Joyspan – A Good Long Life
I hate to disappoint you, but Joyspan, or rather ‘A Short Guide To Enjoying Your Long Life – Joyspan’ by Dr Kerry Burnight, is not the secret of eternal life. Shocker, eh?
It is, however, the secret to a good and long life. It is a five star book!
I probably should warn you, I am in danger of gushing profusely over this book. I loved it. For me, it has been genuinely life-changing.
What Is Joyspan About?
Dr Kerry Burnight is a leading gerontologist in the U.S. Like many of us, she got really fed up with all the old tropes about ageing. Unlike many of us she was in a position to do something about it, and she did. She wrote the guide to ageing well. Not just healthily. Not just for a long time. But with joy. Her reasoning is what is the point of living a long, healthy life if you have no joy in life?
To paraphrase Mae West :
“It’s not the length of your life that counts, it’s the length of joy in your life”
(I’m not sure that really works but you get my drift…)
Dr Kerry taught medicine and gerontology for nineteen years at the University of California. She was forcibly struck by the differences in how people experienced their own ageing process. Some viewed ageing as a catastrophe, something to be feared and nothing but decline towards the inevitable end.
Others viewed it with ‘visible delight, spirituality, and joy in occupying their eighth, ninth and tenth decades.‘
Dr Kerry looked at the findings from 35 years of research into ageing. She was interested to discover what made for well being in older age.
What Is Joy?
Joy is something apart from happiness. It can mean being happy but you can experience joy in an unhappy period of life. You just have to learn how to find it. Happiness is dependent on outside factors a lot of the time. For example, my husband is seriously ill. It’s hard to be truly happy in life when you are caring for someone suffering. But I have so many moments of joy!
Joy is small things that you experience in the moment. Crucially you mark and recognise those moments. Today I have had several moments of joy. One of my granddaughters (I have 3, and one grandson, so lucky!) compared me loving her to big fluffy clouds! Then my guy at the supermarket check out was super lovely. And I picked three tomatoes and one courgette from the garden! Absolute #momentsofjoy.
Science and Joyspan
Dr Kerry gives you much more about the science behind why joy is good for you. Neuroscientists have shown how joy activates key areas of the brain. Which in turn impacts behaviour and emotional well-being.
Research also shows that having a positive and joyful mindset about ageing can give you extra years of life. About seven and half years longer than those who held negative attitudes about getting older!
The Four Elements Essential To Joyspan Longevity
Dr Kerry has identified something she calls the Joyspan matrix. The Joyspan matrix consists of the four essential actions associated with thriving in longevity. The four elements are:
GROW – Your determination to continue developing as a person.
CONNECT – This is your dedication to building relationships with other people.
ADAPT – Your desire and ability to adjust to life’s inevitable challenges.
GIVE – This is your willingness to share yourself to enrich the lives of others.
A Manual For Change
Anyone who knows me knows that I love research when it can be put to a practical use. All the exercises in my RenewYou programme have theoretical validity built on research. I’m also really keen on using the principles of Appreciative Inquiry (It’s AI but not as you know it…). In essence, this is what Dr Kerry is saying. Be positive, embrace the ageing process, take what works well with you. Don’t waste life moaning about what cannot be changed.
Crucially, she gives you a road map for doing it.
The book is divided into three parts. In the first part you learn why Joyspan matters. The second explains what you can do to strengthen to your Joyspan. And the third shows how to create joy in your life. How to fill your ‘joytank’. You also get the tools you need when living joyfully becomes difficult, as it will inevitably.
Buy The Book
I don’t think it matters what age you are; you will learn something. But certainly if you are approaching fifty I’d say get it, read and inwardly digest.
I think it resonated with me so much because I am about to be 70. I feel I’m constantly cogitating on life, the universe and everything. I’m also negotiating a tricky patch – how to be true to myself while also being a carer. And continuing my cherished personal development with women! It’s been challenging. Dr Kerry’s book really helped me think that through. I daren’t lend my copy to anyone as I’ve written all over it and done all the wee quizzes. Far too revealing!
It’s published in the UK by Octopus Books, a Hachette UK company and is £16.99. Worth every single penny.
Top Photo by Allef Vinicius on Unsplash
P.S Throughout I’ve used the English spelling of ageing. Dr Kerry is American and she has used the American spelling aging. We’re both correct.
Newsflash – Coaching for Charity!
I am offering coaching sessions, one off, for an hour. On any topic. You don’t pay me but make a donation to either of two charities I am passionate about. I’m suggesting about £50 (way below what you’d normally pay) but what you give is entirely up to you. Every single penny is going to charity. Two special charities in particular – see below). The money doesn’t come to me but direct to the charities through a Just Giving page..
My husband has Parkinsons’s Disease. If you a regular newsletter reader you’ll know that we’ve had a tricky few years. (I am rarely understated but I am here… It’s been hell.) A constant source of support has been The Firefighters Charity. I just can’t tell you how wonderful they are and if I tried I’d probably start blubbing everywhere. None of us want that…
Equally, over the last few months I have come to know the work of the wonder that is Parkinson’s UK. Amongst other things they invest in support for patients and research into this cruel disease. There is currently no cure. But I am optimistic that there will be! They just need a little help from their friends…
If you have ever thought coaching might be helpful now’s your time to try it out. I am offering a one hour virtual session at a suggested donation of £50. To take advantage of this just let me know you’re interested via email, jane@changingpeople.co.uk. No obligation. If you choose to go ahead, you’ll get a link to the two JustGiving Pages :The Firefighters Charity and Parkinson’s UK. Simply get in touch.
RenewYou, My Tried and Tested Career Booster!
RenewYou has helped thousands of women make positive and lasting change in their lives. I deliver it one-to-one as part of a bespoke coaching package for women looking to move into leadership, to progress their career, or who wish to be the absolute best version of themselves.
Posted on August 25th, 2025 by Jane
