2021 Wakeup Call — How Many More New Years Do You Have

How to make them count

Another year begins. It feels like we have lots of time left. One day slowly passes as we get lulled into slow time.

But the truth is, your time on Earth is very limited. Your life is an hourglass and the sand is running out. No one makes it out alive.

Best case scenario, you live to see a hundred. If you’re 23, you have 77 more new years. 77 more chances to have an amazing life.

If you’re 30, that makes 70 more years. When you’re 50, you’ve still got 50.

Or do you?

A Hard Look at Mortality

A quick glance through the Wikipedia life expectancy chart will show you that the averages are closer to 75 years old for men and 80 for women (US numbers.) You probably won’t get to 100. The odds are against it.

Yeah, but what about technological improvements, you say. Don’t we just live longer and longer? The scientific answer is maybe. We just don’t know how long we will be on this earth.

“I intend to live forever, or die trying.” — Groucho Marx

The years between 80 and 100 are probably going to be slower and less active. You might enjoy life, but you’ll be less productive. You’ll be conserving your energy, dealing with your health.

And maybe you just won’t give a damn about getting things done.

You need a Sense of Urgency

If you don’t feel a pressing need to get things done, you’ll sit around like a lump on a log until you die. You won’t maximize your life. And that would be a shame.

Why exist at all if you just slump along until you fade away?

“Some people die at 25 and aren’t buried until 75.” — Benjamin Franklin

It’s hard to feel fulfilled when you don’t do much. Do you want to reach the end of your life and be filled with regrets over dreams you never achieved and things you never experienced? I don’t.

Video Games Don’t Move the Needle

What happens when you reach level 8540 on Candy Crush? It a big deal!

The mayor of the city holds a ceremony where they present you with a giant key. You write a book about your experiences as a candy crusher.

You appear on podcasts, TV interviews, and in documentaries. The entire world wants to know how you did it.

Your candy crusher status opens doors. You start your new career at Google.

Stardew Valley. Minecraft. Animal Crossing. Diablo 3.

Being a master of these games is a great way to prove your worth and achieve your dreams. Once you level up and put in enough hours, the universe will shower you with happiness and love.

Not really:

Video games are a great time waster. Used in moderation they can be relaxing and fun. But getting sucked in every day is not productive in the slightest.

Playing endless hours of video games is like installing a toilet that can flush time, then loading the bowl full of hours over and over. Keep flushing your life away!

Netflix Binges Won’t Make Bank

Watch every Netflix show and what do you get? Is there an award? Do you get an email thanking you for supporting your favorite streaming provider? Do little elves come out and dance happily as they spread sparkly dream dust around your living room?

No.

Here’s what you get. A human-shaped dent on the sofa. A Netflix-shaped dent in your brain. A ton of useless facts about what’s happening at Schitt’s Creek.

The end result is, you really get a whole lot of nothing. You’re just a consumer who eats shows and poops out empty thoughts.

You won’t be much of anything but a good consumer if all you do is eat the work of others. Why don’t you make something instead?

Got Your Attention Away From The Blinky Box Yet?

When you get to 60, 70, or 80 years, what do you want to think back fondly and remember?

You might be able to fondly think about the time that you finished Candy Crush and moved on to Stardew Valley.

You could reminisce about The Tiger King and other great shows you watched on Netflix.

Or, you could remember some actual worthwhile things you accomplished. Like literally anything else.

Traveled as a digital nomad
Entered marathons and races in other countries
Wrote 30 books
Became a nuclear brain physicist and cured stupidity
Created the largest ball of twine in Saskatchewan, Canada

We are going to spend hours and hours here, no matter what. So why not make them more interesting than a time-waster of a consumer life?

Set Some Smart Goals Today

Don’t just waste your time reading doom news and playing games while waiting for something good to come out on Disney+. Stop and set some goals.

I bet you don’t know where to start. But that’s okay, I have a suggestion.

Better Humans put out their curated list of articles on reaching your goals this year. A Complete Guide to Planning Your 2021 Goals.

Articles about the following goals are in it and more:

Build new habits and ditch old ones that don’t help
Get fit
Learn new skills
Work on your career
Get better sleep
Level up your writing

Go give it a chance. The link is here in case you missed it.

Conclusion: Where Do You Want to Be In A Year?

It can be overwhelming to think about your whole life. What if you can’t imagine the next 50 or 60 years? Then just imagine one.

Where do you want to be in January next year? Do you want everything to be exactly the same, or do you imagine something different?

“Look, I don’t want to wax philosophic, but I will say that if you’re alive you’ve got to flap your arms and legs, you’ve got to jump around a lot, for life is the very opposite of death, and therefore you must at very least think noisy and colorfully, or you’re not alive.” — Mel Brooks

I guess if you’re totally happy with how things are then there’s no need to do anything about it. Just go back to your island game and catch some more butterflies to sell to Mr. Nook.

But if you can imagine a different future 12 months from now, you can try to make that happen instead.

Don’t let life pass you by. Be grateful for this time and do your best.

Want to stay in touch? You can get more of my stories here.