Longevity and Entrepreneurship
Lessons from a Centenarian Who Built Rewarding Businesses
Here’s the inspiring story of an orphan and German female entrepreneur, Gisela, who is over 100 years old.
Gisela, an Orphan, Who Lost Her Parents in WWI
When she was only a year old, Gisela’s parents working in the military, died in the last year of World World I in Germany. According to her, around two million German soldiers were killed between 1914 and 1918.
Two diplomats with no children adopted her. Every few years, Gisela found herself in a new country, broadening her horizon and making her a citizen of the globe.
I met Gisela at Algor’s home on a Sunday afternoon when she had attained the age of 93 years. Like me, Algor loves barbeque on Sundays and invites his close friends to have pleasant times. Interestingly, out of many friends, Gisela was a person who ate less than anyone and was the slowest in consuming her small plate.
When Algor introduced me to Gisela, she softly said, “pleased to meet you, sir,” with a shy voice and look. Later on, when I hadn’t heard her speak for a while, I began to think of ways to start a conversation with her.
Then, as if reading my mind, Algor said, “Dr. Mehmet lived in Germany and worked for NATO in his twenties.”
She asked “Sprechen sie Deutsch?” [Can you speak German?] I responded in German, “Ja” [yes]. The next question was in which city did I live and work. I mentioned a few towns.
When I said, I spent most of my time in the Giesenkirchen district in the city of Mönchengladbach, her eyes filled with tears. I kept my silence until her tears disappeared.
The family who adopted Gisela was originally from that city. She had many childhood memories of the town that she didn’t share with me until later years. After clearing the tears from her eyes, she started talking in English fluently.
She included Algor in the conversation as he couldn’t speak German. This woman, who at first seemed so shy, started talking charmingly and meaningfully. Every word sounded like a pearl of wisdom.
As she was an only child, her parents doted on her and gave her an excellent formal and informal education. She had the privilege of having private music, dance, and gymnastics teachers at home.
Despite her exceptional education at Goethe-Institut in multiple languages, cultures, and politics, she did not pursue an academic profession but focused on music, dance, and gymnastics.
After her parents retired from the diplomatic service, they migrated to Australia to enjoy their retirement.
Gisela was 24 years old when she arrived in Melbourne. She had no language problems as she grew up multilingual in German, English, Italian, and French living in her many adopted countries.
As she completed her foundational education in Germany, she did not want to continue further education in Australia. Instead, she wanted to work as a dance, gymnastics, and piano teacher.
Her parents supported her in establishing a center serving dancers, gymnasts, and classical music lovers.
It was Gisela’s passion to move her body and help others move it. She loved Australian culture and found it easy to deal with people. She offered free education in her expertise to people who couldn’t afford course fees.
Algor told me that Gisela supported orphans in her center. She was hesitant to talk about it. However, after we built some rapport, she started to open her heart to me. Listening to her life story and worldview was an absolute pleasure for me.
However, she always glossed over the details of her support for others. She only focussed on principles and descriptions of her emotions when relating with others.
She narrated her stories in an abstract language that appealed to my subconscious mind. She had a lot in common with Janine in storytelling. In fact, Janine was Gisela’s therapist in her younger years.
After a few months, Gisela invited me to her home in one of the most beautiful suburbs of Melbourne on a hill looking across the ocean. It had a massive garden with a full ocean view.
A lovely gentleman in his 60s greeted me with a German accent. Gunter introduced himself as Gisela’s butler.
He wanted to show me the house. It was a beautiful home. However, nothing looked luxurious. Gisela’s rooms were spartan. The only luxurious item was the grand piano in the lounge room. She still plays it every day.
A few historical photos were framed with rich looks. Her house was designed based on Feng Shui design principles. The designer helped to arrange her home, including her garden, years ago. Impressively, there was no clutter at home. I loved the minimalist look.
The First Secret of Gisela’s Stoicism Revealed
I didn’t want to ask personal questions, but she volunteered to share her life story in an abstract style with a few key points. First, she never married and had no children. She built several profit-generating businesses.
In her 80s, she sold her businesses for 50 million dollars. However, according to Gunter, she donated $40 million, allocating only $10 million for her retirement.
I later learned from Gunter that she still donates some money from her retirement funds to orphanages.
When Gisela was away for a few moments, Gunter said that Gisela always makes all her donations anonymously. According to Gunther, no one knew she donated $40 million.
And still, no one knows she donates to orphanages. I had a gut feeling that Algor had an idea as he said Gisela supported orphans. I found out that she worked until she was 83.
In my later visits, I also became good friends with Gunter, who explained the details of Gisela’s anonymous donations. He was the only one who knew about it. I was honored to receive Gunter’s trust.
Gisela never mentioned her donations during my friendship with her for over a decade, and I never asked her.
However, from her abstract description of the secret given by Gunther, every word painted a spiritual picture in my mind.
Gisela is now 104 years, one year younger than Algor. She still lives with Gunter. Unfortunately, I cannot visit her due to the pandemic, but I still talk with her on the phone.
Her mental faculties are still sharp. In each talk session, she ends the conversation with gratitude. She follows stoic principles thinking about her death daily.
Interestingly, in every conversation, she laughs and cries controllably. She cried more when I called her on New Year’s to inform Jeremy’s death. She loved Jeremy dearly.
Then she said, “Rest in peace. I will hopefully see him in heaven in a few years,” with a burst of beautiful laughter at the end of the conversation.
When I offered to write her biography recently, she showed hesitation. She wondered if anyone would be interested to read her bio. However, she tentatively volunteered to share her thousands of diary pages and participate in interviews, but she did not want to be known.
Finally, she said perhaps I could publish it after she dies in a few years, namelessly, with another burst of laughter.
During our conversations, when I asked her about the secrets of her longevity, she briefly said, “music, dance, and gymnastics”. Yet, I also understood that these three skills helped her express her emotions and connect meaningfully with others.
I also know that many centenarians love music and dance, as I mentioned in this story titled The Importance of Dancing for Longevity.
Takeaways from Gisela’s Inspiring Life
For a decade, I learned a few life lessons about her longevity, resilience, and stoicism that I’d like to share as takeaway points.
She moves her body constantly.
She eats nutritious food until she notices the first satiety signs.
She meditates before sleep time.
She keeps a regular sleep schedule.
She lives in an uncluttered home.
She plays piano every day.
She goes to the sauna with her friends.
She spends time in the garden growing flowers, herbs, and vegetables,
She spends time on charitable activities and donates to those who need it.
She maintains meaningful and enriching social connections.
She worked with passion for what she loved until the age of 83.
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
If you enjoyed this story, you might check another relevant story titled What I Learned about Longevity from a 105-Year-Old Centenarian.
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Disclaimer: Please note that this post does not include health or professional advice. I shared my reviews, observations, experience, and perspectives only for information. If you have disease symptoms, please consult your healthcare professionals.
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