What Would I Pay When I'm 80?

The Quintessential Question at the Heart of Contentment

The other night, after a long day, my three-year-old daughter Lola asked me to carry her to bed.

And as I picked her up and headed down the hall, I thought to myself someday will be the last day I get to do this. Someday will be the last time; and chances are I won’t even know it when it comes.

And so I paused for a moment in the hallway and asked myself a question I find myself turning to often these days…

When I’m 80 years old, what would I pay to relive this moment?

It’s a poignant and powerful question I first heard raised in Tim Ferriss’ book Tribe of Mentors; and since have heard versions of discussed across a variety of podcasts.

And so as I considered that question, I knew there would be almost no price I wouldn’t pay to relive that moment one last time; to hold my daughter in my arms again and carry her slowly down the hallway to bed.

So why is this question so important?

The reality is that life is busier and noisier than ever; and it’s never been easier to mistake the magic for the mundane.

To fail to realize that when it comes to life, it’s the small moments that all-too-often are actually the big moments in disguise.

That if we’re not careful, we may unintentionally find ourselves either lost in the painful self-reflection of the past or consumed with anxious anticipation of the future.

That day-to-day we can fail to fully feel the full force of what it means to be present.

And so I find myself turning back to this question, when I’m inadvertently distracted with my device, feeling some frustration, or just generally disengaged from the world around me.

Because when I’m 80 years old, chances are I wouldn’t pay a dime for one more late night working session or one more working lunch over zoom.

But a chance to wake up next to my wife? Share one more dinner with my parents? Or carry my daughter back to bed one last time?

These are the priceless memories that no-doubt will play on repeat so long as my memory will serve me.

So the next time you find yourself distracted from those little moments that may just be big moments in disguise, I’d encourage you to pause and ask yourself…

When I’m 80 years old, what would I pay to relive this moment?

Because if you’re anything like me, just asking the question may be exactly what you need to temporarily forgo the future, forget the past, and come back to the beauty that all-too-often abounds in the present all around us.

---

About The Author
Seth is the founder and CEO of Kanahoma, a San Diego-based performance marketing agency on a mission to build a better agency for organizations building a better world.

You can learn more about who we are and what we do at www.Kanahoma.com.