No better time than now: A late 20s persons account of stuff...
How many 40 somethings do you see with regret? Ever heard the quote “Youth is wasted on the young”?. I can tell you one thing for sure, these people never look back on their lives and treasure the moments they sat on the couch watching reality TV or that microwaved pizza they had for the 3rd time in that week. But what they do regret are the things that some of us deem as ‘work’ now, these include … going for that run, reading that book, exploring that new place (basically anything that in some way adds experience and value to our lives). The things that are an investment in ourselves and in our future are deemed too hard and many of us do not prioritise these things, but in 20 years time you will wish you did.
Why do we regret these things?
I’m only 28 at the time of writing this but I can hypothesise based on what I’ve seen.
These people are most likely suffering illness or injury or some kind of debilitating problem be it physical or mental even if it is only in its early stages. Lets talk food, sure we can handle the Mcdondalds, donuts and milkshakes now in your youth and to us it doesn’t seem to have an impact (although if you’re doing this regularly you’re not nearly as productive as you could be) But in 20 years you will be fighting the classic illnesses that plague western society and if you’re lucky enough to avoid any diagnosed disease, you will be slow, run down, and just generally energy depleted with the high chance that heart disease is waiting for you around the corner. These people wish they prioritised their diets, went for a walk or two, kept their mobility, flexibility and their brain healthy. It’s a fact that after 30 our ability to add muscle significantly decreases. So why wouldn’t you set yourself up now so that when you’re 50 or 60 you’re not feeling 50 or 60.
So why don't we act sooner?
The reason we don’t go for the extra run to maintain or increase our mobility and fitness or take that extra tafe course to improve our career prospects is because we don’t think of the opportunity cost - The cost of doing one thing that means we can’t do the other (e.g. when you watch TV for an hour you can’t read for that hour – that hour is gone). As a society we prefer immediate gratification and that dopamine hit that results from the reward of a bowl of ice cream after a tough day instead of the reward of not having heart disease in 20 years… And why wouldn’t we? Gen Y are the ‘Right Now’ generation for a reason.
No matter what age you are it isn’t too late to start, but if you have reached your late 20s like me now there is no better time, your body will never be more adaptable. Set it up for the long haul.
I’m here for a good time and a long time. Join me!
The point: Maybe re think those priorities. Live in the moment, but don't discard the future.
An aside: Beware of travelling: Its great to escape and very important but this indulgence in pleasure is not always how you add value. Too many people say "I need to travel to stay sane" Travel to discover not to escape. If its the latter, then maybe you have some work to do...