Morgan Freeman shares his approach to ‘discipline’ that keeps him working at age 80
Discipline extends to eating, which the 80-year-old tries to keep to a need, rather than a habit
By John Lynch
At 80 years old, Morgan Freeman is as active as he’s ever been in film and television.
From his numerous upcoming film credits, to his role as the executive producer and star of National Geographic’s new docu-series “The Story of Us,” Freeman keeps a hyperactive work schedule that would find most other octogenarians — or any working-age adult, for that matter — in a consistent state of fatigue.
In a recent conversation centred on “The Story of Us,” Freeman told Business Insider about how his approach to self-discipline has allowed him to achieve longevity in his life and career.
Freeman’s passion to enlist in the US Air Force as a teenager appears as a touchstone throughout “The Story of Us,” and his views on discipline have a certain military-like strictness to them.
When asked what his secret to longevity has been, Freeman responded, “Discipline,” and then elaborated:
“Exercise, part of your discipline. How you eat, part of your discipline. I try not to overeat,” he said. “One of the things that I discovered somewhere back down the line was that eating, for us particularly here, has become a habit, not necessarily a need. So if you try to keep it down to need, it’s going to be much better for you.”