Little Things Add Up

The little things you do matter. They add up and make a huge impact in your life. In who you become.

Be conscious about the choices you make today, because they determine how your future looks—5, 10, 40 years from now.

Body

What are you having for breakfast? How about for dinner, when you're tired from work and you have little energy to cook something? How often do you exercise? What kinds of exercises do you do? How many hours of sleep do you get every night? How are you spending Sundays? Still working your ass off or giving your body time to recover?

Those tiny decisions dictate how healthy your future self will be. Will you still be able to eat sweet, ripe mangoes and enjoy beer on weekends? 30 or 40 years from now, will you still be able to play with your grandkids, run after them and carry them around?

It's not just the body you should take care of.

Mind

Keep your mind sharp by continuing to learn new concepts, seeing fresh patterns, and practicing critical thinking. Keep reading books, watching quality documentaries, movies, and TV shows, listening to podcasts, and going on new experiences.

Think: will you be able to hold engaging conversations when you're retired, or are stories from the past all you have to share?

Security

Having you been adding to your savings fund consistently, or have you been splurging on restaurants, concerts, and travels? When crisis hits, do you have an emergency fund to keep you afloat (and thriving)?

It's okay to spend on experience, but make sure you tuck away enough for emergencies, future plans, and retirement. You wouldn't want to live paycheck to paycheck when you're in your sunset years, especially if your knees and ankles are starting to limit your movement.

Relationships

But don't make work the center of your life. Take care of your relationships too—family and dear friends. Show up. Be present. The family get-togethers, the kids' birthdays and recitals, the high school and college reunions, the dinners with colleagues. Make memories.

Once you miss a moment, you can never take it back. They're growing old, the same rate as you are. If you're always saying next time, you might never get the chance. Invest in those relationships now, and you'll avoid regret later.

“If I knew I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself.”
— Mickey Mantle