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What Are You Doing Today to Improve Tomorrow?

There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they're falling in. - Dr. Peter Attia

Will you live long? No matter your age, chances are you have not or do not want to think about this very question.  When facing the thought of death, many of us cringe to think about it. According to a CNBC poll (Link Below), 60% would like to live to 90 years old and would prefer a long life with health issues over a short life with no health issues. Truth be told the average life expectancy for males is 73.5 years and for women, it is 79.3.  


If you sit down with a financial coach or advisor, this should be the starting question or in the early parts, since their main purpose is to make sure you are saving enough to ensure you have money to live beyond your primary working years.   Most will expect to live till about 80 and project out income, returns, and potential until that point.  


This is all good data, but in my mind, it begs several questions that we have to ask ourselves. How long will I really live? What health issues are in my future? Am I doing everything I can now to prepare myself for tomorrow?


This is precisely why I added those 3 words to the side of my logo, wealth, wellness, and well-being. See, we can save a large nest egg, but if we are not ready to live till we are 90, then why waste our time today? All we are doing is saving money and then handing it down and wasting the time we have to use it today. My goal is not only to save well but to live well as long as I can. Continue helping others, continue the work God has called me to, and continue to be generous to those around me.


Ok, so I'm being a bit morbid, but these are the thoughts I had as I read Dr. Peter Attia's book Outlive last week. HIGHLY RECOMMEND, if you have any interest in living a long prosperous life. (link below)  


Now, as a Christian, I've been told many times... 1 Tim 4:8 "Bodily exercise profiteth little." BUT, what most people do not compare that to is another verse that tells us 1 Cor 3:17 " If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy;"  I do not build my beliefs on a quote, or a verse, but on the collection, the whole council.  God never said exercise is bad, he just says it is not as valuable as spiritual exercise.  Not going to argue with that at all! But, we cannot neglect taking care of our body or our temple.


Now that I have your attention let me just give you some key takeaways from the book.  Dr. Attia examines some key diseases that cause death in old age, heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's, diabetes, and a few others. The basic hypothesis of the book is that much of what we do in our early years leads to what happens to us in our later years, but also if you have not lived well in your younger years, what can you now do to course correct in your later years, reset a bit? See you may be 50+ and reading this now, thinking...oh no. Not all hope is gone, now is just the time to get started then. As the Chines Proverb says, the best time to plant a tree was yesterday, the next best time is now.


My synopsis of what you can do in a few quick bullets.

  • Sleep: Make it a priority

  • Exercise: No matter how much you hate it, it is important. Find something you can learn to enjoy for even a small moment, embrace it, and start doing it.

  • Eat well: No shocker here, but our ability to control what we eat and manage our intake is key. It is not about a diet, but a matter of discipline and not overindulging.(I know I'm writing this right before Thanksgiving)

  • Surround yourself with the right people and be with them: Stop wasting your time on your phones, be present with the people who are with you, and embrace them being with you. You will never regret spending too much time with someone you care about. This does wonders for our mental health.

  • Control today what you can control.  Do you expect you will be able to take care of things in the future that you have ignored for years?  Embrace today and do the best you can with what you have today.


There is a lot more detail on various diseases, what we know today, and how they affect us years from now, but the key is to do what you can today, do not wait until you get the diagnosis to do something about it.


Why write about this? Well, it is simple. If you are going to ignore your health but save for your retirement, my challenge is simple, don't bother. You cannot plan for retirement with your money, but not plan for your health today. Ideally, you probably want both health and freedom, so do what you can now and do not wait for the future to deal with it.



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