MEMENTO MORI
This phrase is Latin for “remember you must die”, popularized by Stoic philosophers in ancient Rome. This isn’t meant to be depressing; it is meant to remind you that life is finite, and to appreciate each moment. Unfortunately, it is also a pretty good excuse for an existential crisis, and the reason a lot of people refill their Xanax prescription every month.
I don’t know how much time I have left on this world. Bad news- neither do you. We all have an invisible timer, ticking down inexorably toward zero, but we can’t see how much is left. You can take your vitamins, eat your vegetables, exercise, do all the things that supposedly prolong your life… but you will be worm food eventually. It is a fate we can’t escape. You can’t get back any moment that has passed, which makes every moment you have left that much more valuable.
The problem is, it never feels that way. We dwell on the past, and worry about the future. We let someone else dictate the value of our present, in the form of salaries or revenue from our customers. We trade our time for money, yet time can’t actually buy money. But money can buy time. More on that another time (pun intended).
You get to the end of your life and think about the things you have done. The people that have made you happy. The people you have made happy. If you have lived a good life, those are the same people. If you have not lived a good life, you will think about the things you could have done, and the people you could have done it with. Shit, you will probably do that regardless, no matter how well you have lived.
The key is to find the balance of living in the present, while planning for the future, without paying for the past. That’s financial planning, at its best. Here’s the practical lessons:
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- Taking on (bad) debt means you will be paying for your past.
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- Investing is planning for your future.
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- Doing too much of either one takes away from your present.
There’s a greater life lesson here though: we only get one shot at this. Do what you love, with people you love, and don’t tolerate assholes. The want to make you as miserable as they are, which is a waste of your most precious resource- time.
I think you get the point by now. Stop wasting your time reading this, and go Make Life Your Beach.
