TIB 14: Don't leave sex for old age

TL;DR - No matter how rich you become, you will always have regrets at the end of your life. Usually those regrets have nothing to do with money, so act accordingly. If you haven’t found them yet, keep searching for wonderful relationships and work that you find interesting and fulfilling. It just might be the thing that keeps you alive for 100 years.

For those of you who don't know, one of the greatest investors of all time (Charlie Munger) passed away last week at the ripe old age of 99. In his last interview before his death, Charlie was asked whether he had any items remaining on his bucket list. Charlie thought about it, and said “Well… I am so old and weak compared to when I was 96 that I no longer want to catch a 200 pound tuna. It’s just too goddamn much work to get it in. Takes too much physical strength. I would have paid any amount to catch a 200 pound tuna. When I was younger, I never caught one. Now if you give me the opportunity, I would just decline going after them. There are things you give up with time.” Full video is here if you want to listen to the interview, his response starts at 1:14.

Beneath Charlie’s joke about his age, his humor highlighted a larger point.

There are certain things that money can’t buy. A billionaire multiple times over, Charlie admits that he would pay “any amount” to do something at the end of his life. No amount of money could buy him the experience of catching a 200 pound tuna, which is probably why he coveted it so dearly in the end.

So what is the lesson?

The accumulation of wealth is important, but in the end you’ll probably remember the experiences that you had (or didn’t have) that money couldn’t buy. It would be an incredibly bitter pill to swallow if you spent your entire life pursuing wealth, only to find out that the things you actually covet most are the things that money can’t buy.

So what are the things that money can’t buy, other than being able to catch a 200 pound tuna?

Let’s dig a little deeper.

The first secret to a long life

While Charlie is known as the man who built Berkshire Hathaway with Warren Buffett (the greatest investor of all time), Charlie’s greatest contributions to society might have been the example he set just by living life the way he did for as long as he did (emphasis on LONG). 

What was his secret to a long life?

Well it certainly wasn’t his diet!

My wife will kill me when she reads this because she is very focused on our health (if you're looking for a badass health coach, you should contact her!). We try to make sure that we are eating the right stuff, working out as much as possible, and being conscious of the type of sleep we get. Check back in 66 years and I'll let you know how it all works out. 

Meanwhile, guys like Charlie probably ate a Big Mac every day, washed it down with a Diet Coke and finished it off with a McFlurry and he lived for 100 years.

Ok I was joking. What did Charlie actually eat? He loved donuts, peanut brittle, Diet Coke (that part wasn’t a lie) and he reportedly avoided exercise as much as possible.

So if it wasn’t diet and exercise, what was it? What is the secret to a long and happy life?

When I look at nonagenarians like Charlie and Warren, I keep coming back to the same answer.

Just find something you love doing, that you can do every day, that fills you with purpose and meaning, and keep doing it until you croak. I am officially a member of the “never retire” camp (as long as you find the thing that you love doing).

What happens if you haven’t found the thing you love doing?

Keep looking. Just keep looking. Never stop. It’s never too late.

Don’t believe me? Listen to Warren Buffett then.

“Look for the job that you would take if you didn’t need a job. Don’t sleepwalk through life. Don’t say its all gonna be great. That’s like saving up sex for old age, it’s not a good idea! You can’t necessarily find it on your first job, but don’t give up before you find it.”

There you have it, giving up before finding a job you love is like saving up sex for old age.

Not a good idea!

The second secret to a long life

The second secret to a long life seems to be wonderful relationships with those you love. Warren and Charlie met in 1959 and apparently became fast friends. Charlie joined Berkshire Hathaway in the mid 1970s and quickly became Warren’s running mate and closest business partner.

After their first meeting, Warren apparently knew that Charlie would be in his life forever. “We were gonna have fun together, we were gonna make money together, we were gonna get ideas from each other, and we were both going to behave better than if we didn't know each other.”

According to a recent study, people how experience social isolation had a 32% higher risk of dying early from any cause compared with those who weren’t socially isolated.

So much of life is random. Who is left standing with you at the end is largely a matter of luck. But maybe if you find a few people who you love, and a few people who you love working with, you all just might help keep each other going much longer than you could ever imagine. Most importantly, you’ll probably have a ton of fun along the way.

Final thoughts

Being home for the holidays after quitting your job six months ago invites the inevitable questions. “So….how’s it going? What are you….doing?” Everyone’s afraid to probe too far. They’re not sure whether this self-imposed sabbatical is still self-imposed. Has funemployment turned into full blown unemployment?

It’s tough to put into words over a dinner table what I am trying to do, so maybe this piece is my way of organizing my thoughts. I can confidently say I am still funemployed, but every day I am one step closer to finding and manifesting work that I love and find meaningful. Trying to catch that tuna before I get too old.

So in conclusion? Don’t wait to catch that 200 pound tuna and have lots of sex before you get old.

A little housekeeping

Someone mentioned that Friday afternoons might not be the best time to send out my newsletters and that I should experiment with sending these out earlier in the week. Curious if anyone has any strong feelings about this, one way or another. Let me know!

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