Turns Out Old Isn’t Old
Let's rewind the clock 20 years. It's 2005. Times are good. The economy is booming, and we haven't yet experienced the wrath and destruction of the Great Financial Crisis. I was 24 years old, new in my young career.
One of my friends was about six years older than me.....right around 30. Over drinks, we shared a conversation that I've periodically thought about for two decades. It's a conversation that might hit close to home for you. My friend was known to be impulsive, the proverbial life of the party. During one of our conversations, the topic of money came up. While I wasn't making the wisest of financial choices back then, I did understand one important concept: Investing for the future is imperative.
My friend had a different philosophy of life. In his words, we might die tomorrow, so we might as well have as much fun as we can now. And even if we don't die tomorrow, why wait until we're 50 or 60 to have fun, since we'll be too old to enjoy ourselves by then anyway.
Nearly twenty years have passed since that conversation. Guess where my friend is today. He's 50.....and healthier than ever. In his words, he's at the peak of his life. Just one problem: His 30-year-old self took that perspective seriously and thoroughly enjoyed life, leaving nothing for "old" him. Today, he sits at 50 and has no idea what his future will hold. Life is full of doubt, uncertainty, and stress. Will he have to work involuntarily forever? How will the bills be paid? There's not enough money to save for the future and actually enjoy life today.
I feel so terrible for him and his situation. He's between a rock and a hard place, and unfortunately, there's no redo button. That's the problem of having the attitude he had when he was younger. We ALWAYS become future us. Current me will someday become future me. A time will come when I am forced to live in the reality established by younger me. On one hand, that's the scariest concept in the world. On the other hand, it's so empowering.
Every day we wake up, we have the power to help future us. Each positive step we take is a blessing for future us, while each mistake is a curse for future us.
Yes, you're younger today than you will be someday. At the same time, however, 20 years from now you'll still be younger than you will be someday. Current you is always the youngest version of you. Please help yourself help yourself. Your future self will thank you.
____
Did someone forward you this post? We're glad you're here! If you'd like to subscribe to The Daily Meaning to receive these posts directly in your inbox (for free!), just CLICK THIS LINK. It only takes 10 seconds.