The Things That Cannot Be Bought
The holidays are winding down and the sands in this year’s hourglass have just about finished trickling from the top to the bottom.
It’s at this time of year where we talk about new goals or resolutions for the upcoming year.
And that can be powerful in it’s own way: fresh start, a clean slate and a definitive date to begin. All these things help make a New Year’s resolution so powerful.
But today we want to go a bit further.
Ok, a lot further. Bear with us a second and ask yourself, “what does my ideal life look like at 80?”
You see, we recently came across a great post online from Sahil Bloom (https://x.com/sahilbloom/status/1738587515714511063?s=46&t=DPq3CFBFGF_mLmQsJ6JXiw), where he talked about some goal setting and using this question as a framework.
For some of you, 80 might seem a lifetime away as you are settling into your new home and starting a family.
And for others, you might be there or past it. And both are ok, it can still be a useful mindfulness exercise.
For a lot of us, 80 is starting to feel not as far as it once was, and our time to maximize our quality of life is now.
Regardless of where you are, the longer we are here on earth the more we are aware that time, and life, goes by fast.
The overall idea here is a simple, yet powerful one – your ideal life at 80 in all facets.
Do you want a healthy mind and body?
Do you want a smiling spouse or partner at your side?
Are you enjoying time with your children or grandchildren?
Are your friends walking over for dinner?
It’s far too easy to just let life happen to us and end up where we end up. This is the case for the overwhelming majority.
And simultaneously, there are no guarantees. Rather, we are setting ourselves up for success and putting ourselves in a position for these things to occur.
If you want a healthy mind and body at 80, then we need to exercise our minds and bodies regularly and consistently.
Just like wanting a loving spouse by our side, we must set ourselves up for success and be a loving partner every day.
If we hope to have kids that want to be around us, we have to be supportive and caring parents daily.
If we want good friends to spend time and laughs with, then we need to be a good and loyal friend each day.
Much like many things we encourage and teach at Park Fitness, it’s not about doing it perfectly, but rather working at it consistently.
So as Sahil says, ask yourself specifically:
• Who are you with?
• Where are you?
• What are you doing?
• How do you feel?
“Most importantly,” he writes, “what does that imply about how you need to live today?”
Now we aren’t implying to skip making a New Year Resolution if you wish.
But maybe we do this year with this idea in mind.
Sahil wraps up his post with a quote from Naval Ravikant: “A fit body, a calm mind, a house full of love. These things cannot be bought—they must be earned.”
So as we head into a new year with new goals, perhaps this year we think a bit broader and of how we are setting ourselves up for a better life down the road.
Happy New Year!