Barriers to a Great, Long Life

“Hell begins the day God grants you the vision to see all that you could have done, and would have done, but did not do.”

– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I am convinced that God has great, big, exciting plans for each of us. The question is will we embrace those plans and dreams or play it safe?

The traditional idea of retirement gets in the way of a lot of great plans because retirement is seen as planned obsolescence. Agreeing with the world that we should be put out to pasture at a certain age is garbage. Don’t buy into it. Make your great plans and be busying walking them out when God calls you home. 

I have found five roadblocks that keep people from planning and living long and successful lives. Let’s talk about each and create some plans to overcome them. Your contribution to society does not have to end at 65, 70.5, or whatever year the government says is retirement age!

Fear

We all suffer from it. The question is whether we will let fear direct our future. Fear is going to happen. What are you going to do when fear tells you that you are too old, too young, too inexperienced, too inadequate to chase the dreams God has placed in your heart? I say give fear the finger, claim God’s promises over your life and keep walking in the direction He has called you. 

“What great deeds will go undone because of the voice you listened to?”

“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” – Henry David Thoreau

Purpose

Lack of purpose is the biggest life killer out there. Some people find a life purpose that they can pursue their entire life. Some of us have purposes that change during the different seasons of our lives. 

The question to answer is what is your purpose now? How can you use your talents and passions to create the most value in the world? Once you lock into your purpose for this season of your life tell some friends about it. Surround yourself with people who will support you, hold you accountable and remind you of your purpose when times get tough. Just don’t quit. 

“Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day in, day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years, and working really hard to make that future a reality. Grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.” – Angela Duckworth

Money

Long-term success with money is kinda like that Angela Duckworth quote on grit. Winning with money is a long-term game. You must get used to making more than you spend and saving a lot for a long time. The power of compounding is an awesome thing. 

It is never too late to start making good money decisions. You’ll need a lot of money for all those extra years you are going to live. 

But here is the secret ingredient to your long-term monetary success. Don’t retire!

Never, ever retire. You might change careers but never stop working. Continue to grind, get better, and create more value until God calls you home. 

If you want to “retire” to a “career” in non-profits, that is great. Most non-profits will pay you a small salary for your contribution. Create your financial plan to work in your career of choice until you die.

Retirement is boring. Vacations are great. Don’t confuse the two. 

Creating value for others is exciting. Focus on creating value for the rest of your life. 

Friendships

Dan Sullivan opened my eyes to this one. What happens when all your friends start retiring, getting old, and dying? You start thinking the same things should be happening to you!

Make sure you surround yourself with people who are still dreaming, still chasing, still living with purpose. Invest time in younger people inside and outside of your family.

You’ll catch the attitude of those you surround yourself with. 

Health

This is a biggie. Who wants to live a whole bunch of years with poor health? Answer: Nobody!

Here is the thing. You are going to spend your later years in the body you are taking care of today. Just like a classic car, the condition of your vehicle (body) is mostly up to you. Most experts believe that 75% of our health is up to us and 25% is out of our control. 

As we’ve discussed, medical technology is progressing at an amazing rate. For most of us, we just need to keep our bodies humming while medical technology is created to overcome most of the problems we will face. 

Treat your body like an auto collector would treat a classic car. Care for it as if you are planning to keep it forever. Sleep well, eat well, exercise a ton and take care of your mind. 

You are the greatest asset you will ever own. Take care of you and you can keep creating value for a very long time. 

“Without passion, you don’t have energy. Without energy, you have nothing.”

“Investing in yourself is the best thing you can do. Anything that improves you…nobody can tax it or take it away from you. But if you’ve maximized your talent, you’ve got a tremendous asset that can return ten-fold.” – Warren Buffett

Next week, we’ll go through a great process to overcome the barriers that are the biggest in your life.

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