A 73-year-old individual, reflecting on a near-fatal health event at 52, argues that societal perceptions of aging and success are fundamentally flawed, urging listeners to abandon the pursuit of external validation and embrace intentional living to avoid lifelong regret.
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I'm 73 years old [music] and I'm about
to tell you something that might upset
you. Everything you think you know about
getting older is completely wrong.
[music] And the worst part, the people
who should be telling you this, your
parents, your teachers, uh, society,
they're either lying to you or they
don't know themselves. [music] You see,
I spent the first 50 years of my life
believing the same lies you probably
believe right now. I thought I [music]
had it all figured out. I had the
career, the house, the respect [music]
of my peers. But at 52, something
happened that shattered everything I
thought I knew. And what I discovered in
the 21 years since then has completely
changed how I see life, death, and
everything in between. But before I tell
you what happened, I need you to
understand something. The reason I'm
making this video isn't to impress
[music] you or to make myself feel wise.
I'm making this because I'm running out
of time [music] and there are things you
need to hear before it's too late. Not
for me, [music] for you. At 52, I had
what doctors call a cardiac event.
[music] Um, that's a fancy way of saying
my heart tried to kill me. Um, I was in
a meeting discussing quarterly
projections [music]
when suddenly the room started spinning.
The next thing I remember is waking up
in a hospital bed with tubes coming out
of my arms [music] and my wife crying in
the corner. The doctor said I was lucky.
Lucky. I had just come face to face with
my own mortality. [music]
And they called it luck. But you know
what? They were right. Because lying in
that hospital [music] bed with nothing
to do but think, I realized something
terrifying. I had been living my entire
life on autopilot.
I wasn't really alive. I was just going
through the motions, [music] checking
boxes, trying to meet everyone else's
expectations. [music] And here's the
part that haunts me to this day. If I
had died that day, if my heart had
stopped permanently,
what would I have left behind? [music] A
nice house, a retirement account, a
collection of achievements that nobody
would remember in 5 years. Let me tell
you the biggest lie you're probably
telling yourself right now. [music]
I have time. I'll do that later. When
I'm older, I'll finally live the life I
want. I see young people in their 20s, 30s,
30s,
even 40s, [music] and they're all saying
the same thing. When I make more money,
then I'll be happy. When I get that
promotion, [music] then I'll relax. When
the kids are grown, then I'll travel.
When I retire, then I'll finally do what
I love. Let me save you 50 years of
regret with one simple truth. That day
never comes. You [music] know why? Cuz
the goalposts keep moving. You get the
promotion and suddenly you need the next
one. You make [music] more money and
suddenly you need more money. You're
always chasing [music] something just
out of reach. And before you know it,
you're 70 years old wondering where your
life went. I did this. I spent 30 years
climbing a ladder only to realize when I
got to the top that it was leaning
against the wrong wall. [music] And you
can't climb back down and start over.
Time doesn't work that way. Here's
something nobody tells you when you're
young. Success is a terrible goal. And I
say this as someone who achieved [music]
everything I set out to achieve. I made
partner at my firm. [music] I bought the
house. I had the respect of my
colleagues and you know what? None of it
mattered. You achieve your goal and for
about 48 hours you feel amazing. Then
the feeling fades. You're back to
baseline. Now you need a new goal, a
bigger achievement, more validation.
It's a hamster [music] wheel. I had a
friend who died 3 years ago at 68.
Worked 70our weeks his entire life.
built a multi-million dollar business,
never took a real vacation, [music] kept
saying he'd slow down next year. Next
year came and he had a stroke. At his
funeral, his son said, "My father was a
successful man, but I barely knew him."
Is that the legacy you want? [music]
Your regrets won't be about the things
you did wrong. They'll be about the
things you didn't do at all. I don't lie
awake at night thinking about failed
business [music] deals. Those don't
matter. You know what keeps me up? The
trip to Japan I never took because I was
too busy. The relationship with my
brother that I let deteriorate. The book
I always wanted to write but never
started. [music] The time I didn't spend
with my kids because I was working late.
These things eat at [music] you. The
missed opportunities. The roads not
taken. The love you didn't express. The
risks [music] you didn't take because
you were afraid. The people you love,
your parents, [music] your siblings,
your close friends, you think you have
unlimited time with them. You don't. And
one day that time will run out. My
father died when I was 45. We had a
complicated relationship and I was
always too busy to really work on it. I
kept thinking we'd have time to talk
when I was less busy. We never got that
chance. Heart attack gone within hours.
And you know my biggest regret? All the
Sundays I didn't call him. All the times
I was too tired to drive over for
dinner. All the little moments I let
slip away. [music]
There won't always be more. After my
heart attack, I made big changes.
