How often have you said, “I wish I had done that when I was young.”?  Have you ever said, “Why would I bother doing that at this age?”  Do you remember thinking, “If only I were a little older, I would be able to do that.”?

The “Rules” of age are stealing from us every day.  If we have this picture of what our life is supposed to be, stages of life set into a concrete foundation, that we feel destined to follow, we are robbing ourselves.  I have been knocked over by no other criminal than myself for things no less precious than time, memories, accomplishments, opportunities.  I have retired a thousand times because there are so many things that I want to do when I retire.  When I was young a put things off because of time and money.  I’m running out of time and so are you.  Chris Berman of ESPN responded to a story that a player was listed as “day to day,” with a spot-on, “But aren’t we all.”  Yes, without a doubt we are.  The sooner that we realize that and stop settling in to an arbitrary age, the sooner we can start living.

One of the biggest dangers, the biggest sins, of establishing arbitrary ages or setting out a path of the way things should be is that when the pattern breaks down, when something changes that does not match our grand vision, your entire world is bound for collapse.  What if a terrible tragedy keeps you from enjoying your retirement?  What if I never get to hike the Appalachian Trail because I put it off for so long?  I think I have wasted enough time, memories, opportunities in 40phor years.  Don’t get me wrong, I have done “Stuff.”  I’ve had a pretty damn good life with experiences that many people will never have.  I’ve never let grass grow under my feet.  To think, though, that I haven’t used my age as an excuse would be a lie.

When I was 2wenty I thought things would be different at 4orty.  Now at 4ophor I dream of 5ifty7.  Things aren’t going to be different and eventually I’ll be thinking of the grave.  So will you.  Our arbitrary ages are robbing us of our today’s.  Reap the memories, listen to the knocks of opportunity, accomplish it now, save your life from the thief that you are.  Oh what a day to day business life is.