This is a condensed and clarified transcript of a video Bob made this year.
* * * * * *
“Then there’s the most dangerous risk of all – the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later. ”
— Randy Komisar
I’ve given a lot of thought to this quote. Why are we backloading our lives? We live today without doing or having what we want now. Not having a good life now but planning for the future when we will eventually have a good life. So we live for the FUTURE, the “golden years.”
“If you have one foot in yesterday and one foot in tomorrow, you’re pissing all over today.”
— Michael J. Fox
I think that’s kind of what we are doing. Pissing all over today. We are giving up a lifetime of freedom and doing what we enjoy in the hope of a great life in our golden years. Like there’s a guarantee of the golden years.
There is no promise of the golden years. In fact, for most of us, the golden years are grim years of failing health and not enough money. If you wait until you’re seventy to live your life to its fullest, will you really be capable of living your best life? What if you frontload your life instead? Deciding to have the best part of your life right now. While you’re young (or younger). While you’re healthy and can really enjoy your freedom and live your best life.
I think of this as frontloading your life with the best of your life now and putting off the worst of your life until then. When you are older, and your health is failing. I completely agree that this is the greatest risk you can take.
Why wait? You are risking the best of your life on the hope and unlikely dream that you’ll get it later. When you can take it now and live now instead. You can have the best now. Why wouldn’t you? We conform to what society has told us must be done. We do what we saw our parents do. I think about my own life. My parents told me to get an education, a job, get married, buy a house, and lots of stuff. Have fun later. Fun can wait. A good life can wait. Right now is the time to fulfill obligations. You have to be a good citizen right now. Now is not the right time to enjoy your life. Just wait for the right time.
Well, my friends, there is no guarantee of tomorrow. There is no promise that a good life will ever come. All you have is right now. I suggest you seriously consider whether conforming to that life is worth the risk. Is it worth the risk of betting on your future and pissing all over today? Maybe you will find something extraordinary today and let tomorrow take care of itself.
There has got to be a balance, though. You must have some plans for the future. The idea of sacrificing everything for the possibility of an incredible future in the golden years doesn’t make sense. Find some balance. If it’s too much to decide you’ll go all out today, find a balance between living life today and planning for the future. I believe living in a car, van, or RV is a perfect way to do that. You are learning how to live simply. You’ll never go homeless. You can still plan for the future. You can still work and build up social security. Work half the year, you can build up something for the future, yet you can live fully today. Find a balance. Whatever is your acceptable risk, find that.
I hope you’ll consider this and find a way that works for you. Don’t go by what I say or what society says. Find what works for you.