac patients and caregivers alike. Patients who were experiencing or moving towards a cardiovascular emergency event, cardiac arrest, or a fatal arrhythmia received treatment that optimized outcomes and survival rates. Caregivers learned what to do and how to do it.

Doctors, nurses, and other medical providers were trained to use a set of guidelines, known as ACLS, to treat these life-threatening events. ACLS algorithms include multiple simultaneous treatment recommendations, such as an EKG, specialized resuscitation techniques, medications, and airway management. These algorithms are based on research and evidence-based best practices to improve patients’ outcomes.

So, what, really, is an algorithm?

It is a predefined procedure that solves a problem or a task, step by step. For each event or task, there is a desired outcome. An algorithm is used to reach a goal or to prevent an undesirable outcome, such as a plane crash. Would you want to get into an airplane where the captain did not follow a safety preflight algorithm? Of course, you would not.

Safety precautions are fundamental to survival. And so are health and happiness. Without the latter, life becomes pretty darn sad. As we grow older, we have the choice to create an algorithm to improve our quality of life. Becoming mindful of what matters and what we want is the only prerequisite.

This helps us get to where we want to go, rather than being stuck. Age does not make us old. You can’t help getting older, but using an algorithm to adjust the aging process helps us along the way.

More often than not, we make ourselves old. The difference between a spry runner at 95 and a prime sitter at 65 is often their algorithm. Outcome: Our activity level influences every aspect of life. It infiltrates our body, our mind, and our spirit. We all have goals. Our goals exist on a continuum, according to who we are and what we want.

There are days when we may feel empty and hopeless. On those days, our main goal is just to get out of bed and make it to a doctor’s appointment at 3 PM. On other days, we set goals to start a business that helps improve the lives of millions of people through our products and services.

When we are stuck in the southbound lane, life is not fun.

Make no mistake, at times we are all rolling down the hill. At times, we all land in the rabbit hole. This is what humans do. The problem is when we get stuck because we have no algorithm, no procedure, no set of rules, or no way of getting out. We hope that someone will come to save us. No one is coming. Our power lies in the ability to choose a strategy, an algorithm that produces better outcomes.

More often than not, we forget our own greatness and that we deserve the best life has to offer. We forget how lucky we are to be six feet over, and we forget how easily situations can change. Years collected, wrapped into a long life, gather lessons learned and wisdom to share. The truth is, we become better as we age. The body may falter, but it can be repaired. Thank goodness, I am getting a brand-new hip in three weeks.

The mind experiences senior moments. Mindfulness and a short, consistent meditation practice can help.

The algorithm that makes you healthy and happy

How you design your algorithm depends on who you are and what you want. Bringing awareness to what matters to you helps you create your own set of rules to live by.

I have designed a plan that includes preventive measures, the use of my unique abilities, and a goal for a long and happy life. It is a top priority on my daily to-do list. Stay the course, I call it. Staying the course comes before family, friends, writing, gardening, and doing chores.

A morning routine that works in my favor includes warm lemon water, green tea, a short walk outside, a short meditation practice, and journaling. This sets me up for the day. This routine, this sequence of steps, and this algorithm help me to keep my head above water. It helps me to stay afloat when the southbound elevator takes me down the rabbit hole.

It may take a few attempts to get out, but I don’t stay stuck because I have an algorithm in place. I know what to do. It helps me eat better, maintain a current hip-friendly, low-activity level, and stay positive. It inspires positive thoughts and makes me excited to embrace my age. I hope to keep going until age 113, when my youngest grandchild turns 50. Of course, I will iterate and make alterations along the way.

Changing the algorithm when outcomes change.

“Your life does not get better by chance: it gets better by change.” — Jim Rohn.

An old ACLS certification card from my time in hospital nursing. This was my second-to-last ACLS certification before I retired. As a critical care nurse, I took an exam and was tested on my skill set every two years.

Leftover baggage, from being a high school dropout at age 17, gave me performance anxiety when I took tests. On this particular recertification day, back in August 2011, I had spent half the night studying, and I had drunk way too much coffee, too. At some point during the written exam, I happened to glance across the table. I noted that my colleague had marked a different answer to one question than I had. An overstimulated sympathetic nervous system, a caffeine bomb went off, sped through my body, and brought my heart into overdrive.

A regular sinus rhythm is considered to have a heart rate between 60 and 100 per minute. My heart rate is normally ticking away in the high 50s to the mid 60’s. The stress bomb shot the rate up to 130–140 per minute. This is called Supra Ventricular Tachycardia (SVT).

My own normal EKG printout from a recent doctor’s visit. Although slightly under 60, the rate is still considered normal.

I completed the ACLS written exam and followed my group to the cafeteria for lunch. Then I left without eating. My heart was pounding like a jungle drum, and I started to feel pretty anxious. It was time to walk to the Emergency Room and get checked out. First, I performed a Vagal maneuver, as recommended by the ACLS algorithm. But it failed to slow down my heart rate. I was seen right away.

An EKG, 25 mg of Metoprolol, and Xanax took care of business. The cardiologist called it an anxiety attack. It was caffeine and stress-induced. I was over 60 at the time and learned to change my relationship with coffee and caffeine.

Define what you want, with a script to obtain your desired outcome

“The only real thing in life is the unexpected things. Everything else is just an illusion.” -Watkin Tudor Jones

It is funny how our everyday life seems the same day after day. Everything is the same until it isn’t. A loved one suddenly gets sick, a friend dies, or another tragedy strikes in the flash of a heartbeat.

Looking back on that ACLS certification day on August 13 years ago, I can see how my life has changed immensely. Aging back then was only a concept that other people had to deal with. But old age does not come alone. It brings tons of little unexpected guests that we need to host, one way or another.

We must take an active role in preparing, preventing, and prevailing. Life is precious. We ought to hang in there the best that we can and for as long as we can.

You got this, dear Boomers and our older sisters.

Thank you❤️

This story was first published on Medium.