Stepped back from work. Started saying
no to things that didn't matter. Started
saying yes to things I had put off for
decades. [music] In these last 21 years,
I've learned more about life than I did
in the previous [music] 52. What matters
is embarrassingly simple. Time with
people you love. Work that feels
meaningful to you. [music] Experiencing
things, not owning things, creating
memories, being present. I know it
sounds simple. When I was your age, I
would have rolled my eyes. Sure, but I
have bills to pay. And yes, [music] you
do. I'm not saying quit your job. I'm
saying don't sacrifice what matters for
what [music] doesn't. Here's a question
I want you to ask yourself, and I want
you to answer it honestly. If you died
tomorrow, would you be satisfied with
the life you've lived so far? Not would
people be impressed by your eulogy, not
did you achieve enough, [music] just
would you be satisfied? If the answer is
no, then what are you waiting for? What
are you doing with your time that's
[music] so important that you're willing
to gamble your one precious life on it?
I'm 73 years old. [music] I've been
lucky enough to have good health since
that heart attack. But every morning
when I wake up, I'm aware that I'm on
borrowed time. We all are really. But
most young people don't realize this.
They think they're invincible. They
think they have forever. You don't. I
have grandchildren, [music]
three of them, and when I look at them,
I see the same patterns I see in most
young people [music] today. They're
stressed, they're anxious, they're
chasing things that won't make them
happy. They're making the same mistakes
I made. And I [music] try to tell them,
I try to share what I've learned, but
you know what? They don't really listen.
Not because they're bad kids, but
because they can't. They're living in a
storm right now. They can't see the
patterns yet. They think their situation
is unique. [music] That the old rules
don't apply to them. That's why I'm
making this video. [music]
Because maybe, just maybe, if enough
people hear this message, someone will
actually listen. [music] Someone will
make different choices. Someone will
avoid the regrets that haunt people like
me. every single day. You're getting
closer to death. Nobody likes to think
about this. But you don't have unlimited [music]
[music]
time. Neither do the people you love.
Your parents, if they're still alive,
they're getting older every day. [music]
One day, probably sooner than you think,
they won't be here. Your friends, your
spouse, your children, none of these
relationships last forever. >> [music]
>> [music]
>> So, what are you going to do? Keep
putting off that phone call? Keep
postponing that trip? Keep telling
yourself you'll make time later? Or are
you going to wake up today and start
living like your time is limited?
Because it is. If I could go back and
talk to my 30-year-old self, here's what
I would say. Stop trying to impress
people who don't matter. Stop
sacrificing your health for your career.
Stop putting [music] off joy until
someday. Stop waiting for permission to
live the life [music] you want. Start
calling your parents more often. Start
taking the trips you dream about.
[music] Start doing the things that
scare you. Start saying no to
obligations [music] that drain you.
Start saying yes to experiences that
fulfill you. And most importantly,
[music] start now. Not next year. Not
after this project. Not when you have
more money or more time or more
whatever. now because I promise you the
perfect time will never come. [music]
Life will always be messy and
complicated and full of reasons to wait.
But if you wait, you'll wake up one day
and realize you waited your entire life
away. I'm 73. If I'm lucky, maybe 10 or
15 more years. Maybe 20 [music] if
blessed. Probably less. And I'm okay
with that because these [music] last 21
years have been the richest of my life.
Not because I've made more money.
[music] Because I've finally started
living intentionally, appreciating every
day, prioritizing what matters. I've
[music] traveled to places I always
wanted to see. Deepened relationships
with my children and grandchildren,
pursued hobbies I put off, forgiven
people I held grudges against, [music]
said I love you countless times. I'm
happier now at 73 [music] with less time
ahead than I was at 30 when I thought I
had all the time in the world. That's
the [music] irony. When you understand
time is limited, you start to actually
live. You stop wasting it. You stop
[music] postponing joy. You start
creating the right time. You have a
choice right now, [music]
today. Keep living the way you're
living. Chasing success, putting off
happiness, telling yourself you'll make
time later or wake up. Realize time is
running out faster than you think, and
the life you're waiting to live needs to
start now. I can't make this choice for
you, but I [music] can tell you, you
don't want to be 73
looking back wishing you made different
choices. [music]
Don't waste 52 years figuring this out.
Learn from my mistakes. Live intentionally.
intentionally.
Prioritize what matters. Stop waiting
for someday. Someday is today. [music]
It always has been. If this resonates,
share this video. Leave a comment. Tell
me what you're going to do differently.
[music] Subscribe because I have more
truths to share and not much time left.
The clock is ticking. What are you going
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