How Long Do You Want to Live?

“Consciously or unconsciously, there’s an age at which you expect to die and it impacts how you live your life now.” – Dan Sullivan

This was in an episode of Multiplier Mindset that I was listening to this morning talking about entrepreneurs and aging.

For me, it’s something I’ve never really put any thought into. My grandparents lived into their late 80s and 90s and so I’ve always assumed without consciously thinking about it that I would live to that age.

But just take a second and think for a second about what it would mean for you to live to 100, or 120, or 150. How does it make you think about your life today and what you’re focusing on? Does it make you want to change anything? Maybe invest in new skills or capabilities?

We live in a time where many promising technologies exist that could dramatically extend life. We also live in a time where the health of most people is actually significantly worse than a few decades ago. Cancer, Diabetes, Obesity, and many other diseases have skyrocketed and people are saying that this could be the first generation to live a shorter lifespan than their parents.

Our ADD culture shifts our focus into shorter and shorter timespans and we lose sight of our lives. What we can build if we stay present with something over the years.

When you shift your focus to the entire course of your life and imagine how long you want to live it changes how you think about today. It gives clarity to decisions about your health and your family.

Another line from the episode is that almost no one thinks about how long they want to live for. You just resign yourself either consciously or unconsciously to a number. We don’t have control of a lot of things that will affect your lifespan, but we do have control of many things that directly impact how long and how well you live.

Diet, exercise, smoking, drinking, overworking, sleep, and meaning are all things we can improve. If you plant your flag and say I want to live to 120, that leads to a big change in perspective for a 32-year-old. So take some time and think about it for yourself. How long will you live?