Artist Susan O’Malley asked people what advice she would give today at age 80. She published her results in her book. Advice from my 80-year-old self: True words of wisdom from people aged 7 to 88.
The documented answers are interesting, exciting, and beautifully presented. But the question itself may be the most important thing. This is important for two reasons:
- This question forces you to imagine yourself at 80 years old (try 90 or 100, too). This is a proven technique that helps you make better decisions now for a better future.
- Advice from the future can help you live a better life now.
Imagine yourself at 80 years old
To really imagine yourself, you need a little role-playing. Take a moment to imagine the answers to the following questions (and write down your answers for a more concrete experience).
- Where do you live now that you are 80 years old? What kind of room or environment do you imagine?
- How did you spend your week? What were the highlights and low points?
- What do you want to do next year? What are your hopes for the next five years?
- How is your body feeling? how do you feel?
- what do you look like?
- What are you wearing?
- Who do you spend time with?
- What makes you the happiest?
- Do you have any regrets?
What advice would your 80-year-old self give you?
Once you have a clear picture of yourself at 80, think about what advice that future person would give you today. What do they want you to know?
Again, if you want the experience to be more realistic or practical, write it down.
How will what you think about yourself at age 80 reflect on the actions you take now?
So if you like what you imagined when you were 80, are you doing everything you need to do now to live that life? Why or why not?
What can you do now to change your future if you don’t like what you imagined? Write down a plan for what you want to do to improve your life.
Run the scenario. From a financial perspective, run through scenarios in NewRetirement Planner with an imaginary age of 80 in mind and make sure your financial plan aligns with your ideal future life.
And think beyond 80 to 85, 90, or 100.
NewRetirement Subscriber Advice
We recently asked the following questions: NewRetirement Facebook Group. The advice I received from my imaginary 80-year-old self ranged from financial to lifestyle advice. Here are some of the answers:
health tips
“Please take care of your teeth. I’ve never met anyone over 80 who didn’t wish their teeth were better.” — David
“I’m glad I got both hips done a long time ago! But I wish I had started using sunscreen decades ago! And enjoy life while continuing to be frugal!!!” — Jenny
“Please take care of your health.” — Andrea
“Don’t push yourself too hard and take better care of your body. Do more exercises and yoga to stay more flexible and toned. Before you retire or after early retirement, spend more time traveling. Spend more time and spend time with family and friends.” — Eddie
“Move around as much as possible and party more.” — Kate
“Move your butt.” — Jean
Suggestions for enjoying life
“Don’t let a little money get in the way of having a really good time.” – Mark
“Don’t rush things. You’ll be here in no time.” – invoice
“I drink wine with every dinner.” – Pat
“You don’t have to look back and regret not trying something new.” – Chris
“Just because you want to live this long doesn’t mean you should avoid doing something, eating something, or drinking something. The 80’s were not a quality era!” — Neil
“Please keep buying concert tickets.” — Susan (pre-pandemic, attended 75 concerts a year)
“Life is too short to eat bad pizza.” – Pole
“The days are long and the years are short.” — Karen
“If you live in New Jersey, move!” — Donald
“Trust no one and just be yourself.” — Linda
“Seek awe as often as possible. Travel more, enjoy more sunsets, swim more, dance more, invest more in the people you like and love.” — Kathleen
“live for you Children will forget you.” — Virginia
“Retire as soon as possible, relax, and enjoy life, travel, family, friends, and more.” — Scott
financial advice
“Save as much as you think you need and double or even triple it. It takes money to stay alive.” — Kenneth
“Enjoy it while you still have the energy!” — Steve
“Never sell Tesla stock. Sell everything else and enjoy each day to your heart’s content.” – Eric
“Don’t waste your tax money so much.” — Mara
“Use the first $1,000 you invested in an index fund in 1997 to buy Amazon stock.” — David
“Consume. You can’t take it home. Your children need to earn their own money.” — Gunner
altruism
“Get rid of your money early, be generous, and know that life has an end. I don’t want to live as a corpse in a castle.” — Karin
“Donate while you’re alive and know where it goes.” – invoice
change the way you think
“Worry less, enjoy more. (We hope you’ll worry less and have more fun.)” — Diane
“Be happy with your body as it is. If you look back at photos of yourself when you were younger and thought you were fat, you’ll realize that you actually looked pretty good. I could have made myself less anxious.” — Ruth
“I just celebrated my 60th birthday. But I decided to identify and express myself as a 50-year-old. We can do that too, right? Even at 87 years old, I think I would love that idea! So when is the next metal concert?” — David
And the Jokers…
“Don’t turn 80.” — Tim
“And today’s lottery numbers are…” — Rudy